No confidence in lab skills

Dreaminofneedles · Mar 21, 2014

Hang in there! You got this!

StephV · Mar 21, 2014

My 1st term ends next week, and I start clinical next term as well. I so want this term to be over already!! Hang in there, you have great grades.Remember, lab is where you apply all of the book stuff that we have learned in the classroom. Be patient with yourself, so what it takes you several tries to get it right, every time you do get it right should really boost your confidence!!! You'll do fine for your clinical, remember to do everything that you had applied in lab.

mmtorrez89 · Mar 24, 2014

Fake it till ya make it my friend. Lab skills especially are something you will learn with time and hands on.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2014

That's totally me in my first quarter. Now, though, I don't mind if something takes me several attempts to master. As stated above, the more I do it, the more confidence I have because I'm putting the work in and that's where it counts. Put the time in. Don't give up from that! It just takes some getting used to.

mzrainydayz, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2014

You are in your first semester and the feeling you have is normal. We have checkoffs every semester you either pass or fail. We have three attempts to pass or we get dropped out of the program. I guess with time comes some comfort. When I go to clinical and perform skills I just think back to what I have learned and have been taught (even though I am shaking inside). You have to show your patient you are confident in all that you do (even if you have to fake it to you make). I say hang in there things will get better. It's nursing school we are here to learn!!!!!

PD82 · Mar 25, 2014

Congrats on getting all A's!!!!! That, in itself, is a major accomplishment in nursing school.

Skills class is just giving you the basic tools and knowledge to prepare you for clinical, and will not always be the same as skills lab. i.e. the way you do a bp in skills will not be an exact replica of how they do it at your clinical site (my job uses a dynamap but in school we do them manually), and so on.... Working with real patients is always nerve wrecking, but over time your confidence will build.

Ask your instructor what you can expect at clinicals, every program is different. Our program starts your first semester clinical off with basics....showering, feeding, bed changes, etc. Then they build on that.

tanna898 · Mar 26, 2014

I agree wit mmtorrez89 "Fake it till you make it" Even when you are not confident act as if you are because eventually you will be confident as practice makes perfect. I remember my first day of clinical I was SOOOOO nervous but after a week that nervousness dissipated and I did become more confident… then we would change clinical sites to something more acute and the nervous cycle would start all over again. Whatever you do DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!! EVERYBODY feels that way some people just wear a more confident mask than others. you can do this.

NurseJay85 · Mar 27, 2014

Skills never feel solid in the lab, once you get out there and start interacting wiyh real patients you will be fine. It's normal to feel nervous. Just don't let the patient see it. Remember the indirect cares (knocking introducing yourself etc.) And keep a comfident smile and you will make it through. Good luck

cinlou, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 30, 2014

I know when everyone says fake it til you make it they are being lighthearted But in all seriousness, don't fake it. Know what you are doing. The skills lab is a place to make mistakes without hurting anyone. Feeling unsure of yourself is very normal. Fear is a good thing as long as it is not debilitating. Fear makes you stop and think about what you are doing. Mid semester most all students will feel the way you are, and each semester you will feel this, and with your first job, and every time you start something new.

Never give up, that is the worse thing you can do. The more you practice the better you will get, and your confidence will grow. Practice on our family.

Yvonne2014 · Apr 25, 2014

I know exactly what you mean! If we don't feel confident in the lab skills, than imagine the ability of getting thru your first procedures at clinical of which your instructor or facility nurse is observing you...and confidence level is all what makes the patients feel at ease. I always do well academically, but I definitely need to practice repeatedly just to feel comfortable with myself! I will try to use youtube and any other resource after I start PN school in two weeks.

Continue to fill us in on your progress and any resources you find useful.