Are You Feeling Dumb As A Nurse? Here Are 8 Easy Ways You Can Stop

It is so common to have those moments when you feel like you don’t remember much from nursing school.

Imposter syndrome kicks in, and you don’t feel equipped to make all of these big, heavy nursing decisions.

I know I have, multiple times.

Feeling dumb as a nurse is more common than you think. For one, the expectations are unrealistically high.

Additionally, you learn SO much on the job. Many times, you haven’t learned or experienced something yet and a patient or colleague is expecting you to know the answers.

These types of situations often leave people feeling stupid at work.

If you continue to let this feeling linger, you may reach a burnout period and end up really damaging your mental health.

You can avoid reaching this point by incorporating the methods I’m going to explain below!

Please remember, while there isn’t one magical spell I can cast to make it stop, what I can do is teach you some amazing strategies that will help you to stop feeling dumb as a nurse!

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In the nursing world, finding a nurse who likes to teach is equivalent to striking gold! They are a wealth of knowledge and can seriously change the game in your nursing career.

But… they aren’t easily encountered, so nurses are often found lost and confused. (Raise your hand if you relate to this!)

Learning how to be a nurse when you’re a new grad or learning how to do your job well when you are experienced are both hard in different ways.

As an experienced nurse, I can definitely say I still have moments I feel dumb. This is a reminder that you’re not alone!

So what can you do to stop feeling dumb as a nurse?

Here are 8 great ways you can recognize your worth, pump up your confidence, and learn how to accept that you don’t have to (and won’t) know it ALL! Let’s learn how to stop feeling stupid at work, shall we?

8 Easy Ways To Stop Feeling Dumb As A Nurse

These 8 methods are going to help crush those negative feelings you have about yourself. They’re going to help eliminate that thought of “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Reminder: You may be feeling stupid at work sometimes, but you aren’t really stupid. You’re a smart and tough nurse, just remember that.

1. Show An Eagerness To Learn

Make sure you are showing an eagerness to learn in the workplace.

It will say so much about your character.

When you’re in a situation where you don’t know something, ask questions and people will immediately respect you.

I have heard this tip from some admirable, experienced professionals in my life (nurses, doctors, managers) so I’d like to say there is some truth to the matter.

I’ve also practiced it and noticed a big difference in the way people treated me.

When you take a person who doesn’t know something and doesn’t want to learn, people will believe you aren’t willing to grow.

Show an eagerness to learn by asking questions, looking attentive, and staying curious!

This is one major way to increase your knowledge and stop feeling dumb!

2. Converse With Others

Getting into conversations with others and speaking up about topics you aren’t confident in is a great way to learn and educate yourself.

You can extract inspiration, wisdom, and perspectives through conversation, without directly asking for them.

If heparin drips or managing difficult patients is a struggle for you, start talking about it with colleagues or friends!

If I’ve learned one thing, it is that the nursing world has no space for my naturally quiet self.

I had to get out of my shell and speak up about things I needed, was confused about, etc.

3. Accept Your Level

At the end of the day, you must come to terms with where you are in your experience.

Do not compare your day 65 to their day 1,461!

What I mean by this is you are surrounded by other nurses and colleagues who may have more experience than you, hence they sound smarter and always seem to know what they’re talking about.

That’s because they’ve been doing the same thing for so long, and you haven’t.

Even if you’ve been a nurse for two years, you don’t have to know it all! In fact, you won’t know it all.

It’s unrealistic and against something called time. Humans haven’t figured out how to speed up time yet, so until then, accept your level.

This will replace feeling stupid at work with feeling content instead.

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4. Do The Proper Research

Honestly, this may be my favorite method. Y’all know I can be quiet sometimes. I love to sit on my laptop and do tons of research on any topic that I’m feeling incompetent in.

Feeling dumb as a nurse is natural and nothing to be ashamed of. We’ve all felt it.

What you need to focus on, though, is how to stop! I’m pretty sure that’s why you came to this blog post, right? 🙂

Open up good ol’ Google and start researching whatever it is you aren’t confident in.

Nowadays, the resources are endless, from YouTube videos to articles to other nurses like myself blogging about it!

You’re going to be okay.

5. Give It Time

Whether you are a new nurse, starting a new specialty, or starting a new position, you will be amazed at how far you have come after you give it some time and effort.

I am almost certain you are not going to be an exception, so believe in yourself.

If you incorporate some or all of these methods I am sharing, you are going to grow into a confident, brilliant nurse!

6. Give Yourself Daily Pep Talks

I’m pretty sure nurses are some of the most common people who talk to themselves. Just think about how many times you had to tell yourself to get it together or not to cry on the job!

Daily pep talks have been so necessary for my nursing career.

Nurses feel a lot of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety, so daily pep talks will become your best friend!

Some positive affirmations to tell yourself are:

I am powerful.
I am exactly where I need to be right now.
I am getting better and better every day, and that’s all that matters.
I am allowed to ask for what I want and what I need.
I am growing and I am going at my own pace.
I will release the fears that do not help me.

Here’s an amazing, comprehensive list of positive affirmations you can tell yourself!

7. Fake It Until You Make It

This classic aphorism is a tried and true favorite.

When you tell yourself over and over again that you are a certain way, your brain will start to believe it!

With that being said, start faking your confidence and acting the way you want to be. Eventually, you will truly feel it.

If you don’t know how, the previous methods will certainly help!

Only you really know that you’re faking it, so let others believe you know what you’re doing even when you don’t. It’ll slowly turn into YOU believing in yourself.

My eBook, 31 Days To Becoming A Badass Nurse, will put you on the right path to growing your confidence in just one month! Check it out today.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and make a purchase!

8. Read Books On Confidence

Sometimes all you need is to immerse yourself in an informative self-help book.

I know self-help books can sound cheesy and “cringe” to some people, but give them a chance! When you’re in need of help, they can be just what you’re looking for.

Some top choices are:

Curious about more? Find other related books here!

In Summary…

There is no perfect amount of years it takes of being a nurse to stop feeling dumb.

Whether you feel like an incompetent new nurse or an experienced average nurse, you have to put in the work to get to the place you want.

Practice these eight habits and over time, you will feel much more confident, make more certain decisions, and have core strategies in place for the low moments.

QUESTION: Which of these eight methods do you find yourself practicing the most right now?

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