when do you start feeling comfortable?

You are being way too hard on yourself. And if someone is telling you "screwed up", perhaps you are seeing it differently that it's meant to be presented. Constructive criticism is always a good thing; I always want to know if I have made an error. If it's being said critically, try not to take it personally and just learn from what you are being told or any errors you do make. You need a very thick skin to thrive in nursing, and OB is no different!

That aside, honestly, it took me two full years' fulltime LDRP nursing to feel comfortable and competent. You need to give yourself time, space and some TLC. This is a tough field; go easy on yourself and just keep learning.

my question is when will i start feeling comfortable w/ what i am doing? all the girls i was interning with seem far more comfortable then i do.....i am scared of everything from calling the docs to c-sections and it never fails someone always tells me i screwed up on something....i have panic attacks everyday i have to work....please tell me this will pass...i want to be a good nurse which i believe is putting wayyyyy too much pressure on myself HELP...can you please tell me you felt the same way when starting out in l and d...

oh my gosh I felt the same way you do. it seemed like all the newer nurses were so much more comfortable than I. there's just so much to learn, it is really hard in the beginning, but IMO well worth it once you get a little experience and start to feel not as overwhelmed. I've been doing L&D for about a year and a half and it gets a little better all the time...I actually look forward to going to work instead of half dreading it...

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It takes years to be comfortable on any given unit or speciality. Nursing is ongoing learning...if you don't learn something everyday, something is wrong. There is a difference between constructive criticism and being down right rude.

You know, I really think that there is always some feeling of being uncomfortable with what you are doing, and always should be. I think that when a nurse is being too confident appearing, or seems like she knows it all, that is not always a good sign. Undoubtedly an experience will come that will "wake her up" to tell her she needs to be more cautious in checking herself. It takes a long time to feel comfort levels. I have been a nurse for 16 years, 8 in Cardiac ICU and Neuro ICU, and 8 years in L&D. Here recently I have reached a level of comfort and confidence, of which I am very proud of. Take it easy on yourself. Think of your uncomfortableness as your way of double checking yourself. All those fearful feelings you have will pay off when the time comes when it is needed for you to pay extra attention to something. Don't think that because other orientees or other student nurses are better nurses because they don't appear nervous, or seem to be able to do everyting on their own. It may mean that they are not asking for help when they should.

Don't compare your insides to other people's outsides. Some of the people you interned with may feel as scared and unsure of themselves as you do, but just aren't showing it. I've found that after about 6 months people start feeling comefortable and that they're going to make it, then all at once they panic and think they're never going to learn it all because something happened or they just realize that they're not learning and improving as fast as they were at first. Two years is about right to feel really comefortable. Be patient and gentle with yourself.

There's a great book called Novice to Expert. Takes 5 years to reach what might be considered expert level. At one year you are still a novice. If I remember right 2-3 years is considered competent. Hope that helps