Overcoming fear??

laa-te-dah,lpn · Oct 18, 2009

Clinicals are for learning. They don't expect you to be perfect. Relax and enjoy Nursing school. There will plenty of worry time when you are licensed and out there on your own. Watch. learn and ask lots of questions. You will be fine.

nursejoy1, ASN, RN · Oct 18, 2009

I have been an LPN for 8 years and I am back in school for my RN. I failed my first test about a month ago. You just have to realize its the end result that matters and that is finishing and getting that license. And as laa-te-dah said- clinicals are for learning. If you knew it all, you wouldn't need to go to school. Don't be so hard on yourself. And please have confidence that you do know and are learning what you need to! Good luck

mamamerlee, LPN · Oct 18, 2009

OK - - you need to learn how you can stop worrying. First of all, keep in mind that there is only one thing that you can control in this entire world - your attitude. Beyond that, very little is truly in your control!

That being said, try to figure out why you failed the test - was the info asked for on the test what you studied for? Did you not understand some of the info, and simply try to memorize some info? Etc.

On to clinicals - in the very beginning, this is strictly practice time. Yes, you should know how to take VS, and what the norms are. You should be able to give a decent bath, using that time to TALK to the pt, gather info, and inspect the skin. Can the pt perform some of the bath? And of course all the other 'small stuff' - fresh water, call button at hand, etc.

Now- take a few slow, deep breaths. Repeat frequently - I CAN do this!!!

Jules A, MSN · Oct 18, 2009

This sounds like it could be depression and or anxiety. I wouldn't try to handle it alone. Please consider speaking to a professional. Good luck.

diane227, LPN, RN · Oct 18, 2009

You need to talk to someone about this. You have to be able to relax in order to learn. Don't wait. See someone as soon as you can. Good Luck.

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2009

You need to learn that "pleasing" people is not the way of life. UNDO the damage of your socialization.

Blunt, I know.

Hope it helps though....

CuriousMe · Oct 18, 2009

I am a worrier, that's all I do. I worry about anything and everything Nursing related. Im in the middle of clinicals and am worried to death that Im going to mess something up or not do something right. I finally had a breakdown when I failed my first nursing test (2nd quarter, med/surg) and cried all day. I havent cried like that before from nursing school. I cried in class, on my way home, at home, in the shower, in bed. It was just awful and the next day I had clinicals in the OR. My next 3 weeks (Thursdays) will be on Med/Surg. I consider these my "real clinicals". I don't want my professor/classmates disappointed in me. I've just been going through a lot lately and it's really starting to get to me.

I agree with Diane & Jules, I think it's time to get help (from more than AllNurses :) ). Maybe make an appointment at your student health center with a counselor? Nursing school is tough, it's not uncommon to need a bit of support to get through it.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

Peace,

CuriousMe

Danyelle_SWPA · Oct 19, 2009

Lexapro does wonders for depression and anxiety! Without it I wouldn't have ever had the nerve to start college at age 38 (with a GED), with 2 teenage daughters, a husband that is only home 1/4 of a yr, (due to traveling for work) a new part time job, 2 new puppies, no immediate family around, (they are 5 hrs away on the opposite side of Pennsylvania) and a 1500 sq foot house with an acre of land to care for all on my own! Now I am not in nursing classes yet, and I know they are way harder than pre-requs, but the lexapro is great!

And remember you can only please some of the ppl some of the time, you can't please all the ppl all, all the time!

Hang in there!

stellina615 · Oct 19, 2009

I agree that it might be helpful to get some professional help on this one, because it sounds as if the anxiety is really starting you impact you negatively. I've recently started seeing a therapist myself, so I can tell you from a first-hand perspective that it's helpful. With that said, try not to beat yourself up so much about being anxious. This may sound strange, but I feel that it's always good to have a little bit of that anxiety/concern on board with you. As a nurse, that concern keeps you PRESENT and AWARE, which is in the best interest of your patients. Thinking about something more than once before you do it prevents mistakes, and even when you flub up (which we all do every so often), the good nurse is the one who thinks about whether or not s/he could have done anything different to change the outcome and tries to learn from the mistake. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, get a little bit of outside help for yourself, and try to strike that balance between being too much anxiety and not enough. Hope that makes sense and I wish you all the best :)

Nightingale11 · Oct 19, 2009

The thing that prevents me from starting any form of medication is that my mom and stepdad are divorcing and we are all losing insurance.

CuriousMe · Oct 19, 2009

The thing that prevents me from starting any form of medication is that my mom and stepdad are divorcing and we are all losing insurance.

Does your school have a student health center of some sort? Maybe chat with someone there, they might have free/low cost counselors and might be able to hook you up with some kind of medication program if you need that.

The first thing I think is to try to get in to see a counselor of some kind....don't put the cart before the horse and worry about treatment before you actually talk to someone. One step at a time :)

I wish you the best!!

Peace,

CuriousMe