Title: A little ICU nursing win — finally starting to feel like I belong A few months ago, I posted on here about how much I was struggling mentally after experiencing my first code on my own, fresh off orientation. I used to have so much anxiety before every shift and genuinely felt like I had no idea what I was doing. It's now been three months since I've been off orientation, and I'm finally starting to feel comfortable. That's not to say there aren't still things that scare me or that I know everything I need to know, because I definitely don't. But for the first time, I don't feel so terrified going into work, and that's a feeling I genuinely worried would never go away. I've also come to realize just how much support I have around me. Even when things go wrong or I find myself in situations I'm unfamiliar with, I know I'm not alone. There are so many experienced nurses around me who are willing to help, and knowing that has made such a difference. I also feel like I've finally found my footing when it comes to managing my tasks and organizing my shifts. Instead of spending the entire shift worrying about getting everything done on time, I can actually focus more on understanding what's going on with my patients, learning the pathophysiology behind their conditions, and starting to anticipate potential complications rather than just reacting to them. I know I still have SO much more to learn, but it's such a relief to finally feel like I'm getting the hang of things, especially now that other people are starting to recognize my progress, too. One of my biggest fears coming off orientation was that I was going to be a "bad" nurse. Throughout orientation, I had some preceptors who made me feel incompetent, slow, and like I wasn't cut out for the ICU. Those experiences really affected my confidence, and for a while, I genuinely questioned whether I belonged here. But lately, I've been receiving so much positive feedback from senior and experienced nurses who have told me I'm doing a great job. I've also gotten praise from my night-shift preceptors (who I absolutely love because they never once made me feel stupid for asking questions). Hearing those things from nurses I respect and look up to has meant more to me than they probably realize. Something that’s also been really rewarding is that newer grads who are still on orientation have started coming to me with questions when their preceptors aren’t around. It feels so surreal because just a few months ago, I was the one asking those same questions, and now I’m becoming someone other people feel comfortable turning to for help. I guess I'm sharing this because I remember how awful those first few weeks off orientation felt and how convinced I was that the anxiety would never go away. I'm still a new nurse, I still ask a million questions, and I still have shifts where I feel completely overwhelmed. But I'm finally starting to trust myself a little more. For anyone else who's newly off orientation and feeling the same way, it really does get better. I'm nowhere near the nurse I want to become yet, but for the first time, I can actually see myself getting there. :)   submitted by   /u/beep_boop-bleep [link]   [comments]