New grad nurse advice

[AzNewNurse]

Hi everyone,

I recently started my career as a new grad on a busy Floor that is now all covid. I have only been working a couple months at this point. I feel my confidence growing and I have already learned so much.
The problem is a couple weeks into my orientation I have started having panic attacks before almost every shift. Crushing feeling on my chest, can’t breathe, and just gasp/cry.

I don’t know why this is happening, nothing bad has happened on my shifts. I have a great preceptor. I feel confident taking a full patient load with minimal help from my preceptor. The unit has a lot of codes which does make me nervous but I also know I would have help if I was involved in one.

Everyone complains about my unit (very high turnover rate), short staffed often ect. We are a unit of majority new grads. Most people don’t stay more than a year. I know ultimately I don’t want to stay here long either.

Has anyone else struggled with panic attacks as a new grad? Once I’m on the unit working it subsides a bit but I have gotten random bursts of heavy anxiety during shifts for no apparent reason as well. I’ve never dealt with anxiety like this in my life, never had panic attacks until now. I try to relax before, exercise, talk to friends and family but nothing is helping. I don’t want to take medication just to do my job. I’m at a loss for what to do!

[JKL33]

It's going to be okay.

I think being new is like our subconsciousness constantly bearing the stress and it manifests in various ways (my totally non-expert/lay take on it all). Not uncommon to hear alarms and beeping in one's dreams, or weird dreams that are sort of expressing the stress, for example. Other times people might become short-tempered, or maybe a little preoccupied (more examples). It just comes out one way or another.

But...not a bad idea to talk to your HCP about it. Meds aren't the only option; sometimes just getting it off your chest and hearing that it'll be okay is helpful, sometimes CBT is helpful (cognitive behavioral therapy where they help you recognize anxiety and train yourself to counter it). Even just having a plan may help you feel more secure about continuing forward in a positive frame of mind.

Try not to let whatever negativity is swirling around your unit become your reality. In other words, if you need to worry about something you'll know it. But don't decide to worry about something solely because of what other people are saying.

Anyway...a ((hug)) for you. Take a deep breath. Talk to your HCP.

Good luck!

[Chickenlady]

Very common to have bad anxiety as a new grad. Speak to your PCP, maybe do an SSRI like Zoloft for a few months to take the edge off the anxiety until you get comfortable in your new role

[brunetteRN06]

Hi there- 

I’m in a very similar situation. I was prescribed escitalopram (Lexapro) and it seems like it has helped. I definitely still have anxiety, but not tunnel-vision, out of breath, unable to function anxiety. I’m still considering leaving my floor job altogether. It’s a hard toss up. 

[Jdinh1992]

I can honestly sympathize too! I’m a new grad, been on my own for over a month now, and it wasn’t until a week and a half ago did I experience my first ever panic attack.
While sitting down. Charting. 

LOL, of all the times of the day it could’ve happened (in hindsight I’m thankful it happened when nothing pressing was occurring)

I also work in a medsurg floor-turned covid. And because it’s the hospitals “covid” unit, ICU transfers with covid don’t go to the step down unit, they transfer to the medsurg floor. So the acuity is high. 
honestly the only thing that helped me was walking around the floor, deep breathing, and thinking to myself that it will pass (although I thought I was having a heart attack and truthfully didn’t know if it would).