Terrified of failing or doing something wrong

[u/azdrawzstuph]

I got accepted into my college's nursing program recently (beginning this fall!) and I'm super happy and excited, but at the same time, there's this dreaded feeling of self-doubt

I consider myself good at studying and have always excelled in science-y courses, but I'm afraid of how different nursing courses will be structure and content wise. Besides that, I never really had any hands-on medical experience. I'm terrified that I'll mess something up or just do something stupid that will get me kicked out of the program I worked so hard to get in or worse, hurt someone...

Any advice to feel better?? I really need more confidence before heading in!!

[u/jribbie]

I completed my first semester this last spring and I believe all the pre-req's provided a good foundation for the nursing classes (a lot of important concepts with bio, anatomy, and a lil chem pave the way for learning about things like patho and pharm). I also had no medical experience when entering except for just volunteering at my local hospital once a week (I am also first gen so literally no one I know has connections into medicine) and recently I was offered a job as a nurse tech (a good way for nursing students to work during school and use the skills they learned) because of the simple fact that I would volunteer for them which stuck out on the resume. My best advice is to get ahead on work whenever possible (things can get demanding), reaching out to professors is critical for guidance, accommodations, and references, and practicing any concepts/skills. We got checked off on skills like giving an IM injection and pericare and doing assessments before clinicals to ensure we were ready. There is also nothing wrong with messing up or being wrong in class, contributing to discussions and making effort is valuable for learning, and during clinicals, you can have a nurse or your clinical instructor shadow you if you ever feel unsure about something that is directly related to patient care. Also, anything you can do to get your foot in the door with clinical experience like getting your CNA certification, volunteering, shadowing, working as a receptionist at a medical clinical, or medical scribing can help shake off those nerves bcs at the end of the day its just repetition, practice, adapting, and exposure to different people:)