New graduate RN

[ana97]

Hello,

I just graduated nursing school with my BSN in December and I will be taking my boards at the end of January. In my area, nurse residency positions are very competitive, and I only wanted to work for a certain healthcare system and my only interests were med-surg and NICU. I applied to both under the system I wanted, I did not get the NICU, but I did get offered the med-surg position and I accepted it because I think it will be a good place to start the foundation and my best friend from nursing school also got offered a position on that floor and at nights as well. The NICU was my first choice, and I was disappointed that I did not get it. I thought about applying to other NICU's in my area, but honestly I feel like I'm not too sure what I really want to do. I did my senior preceptorship in the NICU and there were some things about it that really intimidated me. I feel like I'm not really sure what kind of nurse I want to be. I am excited to work as a nurse, but I am also scared, nervous, and wondering if I even have what it takes to be a good nurse. I hear med-surg can be stressful, but I feel like I need to build on my skills before I go into a specialty. I know no one can make the choice for me as to where to start. I am just feeling very confused, scared, anxious, and worried as I prepare to enter the nursing profession. I just want to be a good nurse for my patients and I feel like I don't know anything. Is it normal to feel this way? Thank you to anyone who reads this.

[ClaraRedheart, BSN, RN]

It's very normal to feel that way. I think that it is a healthy fear so long as you cope in a healthy way. First year of working as a nurse can be rough... especially if you haven't worked as an aid/pct/tech before. You will go home and stay awake over small things that happened (that are really no big deal) that you think might kill your patient. It took me every bit of a year to feel comfortable. If you have a good team, it makes it much easier. Best wishes to you! I made it through a very anxious year to the other side, and I now LOVE med-surg and my unit. You can get through this with some tenacity and willpower ?