Terrified of clinicals

alohalife · Aug 25, 2016

Take it one step at a time. They're not going to throw you at people the very first day :) they will give you labs, SIM, lectures, ect to prepare you! Just take it one day at a time. And what o have found out is that patients (most) love having students because they feel like even though they are sick they are still able to help people (by letting a student nurse in). Breath.

augurey · Aug 25, 2016

I found myself in the same position when starting nursing school. I had made a lot of effort to try and boost my confidence before I started by doing things such as trying to make more small talk at the cash register when grocery shopping, or if someone was looking at the same product as me and I had a question, I'd force myself to ask.

My first two semesters were full of pep talks from my clinical instructors. I actually almost gave up and quit my second semester because I felt like I'd never be able to be more confidence. My lack of confidence really showed. My third semester, which was last semester, I did a 180. I definitely still struggled with confidence, and still do, but it no longer defeated me. It wasn't very noticeable. It wasn't dragging down my performance anymore.

I slowly started improving on my confidence levels week after week and am continuing to do so. Once I reached the point of not letting the lack of confidence defeat me, I started communicating better with my patients which gave me another boost. I stopped dwelling on the worries that fed into it.

I would constantly worry about making mistakes. I always focused on how ridiculous I probably looked, how stupid I probably sounded, how much better my classmates would fit the role of a nurse, and how much I felt like a fraud. I stopped focusing on those things and finally just focused on the patient and their needs and what I could do within my scope as a student. That, I think, is what made the difference. It's not about me. It's not about my classmates. It's about the patient, and finally realizing that changed things.

The thing is, many, if not most, of your classmates may be feeling every bit of of what you are. They may just be better at faking confidence. It still amazes me when I hear my classmates tell me how they lack confidence. I would have never guessed. They seem so natural and good at it. It's very likely that you're not the only one feeling the way you do, and for me, that makes such a huge difference when I know I'm not alone in how I feel.

As the previous poster said, you will have practice before you try on a patient. With certain things, you will have your instructor with your or your cover nurse. Really learn and understand the material. Practice in the skills lab outside of class. Understanding the information and having your skills down should help with confidence. If you make a mistake, don't let it defeat you, but instead learn from it. Ask questions.

It can be really hard when you're shy and lack confidence, but it IS possible to do this. It may be hard, and it may feel impossible, but you can work through it.