Dear new nursing student, I'm sorry. I've been in your shoes, excited and terrified all at the same time. I'll never forget my first day of nursing school. The director of the program stood up and said, look to your left, now look to your right. One of you won't be here at the end of nursing school.
Wow, I could actually feel my heart sink. My pregnant wife and I had just moved over a... thousand miles from our home for me to attend nursing school and now the self doubt was racing around in my head. Could I do this? Was this a huge mistake?
Am I even smart enough? Maybe you felt some of those feelings before. Maybe you're feeling them now. I've been a nurse since 2013 and I'd be lying if I told you that it's been easy.
I'd be lying if I told you I never doubted myself. But I'd also be lying if I told you it wasn't worth it. Nursing has changed my life.
Few other professions require so much. I knew nursing would be hard, but I had no idea how emotionally hard it would be. Watching patients pass, watching family members try to cope and understand why.
I've seen the best and the worst of humanity. I've seen life come into the world, and I've seen life leave the world. I wouldn't trade being a nurse for anything, except my kids. Here's the thing.
You already know that nursing is going to be hard. You already know that it's going to push you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Yet despite all of that, you chose to be here, in nursing school. So thank you.
We need more nurses. Really, we need more nurses who give a damn. I'm hoping I can share a couple pieces of advice to help you survive this journey. You are enough. When I walked into orientation on my first day of nursing school, I remember looking around and thinking, wow, I'm the lucky one here.
Everyone else here is so much more prepared than me. I hope no one discovers just how dumb I am. Oh well, you're going to fail out soon anyway.
That's what I thought. The same thing happened shortly after we hired our 10th employee at NRSNG. We all stood up for a team meeting and I thought, are you crazy? What are you thinking trying to build a company to end the nursing shortage.
It'll never work! Have you ever felt thoughts like these? Full disclosure, I want to tell you guys about a problem that I struggle with.
I've always struggled with this as long as I can remember. It's called Imposter Syndrome. So what's that? Let me give you a definition.
Imposter syndrome is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. Despite external evidence of their accomplishments, competence, those exhibiting the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the successes they have achieved. Proof of success is diminished as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.
Some studies suggest that imposter syndrome is particularly common among high achieving women. All right, essentially, despite achieving great things, despite praise and compliments despite external accolades, you feel like a fake. You feel like you don't deserve the success, like you're just lucky. You feel like everyone else around you is somehow more prepared and you believe you're not intelligent.
There are a few interesting elements to imposter syndrome that I think apply to nursing students and nurses. It exists in high achieving individuals, nurses. It's more prevalent in women and it affects as much as 70% of individuals.
We all feel like the dumb lucky one. It's important that you learn not only to recognize, but overcome imposter syndrome when it starts to bear its head. By doing this, it's going to allow you to recognize and enjoy your successes, help you reach your full potential, and love yourself rather than loathe. Here's a few tips to help you overcome imposter syndrome.
Number one, stop comparing yourself to that person. Life is not a competition. The only person you should compare yourself to is you. You are growing, that's all that matters.
There will always be a smarter, prettier, faster, better nurse than you. Also, it's impossible to know every variable in someone else's success and accomplishments. None of us have the same starting line nor the same goals. Therefore, we aren't even in the same race as anyone else.
And better stated, it's not a race. Number two. Keep a f- I'll have people saying nice things to you. One of the first things I started doing when I started NRSNG was to keep a file of compliments. Every time we get a nice email or review it goes in that folder and I often refer back to this folder.
Whenever those nasty thoughts of why should anyone care about what you have to say creep in, I go back to this folder. It reminds me of the nursing students all over the world who have found success thanks to NRSNG. You should do the same.
Number three. Except that you had some role in your successes. It's crazy to think that you got into nursing school on pure luck, or that you got the job because your resume somehow slipped through the cracks.
What I often tell newbies is, it's the admissions committee or manager's job to determine if you should have the job or get into nursing school. Once that decision has been made, you don't need to worry about it. You are where you are due to your hard work and effort.
Number four, be honest. Realize that nobody knows what they're doing. Most startups fail, great nurses fail the NCLEX. I have terrible grammar skills. You will make a medication error someday as a nurse.
The greatest of the greats fail. Failing doesn't mean you're a fake, it means you're human. Be honest about what you do know and be honest about what you do not know.
The only other advice I really want to share with you is to remember that life is a journey. You will not be a perfect nurse today, tomorrow, or ever. That's okay.
The goal should be to continually improve and do your best. If you fail an exam, miss an IV, get a question wrong, it's okay. The author Carol Dweck in her book Mindset explains the concept of a growth mindset.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for a great accomplishment.
Realizing that you're a work in progress, that life is long, and that you are not a measure of your successes and honors allows you to enjoy the journey and not just focus so much on the grade. You can do this. Nursing is a tough career but it's so... worth it.
We need nurses who grasp the importance of the journey. I want you to succeed. Please know that you can.
We love you guys. Go out and be your best selves. Happy nursing.