New Techniques Make Me Shaky Nervous!

Hello, fellow nursing students. I had a competency today for my ASN program where I had to administer an SQ Heparin injection and do a Foley Catheter. Ok, I have the steps down. I know what to do how to do it and everything in between. But I ended up with a C on my competency (which is a pass) because I got so nervous and everything just fled my mind. Has anyone else ever had this issue and how do you go about calming your nerves?

I also get nervous at clinical but that is getting better. I am confident in myself but just as a natural reaction I get shakey and nervous:nailbiting:

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Practice, practice, practice. That's why you have a learning lab with open hours. If it were easy, nursing school wouldn't take as long as it does. :)

The more time you practice playing a piano piece, tying a new knot, driving a car, sewing a straight seam, or any other new task, the better you get at it. There's no reason whatsoever that any other psychomotor task such as you describe would be any different. Look at how long it took you to learn to tie your shoes when you were little, and now you can do it while singing along to your favorite song on the radio and hopping on the other foot to get to breakfast. So too with these. Well, except for the hopping around part.

[rubato, ASN, RN]

It's tough to be watched. It always makes me nervous. But the more I've worked on the skill, the more confident I am going in. I like to watch videos that our school provides or on Youtube to help me out also.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

Practice is the key. The first few IV starts in my ER clinical during my Advanced EMT program were scary. By the forth one I had my technique down and the nerves were gone. For the rest of the shift I became their designated IV starter. I did around 20 IV starts. Once you get your technique down, the confidence increases and the nerves decrease.

[EaglesWings21, ASN, RN]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I also think practice is key and I do study and practice, but I think I should take advantage of open labs when I can, also.

[dayanara]

A week before my foley validation I was doing my ob rotation and the nurse asked me if I wanted to watch her insert a Foley. Of course i said yes! And I asked her if it was really that difficult. She told me: they always make it look harder at school. I watched her do it so naturally that it gave me confidence when I did it on my validation. What makes it hard is having someone watching you! But is true...practice practice practice...practice makes perfect;-)