Overcoming work related anxiety

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I am currently a nursing student in med surg clinical who is a newly hired patient care associate in a hospital. I am finding myself stricken with some pretty severe anxiety in my job. I always struggle with a feeling of dread before nursing clinicals but I make it through just fine. My main problem is arising at work. I can handle my unit fairly well, because it is just an non-monitored ortho floor with the occasional bari patient. However, being low on the totem pole I am finding myself pulled to specialty units. The other night I had an anxiety attack from being pulled. I really enjoy the satisfaction I get from helping patients, so I know its not an issue of wanting out of healthcare. I need to overcome this because it is obviously going to be a part of my reality being in the healthcare field. Any advice would be appreciated!

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Have you talked to a counselor or mental health professional about this? Anxiety is a pretty common condition in healthcare workers, but it shouldn't be considered a "normal" part of the job.

If your employer has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), you can get a few free counseling sessions which can be invaluable to both your work AND your life. If not, there are usually low-cost county mental health clinics that can help you; if money isn't an issue, you may want to try some therapy. One type that is very useful is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, in which one learns to replace maladaptive thinking patterns with healthier ones. Of course, there also are medications which can be helpful, but you would need to talk to your primary care provider about this, as he/she is the person best qualified to evaluate you and answer your questions.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. You have my empathy, as I too have anxiety that is sometimes crippling. Hope you can get yours under good control.

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Specializes in ER.

Learn "emotional freedom technique" (EFT). you can watch educational video on youtube. it is a technique that involves tapping certain areas of the face and arms while reciting positive statements to yourself. Sounds foolish but it is very effective for situational anxiety. I use it myself and teach it to all my patients who have anxiety. Within 2 minutes, your mind will be refocused and your panic/anxiety will be gone!

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Specializes in child development.
I am currently a nursing student in med surg clinical who is a newly hired patient care associate in a hospital. I am feeling the pain the these peaple are feeling being a nurse helps me with my life as well. everybody is here for a reazin and my reazin is the love of life it truely is amazing. but the way people are being treated its not ok this nurses work thare butts off day in and day out. this people make the world go rownd.i wanted to be a nurse sents i was five years old. this people save other peoples lifes people they dont evein know. these nurses have a great heart.
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I empathize with you completely; I am a registered nurse, have been working for

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Specializes in Gerontology RN-BC and FNP MSN student.

My faith has gotten me through my most anxious times. I lean on Him who is able. I know you don't have to have faith to be in nursing...But I could not imagine life without knowing I have the Lords help. Also think on positive thoughts, such as you always end up doing ok. I am pretty sure these anxious thought are just that- anxious thoughts, don't give them too much time in your head. And seek outside help that was listed above. Good Luck to you, I think we all have gone through some anxiety along the way. It has gotten better with time for me.

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I am not a nurse yet, but I do work as a patient care technician on a busy medical/surgical/orthopedics floor. I definitely understand your feelings, as I have felt them, and I think the best way to combat your anxiety is to get to the bottom of WHY you feel so anxious. I believe that many health care providers feel anxiety because they simply do not know what to expect at work. As a nurse, your day may be extremely predictable or extremely unpredictable, which makes it ultimately unpredictable. You may be anxious because you are afraid of the unknown and whether or not you can handle the unknown, Ex. Being floated to specialty units in a moment's notice. My advice to you would be to improve and gain confidence in your SKILLS. This will allow you to feel more adequate in unpredictable or challenging situations and decrease your anxiety. Finally, PLEASE know when to ask for help. Communicate your feelings with your employer, preceptor, professor, and colleagues. You know how they say that it takes a village to raise a child? Well, it takes an entire team to take care of a patient and you should not be alone in this. Best of luck!

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Specializes in child development.

when i got into nursing i was so happy my heart started to go creazy i love helping people so much. i never get bored of the work i do in nursing couse i knowthat im one step closer to saving a life if i could i would never stop.and honestly i dont know what i would do if thare wasent nurses in the world. i think we would al die off. and thats what gives me anxiety.

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Specializes in child development.

I just got back my papers on a good nursing school I'm so happy that I don't know what to do with myself. the two schools that I got into is Grand Canyon University and Kaplan university. I just got one step closer to changing my life and many others.

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