student_nurse2016

Thank you for your support everyone. I really do hope to become a stronger, more confident person if I survive through this. And I currently see a counselor, it helps a bit. I guess I should see a psychiatrist instead for more treatment, maybe get medication too? I hope your depression and anxiety is getting better as well, @summerly. I wish making mistakes wasn't so painful haha, but you're right I ensure I don't make those mistakes again. Do you think public health would be a good option? It seems more focused on patient teaching, maybe immunizations. I guess the only drawback is that I might lose a lot of my skills. Maybe something like working in a diabetes clinic would be cool? I'm just throwing ideas out there, anyone here in non-bedside nursing, and can you tell me whether or not you needed med-surg experience to get your position?

I'm about a year away from graduating nursing school, but I don't know if I can make it to the end. The stress and anxiety from nursing school is making me very depressed. I do get good grades in my classes, but in clinical I lack a lot of confidence. The low confidence gets worse when I start making mistakes, and then I feel awful about myself for a long time. I'm terrified that one day I will make a mistake so bad that I'll kill someone. Although my clinical instructor says that I'm performing well, she also worries about my lack of confidence... I do enjoy some aspects of nursing, such as doing interesting skills and being genuinely thanked by my patients. I just can't stand the stress, and when I make mistakes it ruins my experience. I already have a degree in biology, but I found I didn't like research/lab work, so I thought nursing would be a better fit since I enjoy helping others. Now it feels like I made a huge mistake... But all the money and time I've spent is making it hard to back out at this point. I have been told by my advisors/counselors that nursing is a very broad field, and that I can find a niche that will make me happy, but I know that I'll have to push through at least 2 years of med/surg experience before entering non-bed side nursing. I'm not sure if I can survive it to be honest, there have been many times that I have thought about suicide to escape it all. Thankfully I have very good support, but it might not be enough to save me if I keep feeling this miserable and depressed... Should I continue and finish my degree? Should I try switching to something else, maybe occupational or physical therapy, is that less stressful?? Anyone have similar experiences and but have found a specialty they enjoy?