# Nursing students with SA???



## Kia

Hi I'm a nursing student and I wanted to know if there are others like myself with SA? At first clinicals were a challeng but I've become more comfortable. A lot of times I feel like I short-hand my experience because of my fear and SA. I would love to here from others!!!


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## Cardiology

*oh pick me *

I am a nursing student with sa and ive have got to say that it has terrfied me from the start :\ but it has gotten heaps better with the amount of clinicals that i have and constant exposure with the patients. I think it somewhat forced me to open up which is a big plus. I still remember my first placement and i was absolutely terrfied i had to psyche myself up to go to the patients rooms just to do some bps :afr but it definetly has helped me in my confidence in being around people. Still have to conquer my fear of the doctors though :| but its a working progress


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## shy67

I'm a medical technology student so it's similar and I am worried about the phlebotomy. I didn't know this would be part of the program when I decided on MT.


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## sparkationsgirl

i am going into practical nursing. I am looking forward to it. Oh well, think of it this way-it's not like you're performing heart surgery or brain surgery on the patients, which is really intense. I look forward to not staring at a computer 8 hours a day.


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## Lasair

I'm doing a pre -nursing at the moment- had a two week work experience and found that pretty hard, loved it but didn't get the best supervisors report. I want to do intellectually disability nursing and during my placement I got on better with the servous users rather than the other nurser and care wokers....:mum


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## SiLLyRaBBiT

Hi 
My school starts clinicals a few weeks into first year so yea it was intense.I was beyond nervous and really started to question my ability to even go into nursing and be a neonatal nurse which is what I really want to do. The first few weeks were tough. Entering the patients room and waking them up in the morning was almost impossible. I wasn't assertive, I fumbled around awkwardly a lot and I could tell that others noticed. One of my patients actually gave me a little pep talk about this. Soo embarassing!

Anyway, I'm more used to it now and enjoy learning from my mistakes. I feel like it''s actually helping with my SA now. I'm glad I didn't give up:boogie


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## Judi

I'm doing medical imaging so it's not quite a nurse and I'm dealing with patients too. I think I am getting better but I still have off days, in particular I have to get used to the people I work with, but they change everyday and sometimes I get paranoid around them . Weird how I get more nervous around the workers, the nurses, MITs, and orderlys rather than the patients ...


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## wendykiss897

I'm an MSN student and my very first nursing clinicals were 
challenging..I was so awkward and I could barely speak up
during class discussions. What made it so difficult was that 
my nursing instructors were unsympathetic with me which 
surprised me but that part is all over and I'm now comfortable 
as a nurse. Being back in school has brought back some of 
those horrible memories for me. I am on celexa now so I don't 
suffer like I used to and in fact, my heart no longer races and 
my head does not spin. I'm much more comfortable but I still
hesitate in small groups. I may nev
er get over that but at least now I don't get physically ill.


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## MaddyRose

First year nursing student here...I think my SA and self-esteem issues are making it more difficult for me, especially for clinical. I worry about not learning as fast as the other students, and I'm terrified that I'll find myself in situations later in the program where I don't have the adequate skills. I feel really stupid right now :sigh

I'm getting a little bit better, but it seems like I'll never get the hang of handling many patients. I can't even begin to think about medications and all that we need to learn...Nursing is really just a stepping stone for me, but I would hate to waste years working in a career that makes me miserable.

Any success stories would make me feel a lot better! :rub


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## Alimar

I'm on my Access to Nursing Course now and I'm starting my Mental Health Nursing Diploma in September!  Although I'm a somewhat mature student at 32! The whole SA thing though is something new to me...


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## Honeybee1980

I changed my major from social work to Nursing a few weeks ago, so i am a pre nursing student right now. I have a few more pre-reqs to do before i can apply to nursing school (micro,chem, and human development). I already have an AA, so i am going for the BSN program. I am nervous, but it seems like a great career. I also wish i had done this sooner, i am 30 now but oh well. I am thinking i would like to ultimately get an MSN and be a nurse practitioner in the future, maybe specialize in the mental health/psych area? Well good luck to everyone!


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## FakeFur

I'm pre-nursing right now. I feel like when I do get into nursing school and begin clinicals, I'll get used to it. I'm not too worried about it. I look forward to becoming a nurse.


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## Glacial

I have a general question for nursing students:

I have an AA degree in health information management and am considering a nursing degree as well. I would like to learn the field but practice doing utilization review (more of the research side). If this is ones goal, do you still need to do clinicals as a requirement?


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## sherrylee

I envy all of you. I couldn't work around patients all day


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## quiet0lady

Saving Face said:


> I have a general question for nursing students:
> 
> I have an AA degree in health information management and am considering a nursing degree as well. I would like to learn the field but practice doing utilization review (more of the research side). If this is ones goal, do you still need to do clinicals as a requirement?


 If you want a nursing degree, then there really is no way around clinicals. Clinicals are a huge part of any nursing program. I'm not exactly sure what your plan is but if you want to work as let's say an RN in the utilization review/management field, you'll have to be licensed/registered to practice as a nurse in the state. And you can't take the state board exam unless you've graduated from an approved nursing program. And in order to graduate from an approved nursing program, you will have to successfully complete a certain number of clinical hours. (Although, you might want to check with the state board of nursing in whichever state you are living in to find out the specifics, certain rules can differ from state to state).

In my opinion and from my experience, you gain a ton more practical and useful knowledge about the field during your clinical hours than you do during lectures anyway.


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## tea111red

your social anxiety will decrease once you start clinicals because you are forced to interact with people. it does get easier.


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## supreme.mugwump

I studied speech pathology and found the clinical placements really hard with SA. I ended up failing my final hospital placement because I kept having panic attacks. That's when I started seeing a psychologist, and I went back for a second shot. It was still hard, but I got through it. Now I've been working for over a year and while I still find anxiety gets in the way often (now more GAD than SAD), I'm enjoying my work and I'm glad I perservered with uni.


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## liso

I'm a pre-nursing student. I did a class in high school where I went to the hospital to shadow a nurse and do little things. I felt awkward at first but it got better. I really want to be a travel nurse and work in europe for awhile. But first I hope I get into the program..it's really competitive.


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## Honeybee1980

liso said:


> I'm a pre-nursing student. I did a class in high school where I went to the hospital to shadow a nurse and do little things. I felt awkward at first but it got better. I really want to be a travel nurse and work in europe for awhile. But first I hope I get into the program..it's really competitive.


yeah i am excited about the possibility of being a travel nurse too! It would be cool to hear about some people's experiences doing that.


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## au Lait

I can kind of relate to this topic b/c I went to school to be a Registered Veterinary Technician (which is basically like a nurse but for animals). I just graduated a few months ago. In school we had to do clinical rotations at different veterinary clinics in the area. That was always hard for me, because it was like starting a new job every few months. That and venipuncture were the two hardest things for me....ugh I could never hit the vein b/c I was always too nervous, and when I get nervous I can't focus. :afr:afr:afr


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## tea111red

i've thought about doing travel nursing, OR, ICU, or psych. i don't think i want to do OB or peds though. can't stand med-surg!!!


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## Neptunus

au Lait said:


> I can kind of relate to this topic b/c I went to school to be a Registered Veterinary Technician (which is basically like a nurse but for animals). I just graduated a few months ago. In school we had to do clinical rotations at different veterinary clinics in the area. That was always hard for me, because it was like starting a new job every few months. That and venipuncture were the two hardest things for me....ugh I could never hit the vein b/c I was always too nervous, and when I get nervous I can't focus. :afr:afr:afr


Humans are hard enough, I can't imagine doing it on an animal!


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## QuietCoral

*resp therapy*

I started clinicals for respiratory therapy school about 6 weeks ago. It has been hard and it was especially hard the first couple weeks going into patients rooms and doing breathing treatments, but the more I do it, the easier it gets. Now I am just worried about doing arterial blood gases on patients(which is somehthing I didn't realize was part of the program before I started). I hate needles!!


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## Visionary

I really want to go into Nursing School, I've been working my way up slowly, but so far my SA is getting in the way of me getting the help I need to be seccessful.


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## Glacial

Visionary said:


> I really want to go into Nursing School, I've been working my way up slowly, but so far my SA is getting in the way of me getting the help I need to be seccessful.


There are other areas in the medical field that don't require patient interaction (such as Health Information Management), but it's not hands-on like you probably are looking to pursue. I have SA and it makes working hard, so I had to decide on a career path that I could be reasonably comfortable in.


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## LittleFaith21

Hello All !


I am a nursing student aswell, and SA totally controls my life. Im going out to the hospital for the first time this summer! I have already completed my first clincial placement which was in LTC. My problem is..when I wake up between the hours of 3am-6am...I have a panic attack. I have come to realize that my fear is being up so early, at such a vulnerable time in the day...I begin to feel terrified..I cry..I cant breathe..and I just panic. I believe that I am scared to be away from home for so long. I am absolutley terrified to go out this time...back when i was in long term care..i actually had an anxiety attack infront of my clinical sup. Thankfully, she was very kind and let me share what I was feeling. She tried everything she could to make me stay and complete the day..I was just so scared to go out on the floor and get residents up..that I went home. 

I had to find somewhere I could share all of this and be able to relate to others. Last night..it happened again. When it happens all of a sudden I feel like quiting the program. Which really sucks because I know my heart is in nursing..my brain and my nerves are not that far ahead. I dont want to be like this anymore. I am so sick and tired of FEAR. I research and research...seeing peoples success stories and the ways in which they cope...but for me...it does NOT help me in the slightest bit. Everyone in my life seems to be a little to judgmental, and I guess I am to fragile a person to take it as constructive critisism..I dont know what to do anymore. I HATE anxiety, I HATE fear, and I HATE that this BS runs my life.


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## lonelyjew

LittleFaith21 said:


> Hello All !
> 
> I am a nursing student aswell, and SA totally controls my life. Im going out to the hospital for the first time this summer! I have already completed my first clincial placement which was in LTC. My problem is..when I wake up between the hours of 3am-6am...I have a panic attack. I have come to realize that my fear is being up so early, at such a vulnerable time in the day...I begin to feel terrified..I cry..I cant breathe..and I just panic. I believe that I am scared to be away from home for so long. I am absolutley terrified to go out this time...back when i was in long term care..i actually had an anxiety attack infront of my clinical sup. Thankfully, she was very kind and let me share what I was feeling. She tried everything she could to make me stay and complete the day..I was just so scared to go out on the floor and get residents up..that I went home.
> 
> I had to find somewhere I could share all of this and be able to relate to others. Last night..it happened again. When it happens all of a sudden I feel like quiting the program. Which really sucks because I know my heart is in nursing..my brain and my nerves are not that far ahead. I dont want to be like this anymore. I am so sick and tired of FEAR. I research and research...seeing peoples success stories and the ways in which they cope...but for me...it does NOT help me in the slightest bit. Everyone in my life seems to be a little to judgmental, and I guess I am to fragile a person to take it as constructive critisism..I dont know what to do anymore. I HATE anxiety, I HATE fear, and I HATE that this BS runs my life.


Are you currently getting any sort of treatment for your SA? Also, have you spoken to a school counselor about this? Because your instructors are in the health field, I am sure that they will be understanding of what you're going through, however it is something which you need to bring to light, and which you need diagnosed. Don't throw away your dream to your fears, however at the same time, don't be unrealistic in the expectations you're setting for yourself - this isn't something which simply can be wished away, or fully treated quickly and easily.

I'm lucky in that my SA isn't nearly as debilitating as your's is; I kill my own opportunities by being too avoidant to participate in volunteering, research, etc. and I can be fairly nervous around instructors/attendings (I'm a med student), however I at least don't show any overt signs of it.

I'm curious though, are you like me, where it's your "superiors" who set you off only, or are you nervous around patients as well? I ask because I'm actually completely fine with patients, and if anything, my SA has had a benefitial effect in making me very receptive to their feelings. One thing that comes with SA, as you've communicated, is a fear of being judged, and so we become hypervigilant in reading people, part of which entails the reading (and often overreading) of body language. While I haven't been nearly as able to get buddy-buddy with colleagues, I've always recieved compliments on my empathy, and my ability interact with patients in a manner which communicates "I care." Just wondering if you had the same sort of experience in this regard.

Anyways, please consider seeking therapy and talking to your school about this. Even if you have to take a year off, it would be far better to do so, and to return after improving your SA (you'd be in more control and still going into nursing!) than to simply give in to your fears, and isolating yourself (likely worsening your SA AND keeping you out of the field you love). Moreover, I well understand how difficult how difficult it is to get into nursing school, let alone having to get through it with SA holding you down, so please don't squander your talents and hard work!

Lastly, another benefit I've found that comes with dealing with a personal mental disorder is that people like understand just how powerful and debilitating mental disorders can be. We had patients with dystonia come in to talk to our class today, one which had it so bad he was basically stuck in a contorted position, not even able to sit, and has to communicate by typing on a keyboard; you don't have to do much more than look at him to see how profoundly disabling dystonia can be. Unfortunately though, you can't see a mental disorder directly, and so they are so often not given the same respect as more physically obvious dissorders. The human drive to survive is so strong that people will, and have, cut their own limbs off to try to save it, and yet for some of us, our mental dissorders are so painful and create such dysfunction that we feel the urges to end that life; is this not profound? In our case, with SA, we feel such powerful fear, that is so out of our control, that it keeps us from developing personal relationships, and destroys our opportunities; is this also not profoundly disabling? What I'm trying to say is that we need people in the field who've felt these things, because nobody else will trully be able to appreciate just how devastating mental problems can be.

Sorry for the long post lol


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## ebonyeyes

i was a nursing student with SA. I can sometimes fake an outgoing personality (depends on the patient as well) but have had a lot of awkward moments. I've had a couple of embarrassing moments with drs though that I am still cringing about. I quit nursing last month due to many reasons, SA didn't help..


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## Restforthehopeless

Hi. I'm a nursing student and finished my first real semester of clinicals. I was a nervous wreck on my first few days, but it got better after that. I'm currently looking for a job this summer - my first ever! (I'm 33) Getting a job has always been one of my worst fears, but I like nursing so much that I actually want to work. I just hope that I can get one. Clinicals weren't near as bad as I thought they would be, and it has really helped me come out of my shell and talk to my classmates. My only concern with nursing is having to deal with doctors. So far I've only had deal with my instructor. I'm not looking forward to dealing with doctors.


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