I Don't Think I Should Be a Nurse: New Nurse Stories | First Shift

"I deserve to die. I really think I shouldn't be a nurse."

Those are a real nurse's words — posted on allnurses on her sixth day as a nurse. She was working long-term care, a patient fell, and she froze. She never went back to assess him. She never filed the incident report. And she didn't realize any of it until she got home — when the guilt hit her like a truck.

In this episode of First Shift, Jon Haws, RN — founder of NURSING.com — tells her story start to finish, names the thing she's feeling (impostor syndrome, and nearly every new nurse gets it), and shares the three things that actually help: stop comparing your insides to everyone else's outsides, keep a file of the good moments for the bad days, and let go of perfect — it doesn't exist in nursing. Plus: why the guilt you're feeling is proof you care enough to be great at this.

If you're a nursing student or a new nurse, this one's for you. New episodes of First Shift drop every Friday — real stories from nurses' first shifts, and the honest talk that gets you through yours.

Studying for the NCLEX? Try SIMCLEX — the adaptive practice exam that tells you when you're ready: https://nursing.com/simclex

It's time to go out and be your best self today. Happy nursing, y'all.