What to do when you fear going to work?

thinwildmercury · Sep 15, 2015

No advice, but just know it gets better!

Simonesays, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2015

Hi! I think that it's actually a good thing that you're having this reaction. Nursing is a huge responsibility and admitting that you are feeling anxious as you start out in your career- good! It shows that you want to do a good job and take your role seriously. Try to hone in on what exactly is making you anxious (i.e. knowledge gaps, new skills, code blues, etc.) and start there. Work with your educator to try and fill in these gaps/expand your knowledge. Take a deep breath if you feel yourself getting overly stressed out/anxious at work and develop some coping strategies to help you overcome these feelings. As others have said, find a couple of nurses you respect and learn from the aspects of their practices you admire. Also, read the MD notes! You will learn a lot about rationales for orders/treatments by talking with the doctors and reading through their notes. And lastly, a chilled glass of wine waiting for you at home can be a great incentive for a stressful day. Well, to be honest, even on a not-so-stressful day :)

I'm sure your anxiety will pass sooner than you think! And know that you are not alone. Even more experienced nurses can feel this way at times. I just took myself out of my comfort zone and switched to a totally different type of unit. All of those jitters came back. But they also went away much faster than when I was a new nurse. Good luck to you!

Fiona59 · Sep 16, 2015

I knew that LTC wasn't for me when I realized I was sitting in my car in the parking lot at 0645 before my shift. It was time to look for an new job.

allnurses Guide · Sep 16, 2015

Thanks for the advice guys!

Yeah at this stage anxiety is normal. My only bit of advice (which perhaps is heresy in the day of "customer service" nursing) but you should always be cordial, professional and do your best (as you've said you try to do) do not let whether or not the patient or family likes you or gripes at you to occupy too much space in your mind. We can't really control or predict it in many cases anyway.

Once you get more comfortable with the basics you'll find the more social aspects fall into place and get an intuitive understanding of who you'll knock yourself out for and get a complaint as a "thank you" and learn to cherish those real honest-to-goodness thank yous that often come as a total surprise.

If things don't improve you can look at whether a different specialty or location would be a better fit for your temperament. All the best to you!

BiotoBSNtoFNP · Sep 16, 2015

Continue to tell yourself that you will get through the shift, one patient, one med pass, etc at a time. It does get better!!!! And if youre not dnjoying it after a year or two, find a new job like The Commuter said :)

obrn23 · Sep 16, 2015

I'm in L&D and I felt that way for the first two years. There is so much that can go wrong, and so many things that didn't go wrong on my internship. I felt like I was being pushed out of the nest WAY too early.

The bright spots will come. You will recognize something that someone else didn't. You will know for certain that you need to call your doc, and do it without hesitation. You will make a difference somehow, and you will know it. You will have those moments where you totally want to high five yourself. You will find your footing, and you will see you retained a lot more than you ever thought you did.

Develop very specific routines to eliminate errors. With IV meds, I always hang them, scan them, start them, then chart them. If it's scanned, I know I hung it. If it's charted, I know I started it.

Print out a policy or Lippincott procedure per shift and try to learn it. Preferably one that is relevant to your day. We have a policy that states that after a particular med is given, a temp needs to be taken one hour afterward. I was never taught that in my internship, but I'm responsible for knowing that. I actually keep a binder of these at home to reference. Nerdy, I know.

Look back at the nurse's charting prior to your shift. "Steal" their wording on things that you love. Learn from their mistakes too.

Assume the worst, and prepare for it. Whenever I have a red headed patient, I assume they are going to hemorrhage. I keep a copy of my standing orders on my clip board. Print out my policy. I make sure the pp hemorrhage cart is where it is supposed to be. I set aside blood tubing and NS. I keep Cytotec in my pocket. Prepare what you will say to your doc. Practicing "mock scenarios" in your head will make you feel a lot more prepared when they do happen. You will feel more in the moment, have a specific list, and you will be able to delegate better to those who come to assist you.

Carry a pocket sized notebook and write your important numbers on it for the shift. Your doc, anesthesia, code team, pharmacy, etc. Then, no matter where you are, or if the call light isn't working, you can call for backup.. Even if it is with your cell phone. In my notebook, I also keep charting examples, specific lab values for pregnancy induced hypertension so I can remember what I'm looking for.. How to set up an OR, what to remember to do before discharge, things to include in report, codes to doors. Eventually, you stop looking at your cheat sheets, and you realize you really know these things! :)

You can't know everything about everything right now, but you can make an effort to learn something every shift!

Loreena, RN · Sep 17, 2015

I would always pray on my way to work that I would not get over loaded. I would be able to do my job well, all my patients would behave, and we would all live to see another day. I would also try to make the best of things, seek help when I needed it, and be a help when possible.

ChronicSG · Sep 28, 2015

Thanks a lot for the support guys. I'll definitely take your words to heart. At the end of the day, the job gets done. As long as they're safe, that's what matters to me!