Building Confidence
A friend of mine just got her first nursing job, and she starts tomorrow. She was in nursing school while I was in respiratory school, both of us working our way through school at a small grocery store.
She said how nervous she felt (something she's quite prone to). "You'll be fine," I said, as usual. I've repeated those same three words since she first got this job. She questions her training, and her self-confidence is waning.
"The only difference between nursing and respiratory is the specialization--you're a broader focus of the patient overall, and we focus intensely on a few areas," I stated. "So, our experiences aren't all the different."
She agreed.
"I understand you're scared and nervous," I said. "I was too my first day."
"You never show it," she retorted.
"Eventually, you just stop being scared," I said. "I don't think about it. When it comes down to it, when you need it most, you'll know what to do. The patients need you, and it really just mostly comes down to being a decent human being.
"The wall of self-confidence is a front," I explained. "In reality, you won't know everything. But do the best for your patient. If you can say that, then I'll tell you right now that you'll be a phenomenal nurse. You have nothing to worry about. Just enjoy the ride."
I like to think she believed me, and maybe I put some of that burden to rest.
--B.J.