JCampRN

Wow just the act of posting this thread and seeing all the responses has made me feel so much better. I did make it to work last night, still very nervous and shaky but feeling better after the positive vibes from you guys! And I reached out to some family and friends who also helped me just by listening. So I am hoping that therapy will work. And that there may be an end in sight! Night didn't go so well, I got pulled halfway through my shift where I got two surgical transfers pretty much at the same time...plus my hospital just started CPOE and the med scanning so it was my first experience with those! It was a lot, but I made it without mishap! Thank you all so much for sharing your stories and experiences!!! It's great to have this community of nurses who understand that I can turn to for support!

Thank you everyone for your kind words, support, and suggestions. I will take them all under consideration. @hope3456 I know once I get out of med surg I will probably be better, but unfortunately I guess I will have to somehow get through it in order to have the experience to be hired into another dept or different setting.

I have already made an appt with a therapist, and I am hoping maybe she can refer me to an MD as well that could prescribe me a long term anxiety med. Hopefully between the two, I can get it figured out. I haven't called in too often most of the time I make myself get there and get through the shift and some days I am completely fine. What exactly is FMLA? Doesn't that mean I am taking an extended leave? I suppose if it gets really bad I may have to do that in order to get things settled down...but it seems like too much, I need to work!

Thanks, it is good to know that I am not the only one. I have thought about taking medications, but I always thought Xanax was frowned upon to take in the workplace?

Hello All! I am a relatively new nurse (6 mos.) working on a busy med surg pulmonary/general medicine floor. Ever since starting this job and finishing my preceptorship, I have randomly started having panic attacks before going into work. I work second shift which for us is 3-11:30 pm so I have all morning to get myself worked up about what the day will hold. I have always had issues with anxiety, but now it has started to hinder my career. For example today I actually called into work because the anxiety was so great that my heart was pounding and I felt so shaky. I didn't feel like it was safe for me to go in!!! I really just want to know if anyone else experiences this and what you have done to help cope. I can't call into work all the time because I'm so scared. I know that once I have more experience, I will not be so nervous....but I have to get there first!!!! Please help!