What to do next

[wendy2016]

Hello students, nurses, and other members,

I'm stuck, and in tears. I am at the top of my lecture classes and have maintained a 4.0 gpa through put college. I've had 1 semester of clinicals and am in my 2nd sem clinicals toward my BSN. I found out I suck in clinicals. I'm described as mousey, awkward, timid, insecure, and fearful. Those are pretty accurate descriptions. I try to hide it, but I guess I don't know how or can't. I tried telling myself that I just need more practice so I'll be better next semester. My classroom instructor is getting reports on me from my clinical preceptor that she can't believe since in class I'm the one who knows t he answers and confident and prepared and understand what we learn.

I don't think I can change who I am. This isn't low self esteem or lacking confidence. Well maybe some of it is from lacking the experience. I don't know what to do though now. I'm getting bad reports from the nursing and cna staff that I look "green" (brand new and clueless).

When I go into my patients room, I know what I'm doing for my head to toe assessment and know what else to do. I just act like I'm so clumsy. I talk to the patient. But even one patient told me I look scared. I really don't know what to do about that.

Can I continue when this is my personality? I've never been written up or did anything wrong, it's about my demeanor. I don't know if I'll last as a nurse if this is how others will perceive me. What bothers me is I don't know how to act like my classmates because I see them as assertive and sure, but some will confide to me they're really nervous too. I can't hide my expression and now it's taken up a lot of notice with my teachers. They tell me to just delve into it or just speak up with confidence. That "just" is not so easy. Again, I feel scared but I feel like I know what I'm doing (i ask if I don't) but I'm still clumsy despite that.

Any thoughts or advice please? TIA.

[shawn2321]

Hi Wendy, it sounds like your clinical knowledge is there and that is very important. Bedside manner is not always easy and great bedside manner does not always equal a great nurse. You have the knowledge and the skills...now take a breath step back and realize these are just people like you and I. Smile....smile...and smile, I constantly have letters written from my patients to my managers about my positive bedside manner. The truth is most people do not remember what you did clinically for them they EXPECT the best care, but what many are (sadly) unaccustomed to is a positive attitude and a smile.

You are green but there is nothing wrong with it, everyone starts out with weaknesses. Do not forget the patient is a person, make small talk. I ask elderly patients about what career they retired from, their kids/grandkids, their family, weather, and just flat out listen to how they are feeling. I try to get to know my patient as a person and where they are coming from in life. When they ask about myself I tell them about me, I open up if they want me to. Trust is huge and taking interest in their life and them taking interest in who you are, builds trust.

Remember you have the clinical skill....now relax and take in the opportunity of taking care of PEOPLE when they need it most.

You'll do just fine.

[JBudd, MSN]

"Fake it 'till you make it" applies here. Scared and green happens to most students.

Can't hide your face? Practice smiling and smiling and smiling. Present yourself as confident in your skills, remember, nobody can see the shaking knees behind the scrubs. Look people in the eye, smile, ask about them. Task skills come after the people skill, make that pt believe you are interested in them as a person.

Pts want someone to help them when they are vulnerable, if you come in showing fear it makes it worse for them.

If you aren't already working, get a job as an aide somewhere, or even just go volunteer to read to people in a nursing home; get used to the environment and interacting with people.

[BrendanO, MSN, RN]

Check your body language before you meet a patient. Chest out, shoulders down, head up, back straight, eyes forward, hair off the face. A lot of the initial emotional reading comes across in how we hold our bodies.

Practice making a "serious face" in the mirror (or cell phone camera). Then practice making "smiling, relaxed face". Ask some friends to look at them and make sure you're seeing yourself the same way others do. Then keep practicing both until you can create the muscle memory to put those "masks" on whenever you need them, depending on the patient/situation. That's how some actors train themselves to emote. Appearing confident in spite of nervousness is not something you should just expect to be part of your personality, it's something you can train yourself to do. Good luck!

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

In addition to all this great advice, PRACTICE in a non-clinical situation. Have your introduction speech, and deliver it to several people who care enough about you to give honest feedback. Then do it again, and again. Then have your 'I brought you your medication' speech. And your 'bath' speech. And your 'assessment' speech.