Nursing student feeling incompetent

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This is a bit of a vent/whining post, so beware.

I'm in my 2nd semester of my nursing program and while I feel like I've learned so much I'm also starting to feel like my critical thinking skills are lacking. I do great with tests and classroom stuff but in clinical I feel somewhat incompetent...I don't think its my skills its my lack of confidence and so under pressure I forget really important things...like how to give a SQ shot :arghh:...a completely basic skill when a nurse is in the room watching me. I actually just didn't push in the needle far enough and it was like a half intradermal half SQ and I felt like a total idiot and I think the nurse did too...I know its stupid but it ruined my day. And when I talk to my instructor I always feel like an idiot because I can never answer her questions, she always has to explain concepts to me and I know that's her job, but sometimes its information that I feel like I should know. Maybe I just don't like not knowing the answers...like today she had to explain to me normal sinus rhythm and I just felt like an idiot because all of that information was burned into my brain in physiology and I couldn't remember any of it. It just kind of deflates me. Is feeling this way normal? It feels like I'm never going to be able to learn all of the things I need to know...

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I am in my first semester but I feel the same way that you do. I am good with the exams abd rhe studying and the assignments and even the skills when I do them in lab and skills testing. When it comes to clincials (I've only had 3 patients contact clinicals so far) I feek so incompetent last week I came home and cried. I am too shy and not confident enough and its hindering me from being the good nurse (or nursing student) that I can be and I'm discouraged about it. I haven't had any medical/ patient contact before nursing school so maybe I just have to get used to being in control abs making my own decisions and touching patients like that. I can give a bed bath take vitals do a physical assessment and everything but when it comes to clinicals its like I forget! I get scared to even go introduce myself to the patient. I have clinical tomorrow so I'm going to try to walk in there as if I own it. Hopefully we wil gain confidence with practice. Moral of the story is what you're experiencing is normal its okay to be afraid especially under pressure. Just pretend like you're not afraid fake it til ya make it and if you're not sure about something ask your instructor or the nurses. The nurses are generally busy but anything you can do for them ask your instructor to overlook you it might be scary but if they correct you or tell you you're doing a good job the more confident you will start to feel in your skills

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I'm all about the fake it til you make it as well :) I think going in with confidence helps both you and your patients. I always introduce myself and tell them how lucky they are to have a student nurse on their side. It puts everyone at ease and gives me instant rapport with them. I've had patients advocate for ME (lol) when getting treatment, "Can't Kris try this? I'm ok with that, she needs to learn!". I"m also not afraid to say "I don't know but let me find out". You'll get more respect from that than trying to BS your way through a situation.

Also, in terms of your instructor, you're not her first and you won't be her last student. We have SO much to learn and sometimes we just can't explain it. You're fine. You're normal. You're gonna be awesome

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Perfectly normal.

There is a huge difference between "knowing" something and "applying" that knowledge. For instance, a person can ace the test on cardiology but completely fail to recognize actual symptoms of an MI during a physical assessment... happens quite a lot, actually.

I like to use the non-nursing analogy of swimming. We could sit you down in front of the best videos, load you up with all the theoretical knowledge on buoyancy, water resistance, breathing techniques, etc..... but the only way you are going to learn to swim is by actually doing it. You're not incompetent - you're inexperienced.

None of us were born knowing how to do a precordial thump. Trust the process. You can do this.

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Thank you guys! It helps to hear encouragement. It gets so overwhelming at times and I think everyone is at the exhaustion point of the semester, including most definitely me! So I get discouraged more easily. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one!

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Specializes in Hospice.

How about being such a doofus that you can't figure out how to silence a bed alarm for like ten minutes on your first clinical day in LTC? Five weeks in med surg, no problems. Day one in LTC and I forget to change a patient into a clean gown after her bath (she was in her own nightgown and chilled, so I unbuttoned it and bathed around it so she wouldn't be chilled, but I should have changed it and it didn't even occur to me.) and the bed alarm wakes the whole floor and I can't find the silence button. Live and learn. And pray to God I get all my mistakes out of the way while it just involves ADLs.

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I had the same issues, but also had problems with having to speak another language to the patients too. I would do really doofus things and I have no idea why. It has finally clicked this semester and I finally feel like I can do things with confidence. The biggest thing that helped was just going in and doing what I needed to do. The repetition made things easier and my teachers let me figure out a routine that works for me. So the nurses that have said to fake it are right. You will walk in to the hospital and it will just click that you have been making things harder than it needs to be.

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I have the same issue. I feel dumb when my teacher asks me questions. She really gets all up on me about medications.

I get really nervous and forget basic skills and shes calls me incompetent.

Its something about less supervision makes me less nervous.

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I am totally 100% there too! I have some clinical days where I am in this flow and I can mentally manage my multiple tasks and multiple patients then other days like today. . .where I have one patient who is cooperative and wonderful and I feel completely inept. Thank you for posting this thread and thank you for the comments! There are more aspiring nurses than just those that comment that feel the same way!

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Hey, you ARE incompetent - you're a nursing baby! You have to learn to crawl before you can walk; you have to learn the content before you can apply it.

Take advantage of open lab opportunities to brush up on your skills. Be a sponge when your instructor is explaining things to you. Take a little pride in the fact that you're doing really well with the exams, because there are a lot of students who can't even grasp content.

Perfect practice makes perfect!

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