How to Be More CONFIDENT in Nursing School | Nursing School FAQ Series
Christina Rafano and Nicole Palmer discuss why nursing students feel unprepared and how confidence actually builds. They share stories from their own exams and clinical rotations, then explain the real path: asking questions, volunteering, practicing skills repeatedly, and reflecting on what you've already done well.
Chapters
And I learned, like, probably to this day, like, the most I've learned at, like, a clinical rotation. Like, it was so much. And it was all because I just said, hey, do you need help? Like, I'm. I'm free. Do you need help? And then you just ask the questions. I mean, you're a nursing student. You're at clinical. You're not supposed to know everything, right? You're not supposed to. So asking those questions is so, so helpful. And it also, on the other side of it as like, the nurse helping a nursing student, if the nursing student isn't asking questions, I'm concerned.
Okay. Hello. Welcome to the Nursing School show. This is a little bit different than what you are probably used to on this channel because, well, we've never had Nicole here before, or I don't actually think Nicole we've brought any guests on ever other than Matthew, but he's always next to me anyway. Hello, my name is Christina. I am a registered nurse. If you have not been here for a while, welcome. I'm. Welcome to our channel. And this is Nicole Palmer. Are you going to be on this side of me or this side of me?
Sure.
I don't know.
I'm not near over here, but we'll see.
So this is Nicole. She is the lead nurse on our team. And I don't know what else to say about you other than you are awesome, fantastic, and my life doesn't run without you, to be honest. How long have you been with us at nursing?
I think we're coming up on three years, which is wild.
That's amazing. I cannot believe it's been three years. So here's what happened, friends. I started writing this video on confidence in nursing school. And I was like, this is not like I can totally talk about it, but I think it would be more fun if I brought Nicole in and we could share maybe our experiences of total not confidence in nursing school. Just so all of our nursing students don't feel as alone, because let's be honest. Okay, so here's the problem. Kind of a little bit of my soapbox for nursing school. Because when you get to nursing school, Nicole, you probably had this experience a thousand times. If it just feels like everyone knows what they're doing but you, and you're the only one that get it. So, like, you go into an exam and everyone's like, yeah, I got this.
And you're like, no, I have no.
Idea what I'm doing. I don't know what's happening. You're not alone. So I Think that's probably the biggest nursing school lie, right? Is that everyone else gets it except for you.
Exactly.
I don't know. It's just a little bit scary. Anyway, so it's kind of a long introduction to Nicole. Nicole, do you have anything you want to say about yourself that's kind of fun?
All right, so let's see. So I went to nursing school 10 years ago, so it's been a little while, but I fully remember that feeling of walking into my first exam and walking out, being like, what just happened? Like, totally blindsided. Feeling like, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I cannot be a nurse. There's no way. And then, I mean, not to say that that feeling went away with every exam, but. But it started to become more normal. And over time, I started to feel like, okay, maybe I do know what I'm doing. So.
Takes a while, right?
Because I feel like it's just so common. And like you were saying, it's just one of those things that nobody talks about because everyone's scared that they're the only one feeling that way. But you're not.
I think it's definitely something that needs to be normalized. Like, we need to normalize not being okay in nursing school or, like, not exactly not knowing things. I think that that's really the thing is, like, maybe you're just expected to know so much right from the start and. Or at least that's how it feels, right? Because, like, you're handed a thousand textbooks, and they're like, okay, exam next week on your thousand textbooks. Like, I feel like I should have known this. You know, we should have been studying already for the past three years for nursing school, right?
Yeah, exactly.
You feel like you're supposed to know everything, but that's not the case. Like, we talk a lot here on this channel about critical thinking, right? Nicole, you've heard me say a thousand times that when you get to nursing school, it just. It feels like everyone expects you to know how to critically think, but nobody teaches you what critical thinking is or how to do it or anything about it. You're just supposed to know it magically. Like, the confetti falls from the sky, and all of a sudden you're a think, like a nurse rock star. That's not the reality. So I really think this idea of confidence in nursing school and just the fact that no one else knows what's happening just needs to be normalized. Like, we need to talk about it more. So that is. That's actually exactly why I brought you in here because, like, I just. I think that the more that nursing students can hear from other nurses or other students. Students to say, like, hey, by the way, I felt the exact same way. And you're not alone. And yes, it does really stink when you start nursing school. It's kind of the worst. But it does get better, right? Like you said, Nicole, it does get better. Do you feel like. Did you ever have a moment in nursing school where you felt like, I got this?
No.
Me either.
No. And I still. I mean, I still feel like even as a nurse, you have those days where you're like, what? What's going on? What am I doing? Like, you just. You're. It's like, just this constant learning experience and having to trust that you really do know what you're doing, and you really are learning. But I know not to say that I didn't know what I was doing and totally felt like I didn't know what I was doing. But if you take a second to, like, think back on where you were, it helps to remember. Like, okay, maybe I do know some things.
Yeah, absolutely. Like, yeah, that's. That's a really good point. Like, thinking back, like, okay, let's say. So we have nursing students, obviously, in, like, fundamentals or med surg or in specialties, like ob, taking OB classes or pediatric classes. So you really have to. That's a good practice. Kind of a habit to get into is to, like, think back, oh, wait, like, I did pass microbiology before starting nursing school, or I did pass A and P, and that was just basically a dumpster fire the whole time. You know, that was the worst I can get through this kind of thing. Like, think back to where you were, you know, three years ago, five, 10 years ago. I mean, how long, Nicole, did you want to be a nurse? Like, how long were you actually pursuing this?
Yeah, I mean, it's one of those. And I think it's for a lot of people, like, it's just something you grow up as a little kid being like, I'm going to be a nurse. And for no other reason than just, I'm going to be a nurse. I mean, your story is so unique because you had that, like, pivotal moment.
That's true. I did not want to be a nurse until. But for you, did you grow up as a little kid wanting to be a nurse?
Well, so I wanted to be a doctor, and then my parents were very smart and said, let's shadow some nurses. So I just kind of surrounded myself with other nurses, and it Just kind of fell into place. But. But I feel like it is one of those things where a lot of people just grow up and that's what they want to be. And then they get to school and they're like, do I actually want to do this? Because it feels so challenging.
Yeah. And. Well, I mean, we get emails all the time from students, right. Who are like, I just. I can't do this. I don't think I can. Like, I don't think I have what it takes and that. I think we get stuck in that place a lot where you need to go back. Like, you need to go back and think, what, Wait, I did pass amp. You know, like we said, I did pass those really difficult prereqs, and, hey, now I'm here. And yes, this is hard, but I know that I can do it kind of a thing.
Exactly.
It's huge. And I think I want to go back to something that you said just a couple minutes ago about, like, you know, you get some practice after your exams and you get a little bit better each time. And I think that's a really good point. You do get better. Yes, but so, like, you do. You do. Like, when you're. When you're taking nursing fundamentals, you don't know what. You don't know. Like, you don't. You don't know anything. You know, like, thinking back, right. Like, I. Our first exams, like, it's so. Our stories are so similar.
Yeah.
Like, you didn't know anything and you left your exam thinking, like, what in the world just happened? Same with me. Yeah. You just leave. I had the biggest headache.
I.
After that first day of nursing school, like, the biggest headache. I just. I don't know what happened. But then you get practice. Like, you get practice. Maybe it's just, like, you get practice stressing out all the time, then you get more used to the stress. I guess it could be.
Or you just get used to feeling like, okay, this is normal. This is normal. I should feel this way.
Yeah, right. It's like, you don't want anyone to feel that way, but it's almost kind of true. Like, okay, I can handle this kind of thing. Like, you just get more experience with it. You get more experience with how your instructors test. You get more experience with how clinical goes and everything throughout the term. But then. Here's the. But is that. Then you move on to another term.
Yeah.
And then it, like, elevates. Right. So it's like, you're interesting fundamentals. And then what. What did you have after Fundamentals. Do you remember?
We had fundamentals and then we had med surg. So it was right from, like, right away, the very basics. And then they throw you in, like, headfirst, and they're just like, okay, so this is what you actually don't know.
But here's what you don't know. Everything exactly right. Oh, man. Zero to 60 right away. That's funny. So in our school, actually, we had, if I remember right, it was a while ago, fundamentals, and then we went into pediatrics. So we did pediatrics before. Before we did med surg. So we did peds and mental health together. And then we did med surg, and then we had an advanced. So we actually had two mental health classes. We had an intro mental health class with peds med surge, and then we did an advanced mental health class toward the end. And then like leadership and delegation and all those things. That was how our program ran. So I guess we had two terms of kind of little bit easier stuff. Didn't make med surgeon any easier. So that's really what happens is, like, you get. Or at least from my experience, I don't know. Tell me yours. But in fundamentals, like, yeah, those first exams are like the worst. And then you get a little more used to it because you get more used to how your instructors teach.
Exactly.
Test how clinical goes. And then you get to med surg and you have new. A new clinical site.
Exactly.
New instructors. You have way harder exams. And then it's like this whole feeling of overwhelm and stress all over again.
Exactly.
Like, get through. It's just a whole nother level. Is that experienced it too, or is that totally just me?
No, that's exactly how it goes. You feel like you're just getting the hang of it, and then you go off on break and you come back and it's like, no, you don't. Like, it's. They. I don't think that they mean to do it. And I think that it's just kind of the nature of nursing that it feels like it's so much. And it just feels like it's like, how am I going to learn all this? But when you take a step back and you think, like, what am I learning about? Right. We're learning how to take care of people, other people. So it is a lot. And that's not to be taken. So I feel like when you start thinking about that a little bit and just think about where the actual, like, where's your end goal? What's the end goal? You want to be a nurse. And what does that mean to you? It really can help kind of put it in perspective. Like, yes, I'm learning all these things, and they're so super hard. But, like, I can do this because I'm going to be a nurse at the end of it. Um, I don't know. That always helped me, and that helped me be like, okay, I can do this.
I did this.
And I'm going to keep doing it. And yes, it's going to keep getting harder, but I'm going to keep doing it.
Yes, it's going to keep getting harder. Going to prepare myself now for that. Yes, it really. I mean, it's so true. And you. You just have to. Yeah, it's like, adapt. Like, we're adaptable, right? So nursing students especially. I think we're especially good at this is adapting. And actually, it's just. It's. You really. Like we were saying, like, fundamentals to med surge, to, you know, advanced med surg or critical care. Like, it. You level up. Like, you have to level up, build on it every time, because it's not. It's not the same, you know? So, like, if you're in med surg right now, to all our nursing students watching that, if you're in med surg, congratulations. Yeah, like, think back to where you were in fundamentals and like, really, like, really think back. Like, what were you. What were you thinking? No, what were you. What were you thinking in fundamentals? Right? Like, what. What was going through your mind when you were in fundamentals? For me, it was like, all these things, like, I can't do this. This is so hard. I'm never going to pass. I'm never going to be a nurse. I remember sitting, literally sitting in class. It was the first week of school, and all the. The instructors wanted us. Wanted us to tell them, okay, why do you want to be a nurse? Like, why are you here? What made you decide? And I'm like, I. Thinking in my brain. I don't think I belong here. Yeah, I. I don't. I don't know. I don't. Like, I. It's just like this total, like, brain freeze. Like, I don't think I can do this. And I literally, like, still remember that. Yeah, I still remember them going to all the students, like, why are you here? And I'm like, I don't know.
I don't know why I'm here. I thought I wanted to be a nurse, but I don't actually know now I'm here anymore.
This is so hard. And so it's just. You have to think back, like Nicole said, like, think back to how far you've come, really find that motivation inside of you to keep going, because you've done it. Like, you've done it before. You got through A and P. Got through. I always say A and P and micro because that was hard for me. Biology, all the tough, you know, man parts of a cell. I don't know. We have to learn that in biology. Come on. So all the things you had to go through before, now you're here. You're in fundamentals or you're in med surgery, you're in OB, PEDs, mental health, what have you. You made it. Like, you got through that. You can do this, but it is hard. And I think the more that we practice, the more confidence you get, the more motivation you will have to keep pushing forward. I guess that's kind of the moral of the story, huh, Nicole?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, as you do it more, it becomes more natural, and it starts to feel more like, okay, maybe I do know what I'm doing. I think, like. Like you were saying, the key thing is to keep checking back in. Like, think about that first day. I'm sure we all have, like, literally that first day stuck in our heads because it feels so overwhelming. It's like.
It is drama.
It really does feel like it. But I think if you think back to that, and you may, like, feel, like, silly about how much you thought you knew and how hard it all felt, but then you look at it and you're like, okay, but I. I got through it, right? Like, I did it.
I moved forward with it and, like, that confidence, right? You build confidence because of that. You build confidence when. As you get. Practice and as you just keep moving forward and don't give up. Right? Yeah. Like, as long as you just keep pushing forward, keep moving forward, keep trying, keep practicing, keep failing, keep moving forward. You know, keep. You know, even if you, like, make a mistake, like, learn from it and move on and keep going. Just keep practicing. Just don't give up. Then, you know, you know, a year into your nursing program, 18 months, if you graduate with an advanced, you know, you know, a not advanced, accelerated program in 18 months, or if your program's two years or four years, what have you, you're going to look back and say, wow, like, I came a long way. You know, you're going to know a lot more in four years, in five years, in a decade, than you do now.
Exactly.
It's just how it works. But but you can't give up. You know, you have to keep pushing forward. You have to keep moving no matter what. Now, something else just real quick that I wanted to mention with confidence, kind of along the same line, Nicole. I know we get a lot of emails and comments from our nursing SOS members, and, you know, we get a ton of DMS about this on Instagram. Is clinical and.
Exactly.
Building confidence at clinical. And I think what I always say, and I know you do, too. Really, our advice has always been to Jessica is exactly that. Raise your hand, do all the stuff you know, make mistakes, you know, fail over and over and over again.
Yes.
Keep practicing. You. You cannot stop practicing because if you stop practicing, your confidence is going to stagnate. The more practice that you get, the more confidence you're going to get. Has that been your experience as a nurse and as a nursing student?
Yes, definitely. I feel like that first clinical is the part where that stands out too, in my mind as like, one of those traumatic moments, because you feel like you're thrown into it. You're just kind of like, okay, these are real people, these are real patients, and I'm supposed to know what I'm.
Doing, and I don't exactly.
It's that whole feeling of, like, how am I going to know how to do this? But, I mean, the easiest thing to do. I'll never forget one clinical day I had where I, like, offered to go help another nurse. And I learned, like, probably to this day, like, the most I've learned at, like, a clinical rotation. Like, it was so much. And it was all because I just said, hey, do you need help? Like, I'm free.
Do you need help?
And then you just ask the questions. I mean, you're a nursing student, you're at clinical. You're not supposed to know everything, right? You're not supposed to. So asking those questions is so, so helpful. And it also, on the other side of it as like, the nurse helping a nursing student, if the nursing stud asking questions, I'm concerned.
I'm thinking, oh, boy, thank you and amen.
Right? I mean, I want to know that you're thinking. I want to know that you're putting it all together and you're trying to, like, make sense of it all. So that is something that it's going to benefit you to ask all those questions, offered help, but also it's going to make the other nurses be like, okay, she knows what she's doing. Right? Even though you feel like you don't. You really in the nurse's eyes. You look like you know what you're doing. And I mean, it just will go so far. But that clinical day, that first clinical day definitely stands out as a traumatic event as well.
No kidding. Oh, it's just. And every subsequent term too. Because your clinicals. Well, I don't. At least for me. Yeah, they change, right? I mean, we started in a long term care. Like, was it long? It wasn't actually long term care. It was technically skilled nursing. And then I think depending on what state you're in, it kind of, you know, has different names, but, you know, a kind of a step down, you know, unit type thing. Rehab facility, some, you know, places call it. But that was kind of ours, like skilled nursing. And then you move on to like the hospital setting. And then, you know, if. If that's what your, you know, school does, you know, work in a hospital or you work in a clinic or my. Where else was I at? I was at, you know, the community health stuff. Community health stuff, Exactly. You could be like, at a vaccine clinic. You could be at like, you know, different places and every time your. Your comfort zone is going to expand.
Exactly.
You know, you're gonna freak out. Initially, you're like, oh, I've been here before. Like, I was on a. It was a rehab floor, but it was still in a hospital and like, I don't know what I'm doing and this before. So then you just get, you get, you. You get more confident. The more experience you get in different settings, the more you go through nursing school and, you know, practice. Like there's a practice, practice, practice. Like Nicole said. Like you said, Nicole, raise your hand. Yeah, raise your hand and ask questions. The same thing for me, having students always tell them. It's like, I am not worried about you if you are trying and asking questions.
Exactly.
The students that I am worried about are the ones that tell me that they got it and they know it all.
Exactly.
Don't touch my patients. But that all goes back to that.
Feeling of when you get into nursing school and you start going to those classes and just feeling like, how do I know it all? But you, like, it all builds on each other. So if you feel like you know it all, you haven't scratched the surface. Hate to break it down.
You don't know what you don't know, Mary.
Exactly. I feel like that's. I mean, I just feel like that's important and maybe that's like just another way to frame it. Like, if I felt like I knew it all, I wouldn't really know as much as I do.
Yeah, absolutely. Because you're not going to be open to, like, asking questions, raising your hand and taking the risk, taking the chance. Like, who do you remember? Do you remember your first IV start on a real. Me too.
Shaking and, like, shaking.
You're, like, sweating through your gloves. There's blood everywhere. Like, oh, this is not going.
I had, like, a awesome, like, clinical instructor, and my patient had actually said, oh, like, is it like her first time? And she was like, no, she's done it before.
And it's like, on a man again, right? No, getting. Actually, we had a nursing instructor who said that same thing. She said, if any. If any patients ever ask you if you've done this before, just say yes.
Yep.
On a mannequin.
Right?
You've got thousand. I got this. Yeah. But no, it's so true. I mean, gotta keep your patients calm, man.
Exactly.
Oh, well, I gotta tell you, okay, this is just. This has nothing to do with confidence, basically. But I want to tell you the story really quick. Nicole, I don't think I told you about this. Okay. We just had a baby. You know that Everybody else in YouTube land, we just had a baby. I didn't show you, but the IV start, literally, like, the first one blew, totally blew out my vein. It hurt so bad for, like, two weeks afterwards. It was all swollen. And, like, literally. I have a picture I should show you, Nicole, because, yes, it was the worst. It was the worst IV start I've ever had. Probably the worst I've ever seen. I mean, I was in labor, so I didn't see her actually do it, but it was. It was bad. Like, my whole hand was swollen. So. Moral of the story, friends. That happens. I mean, that was a nurse. Probably been a nurse for years, and it happens. Like, even as, like, seasoned nurses, you will still make mistakes. Like, you will still blow a vein. You will still mess up. Do not expect that you are just gonna know every. Like, when you graduate nursing school. Yeah, the same thing. You don't know anything. You don't know what you don't know. And so you just have to keep pushing forward. Like, you just have to keep going. You're never, like, none of us are ever gonna hit this magical stage in life where we suddenly have it all figured out. That is not reality. That is not end of the world. That is. Like, we are always constantly learning, constantly growing. That's just how it is.
Exactly. Especially in nursing, you never will feel like, you know it all ever learning.
It's always changing that's true. Adapt to this. Let's go. So, you know, anyway, moral of the story. Practice. I think that's kind of where it. If we were to recap this, Nicole, would it be like, just.
And to feel uncomfortable. To be okay with feeling uncomfortable. Right. Like, be okay with being out of your comfort zone. You're doing something right? If you're, like, uncomfortable, yes.
If you're uncomfortable, you're doing it right. That's funny. Yeah. It's so true, though, because, I mean, you just. There's no other option. The only other option is to stay in your little bubble, not learn, not take any chances, not grow. Exactly. And that's not what we are supposed. You're not. You're gonna graduate nursing school, like, actually not knowing anything after that.
Exactly.
You want to level up, like we said, every time. Like, every new term, you're going to learn more, and you're going to learn more, and you're going to learn more. You just can't stop. You cannot stop. So. Wow. Anyway, if this was helpful for you, let us know in the comments, because this was super fun. I don't know. Nicole, was this super fun for you? It was great.
It's perfect.
I loved it. It's just so helpful for students to see nurses, other nursing students, like, just be real about what is going on, you know, because especially when it comes to a topic like confidence, we really have this assumption that everyone else knows what they're doing, and it's just simply not true. Not at all. Like, Nicole and I have been nurses for years. You still. You don't know. Like, we don't know doing half the time. It's just. Exactly.
It's okay.
So, you know, I think that the more that we can be real about these things, then the more pressure you can take off yourself. Or, like, the, you know, not gonna say lower your expectations, but kind of in that way, lower your expectations. Like, don't expect that you are, you know, gonna. Right. Get that acceptance letter to nursing school and suddenly have all this knowledge or that you're going to, you know, pass your med surg class and suddenly feel like, oh, yeah, I get it. Or even graduate nursing school and feel like you're prepared in any capacity to be a nurse. It's just. It's not usually how it goes. So, you know, I guess just kind of normalizing those things. Let us know if this video and this conversation was helpful for you in the comments, because we've never done this before, but I think it would be super fun to do more often about other topics. What do you think, Nicole?
Definitely.
Yeah.
If anybody has any suggestions, let us.
Know on what topics to cover. Absolutely. You know, I have some ideas. I know you do too, Nicole. We've talked, but I think that it will be. I just, I just hope this was helpful for sure. And I think it was. Yeah. I don't know. For me. Me too.
It's helpful to just hear another person be like, oh, yeah, it's hard.
Yeah, it's hard. It's kind of the worst. But you can do it. We can do it together. That's so funny. Well, thanks so much for hanging out with us, Nicole. Yay. Yay. All right, bye everybody on YouTube. Bye.
Bye.
Thanks for hanging out with us. See you later. Oh, yeah. Subscribe and hit the bell ding. Bye.
