Scared

Not to sound rude but take a look around this forum. Make use of the search feature on this site... You should find everything you need to know! If not, come back with questions when your more informed.

Good luck!!

don't be scared. everyone everywhere makes mistakes sometimes. it's part of learning. just work hard in school and you will be sure to succeed!!!

Sammi

I put off entering nursing school for a full year just because I knew there would be a psych rotation. I was not afraid I would screw up, I was afraid of crazy people. That was in 1977.

I have been a registered nurse specializing in psych for more than 20 yrs now. I have worked in just about every area of inpatient psych except the prison setting.

I have functioned as a one to one therapist, (the job was called "contact person"). I have functioned as a Group Leader, (as a staff RN and as the Charge RN). I function now as a supervisor and, under MD supervision, as a diagnostian.

As to your fear of screwing up: You will. We all do. Deal with it.

A very competent Psychiatrist, who was at the time my boss, said to me, "Charlie, if you say the right thing 50 percent of the time in Psychiarty, you are doing really well."

Seriously, If you can't deal with the possiblity that you might make a mistake that would have catastrophic effects on another human being better not to work in medicine or nursing at all. You will have potent tools at your disposal. You will work with profoundly vulnerable people.

If you want to be able to seriously help those people and sometimes save lives, then it is a risk you must deal with.

Sammi

...........................I was afraid of crazy people. That was in 1977.

I have been a registered nurse specializing in psych for more than 20 yrs now. I have worked in just about every area of inpatient psych except the prison setting...................

As to your fear of screwing up: You will. We all do. Deal with it.

...........If you want to be able to seriously help those people and sometimes save lives, then it is a risk you must deal with.

Could not of put it better myself CharlieRN. Yes did my psych training in one of the oldest psych hospitals in the South of England back in the late 60's.

I was scared and I made mistakes too, had to live in and worked all 3 shifts from the end of our first 6 weeks of school. All in the hospital. If you think you can't make it - you could be right! But there again many of us did not think that we would survive, but we did.

Just make a decision, yourself, don't let any of us matured nurses talk you in or out! So that at least you can be honest with yourself in later years and have no-one to blame.

Good luck!

Mr.C.

Hi. I know that I really want to work in a psychiatric hospital and I want to be a psychologist or nurse. I would love to be a nurse but I am soooooooo scared that I will screw up. Can anyone tell me what a psychiatric nurse does and what classes she needs to take/major in in college?

Thanks,

Sammi

hi i am a 2nd year mental health student and all i can really say to you is go for it!!!!:angryfire you will learn so much about people and most importantly about yourself! if you work hard, and are totally committed to the course, you will gain so much knowledge, broaden you life skills, learn from others and then use your professional qualification at the end of it all to help others and reward yourself. A very challenging but immensle:roll y rewarding profession

...soooooooo scared that I will screw up...

That's a common fear whenever you're about to start something new. Study, learning, experiance, and that fear will go away.

Also... everyone makes mistakes, it's how you handle them that counts.

Aim high... Zev

Hi Sammi,

Several years ago my parents discouraged me from nursing because they were terrified of me screwing up and killing someone. Mom didn't want her daughter taking people's lives into her hands and didn't feel I had the common sense or good judgment to be a good nurse. She pressured me so hard that I dropped out of nursing school just as I was accepted, and I have lived to regret it. Don't let fear get in the way of doing what you want to do.

Don't worry about screwing up - all of us have done it at some time or other. Nobody expects you to be perfect. If you have the yearning to be a psychiatric nurse, then I say go for it!