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Discussion

Novice to Expert

I am a nursing student in my second week of clinicals. I have a question for all of you wonderful, expert nurses: did you ever feel nervous, timid, and unsure of yourself? Did you make mistakes? I would love to hear about it for some inspiration. I work hard and I just want to know that I will catch on to it all someday! Thanks

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I just had to click on this because the novice to expert title. When I had graduated, there seemed to be a lot of articles with those words in the title.

I am no expert nurse, though I do have a specialty and am quite functional in it.

Yes, I felt unsure many times and made many mistakes...it's how I learned...

I'm still making some mistakes, and I am still learning a lot...

  • Experts

EVERYONE starts out feeling just the way you describe. We all survived it, and you will, too! Hey, if you already knew everything about nursing, why would you need to be in school??? :)

Best wishes for your adventure! :balloons:

  • Experts
did you ever feel nervous, timid, and unsure of yourself?

Yes.

Did you make mistakes?

Yes, plenty of them.

I just want to know that I will catch on to it all someday!

You will. We all go through the phase you're going through now.

The learning process is never ending...even with seasoned nurses. Ask questions, observe as many things/procedures as you can, and identify role models, learning from them....these are things that one can not read in a book. But, yes, making some mistakes along the way is inevitable. However, the more prepared you are will make the difference between making simple ones versus making whoppers. If you don't know, ask. If you can't perform it, don't. Sounds simple enough.

Yes, it is completely normal to feel nervous when you are just starting out. I felt quite timid as a nursing student, & now there are still some times when I feel nervous as an RN (I've only been an RN for 3 months!) :) But on the other hand, I feel so much more confident now in my skills & abilities than I did 3 months ago when I first started orientation. You will get there. Just be patient with yourself. That's what I keep telling myself to do! :)

-Christine

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