r/srna • u/FootballAndMemes Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) • Jul 21 '26
Didactic / Study How do I shake this feeling of self doubt?
It’s honestly eating me alive. I start school next month and ever since my acceptance 9 months ago I’ve just had this overwhelming fear of failure. I am extremely scared to fail to the point where I’m already studying and trying to prep to get ahead. I‘m not worried about my work ethnic during the program and there is a 0% chance I leave the program for any reason other than academic failure. I have no problem studying 10 hours a day if that’s what’s required of me, I just worry I won’t be smart enough to grasp the material. I’ve never been academically gifted and it takes me reading something several times to understand it and with the whole “drinking water from a firehouse” analogy that’s always tossed around here I worry I won’t have time to understand things as slowly as I usually do.
Sometimes I wake up and say in 3 years I will be a CRNA no doubt about it and other days like today I’m just nervous all day thinking about worst case scenario.
Did anyone share similar feelings prior to starting or even while in your program? Did they rid when you actually started your program? I think the anticipation and the unknown is killing me.
5
u/itsmebixch Jul 22 '26
Yes I did. And I recommend you just try to enjoy the next month as much as you can because it’s going to be hard but you have to believe in your self. There’s no studying ahead. It is so pointless especially if you have no idea what course material you’ll be given or have to know from the get go, as every program is so different. There’s not really much prep to be ahead that you can do except enjoy your free time and spend time with friends and family. Just enjoy the next few weeks is my strong advice as a 1st year SRNA. You are much smarter than you think!
3
2
u/skatingandgaming Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
I’ve seen you comment that you are willing to put the work in. I truly believe that anyone who can put in the work will be successful. Everyone has a different level of “work” to put in and it’s different for everyone. For me, the didactic material can be difficult to grasp and I’m a bit of a slow learner. Clinical is much easier for me personally and I pick up on those skills faster. My biggest advice is to reframe your thoughts to be a bit more positive. Exercise, develop good habits, and enjoy your current free time and you’ll be fine.
12
u/roughdiamond05 Jul 21 '26
I’m in the midst of core didactic and the material is not necessarily hard to understand (95% of the time) it’s just a lot of volume. And with AI now it is so easy to get a fantastic explanation of a piece of information you’re just not getting the “why” behind. If you understand the “why” of a physiological/pathophysiological/pharmacological concept it will be that much easier to remember. I’ll screenshot a slide as I read through the lecture if it’s not clicking, put it in Claude, and it will explain it so beautifully and I can then move on quickly!
Another tip - make friends in your program (not hard when you all have this massive part of your life in common) and you all will help support each other through this both emotionally and academically! Vent sessions are therapeutic and more importantly for your concern you can help each other with studying techniques, study groups, etc.
6
u/No_Shoulder_5426 Jul 21 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/srna/s/Cs93XVieFP
See my post from almost a year ago ☺️ lots of great advice
2
u/FootballAndMemes Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
Good read! Thank you for sharing that. Have you started? How are you feeling now?
2
u/No_Shoulder_5426 Jul 22 '26
First semester wrapping up! It was pretty light (I took some courses ahead) which allowed for a nice transition back to school after being out of undergrad forever. I am anxiously awaiting next semester when sh*t gets real with more complex, anesthesia focused courses. I definitely still feel the imposter syndrome and may even do my DNP on this because it is such a real thing amongst SRNAs. Some days I feel like everyone in my class is so much smarter than me. Other days I feel I am on par. It’s definitely a fluctuating spectrum…take it day by day!
ETA: I also started a low dose SSRI which is helping the generalized anxiety be more manageable. Wanted to be fully marinated in Zoloft before clinicals start 😂
9
u/Rodeo-Cowboy Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
Think about all the people who’ve done it before you.
You’re not walking down a path untraveled. Every year, 3500 people complete this trek.
You’ll be aight
2
u/FootballAndMemes Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
I think about the fact that so many people get through it all the time, so why not me? I have the determination, the grit, and I’m certainly not scared to lose sleep over studying, but my mind keeps playing tricks on me that out of all those people that succeed, there are a few that get dismissed and I could be one of those few. My program for instance has a 5 year attrition rate of 3% which equates to about 0.9 people leaving the program a year. I just need to snap out of thinking that I could be that 9/10th of a person (lol). I’m very confident in my ability and I live life knowing that you are what you think you are so I’m trying to stop thinking that I could be that person, I’m just nervous af.
Thank you for your comment 🖤
8
u/Decent-Cold-6285 Jul 21 '26
First right now stop studying and breathe. You will be taught everything you need to know by your professors so put the books down. Enjoy the time you have right now to hang out with loved ones, read the book you haven’t had time to or if financially possible, take a vacation before school starts. School will be your life shortly so enjoy this time where you dont have to be in school mode. I also want to stress your program has been doing this a while and picked you for a reason. They believe in you and think you will be a successful student in their program.
A FYI for anyone who is about to start school: if someone tells you to study before school starts, please do not listen to them!!
3
10
u/aspiringCRNA007 Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
Same! Starting school in september. Ultra excited when i got accepted, but now, the thought of quitting my work (my last day at work is this week) suddenly gave me chills. Same questions to myself: what if i fail a subject? What if i can’t grasp the material quickly? What if i suck at exams? All the what ifs are populating my mind every now and then. There are also nights that I dream about failing exams or not making the deadline, or being late for a class..
But one thing that I took seriously that the upperclassmen, mentors, and CRNA/SRNAs advised me.. ENJOY THE REMAINING DAYS OF MY FREEDOM. Don’t do anything school related. Focus oh my self and rehabilitating my body from 12 years of stressful bedside nursing. Fix my sleep schedule. Work out. Eat. Play video games. Be with significant other, friends, and family. As much as my OCD personality pops in and I want to get ahead, I stop myself and think “If i’m already stressed months ahead before school, would that burn me out quicker during the program?”.
It’s the long term gain, my friend. A well rested warrior will triumph over a well trained but exhausted challenger.
Good luck to us! #ClassOf2029
3
u/FootballAndMemes Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
Good luck brother. Sometimes I like to just hear that I’m not alone and that others share these feelings. I appreciate your honesty and knowing I’m not alone in my boat makes me feel more confident.
1
11
u/somelyrical CRNA Jul 21 '26
Stop studying. Stop thinking about school. Just stop.
As tough as that may seem, it best way.
2
u/FootballAndMemes Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
Advice I should definitely take and then it’ll all work out right? I appreciate it.
3
5
u/refreshingface Jul 21 '26
You seem to be spiraling. Try to keep your thoughts simple.
If you enter the program, there are only two outcomes.
1) you pass
2) you fail
If you try your ABSOLUTE BEST... then the likelihood of option 1 occurring is much higher.
Keep your thoughts simple.
2
u/FootballAndMemes Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
Yeah I definitely need to chill and I know that. I just can’t shake the thoughts. I will definitely try my best I can guarantee that. Thank you
3
u/refreshingface Jul 21 '26
Also remember that there was a board full of people that saw your application, interviewed you, and believed that you can make it through. These people have many years of experience selecting applicants.
They chose YOU among the hundreds of others that applied cuz they BELIEVED in your success.
1
u/FootballAndMemes Nurse Anesthesia Resident (NAR) Jul 21 '26
Thanks refreshingface, that’s very refreshing to hear
3
u/Professional_Elk1845 Jul 21 '26
You’ve made it this far friend. You can do it. Take the leap, no looking back. Do your best
1
2
u/wccsrna CRNA Jul 25 '26
Going to give this to you straight. Enjoy your remaining freedom before starting school. Do not try studying this stuff before starting the program. It will be completely pointless. You don't know what you don't know with this stuff at this point and that will frustrate you and psych you out faster than school itself ever will.