From staff nurse to nurse consultant: Survival Guide part 11: Surviving self-doubt

The previous articles in this series have examined the variety of stresses that impinge on us as nurses, threatening our willingness and ability at times to continue in our chosen career. Too many nurses have left the profession because of overwork, continual staff shortages, inability to focus on patient care, poor working relationships and inflexible shift patterns. The majority of the stressors identified so far in this series are external to the individual nurse. There is one additional important factor that can threaten our survival as a nurse; that is the internal stress factor of our own self-doubt and our lack of confidence in our own abilities.

Over the last 10 years I must have taught hundreds of qualified nurses undertaking a part-time masters degree in advanced practice or independent prescribing; some of the most senior and skilled clinical nurses in the health authority. They were all hard working, committed to their clinical speciality, knowledgeable and keen to learn; but only a few were full of self-confidence. This was reflected not just in how they viewed their ability to write academic essays, but more importantly in their inner belief to be leaders in the future development of clinical practice. Take a few minutes to reflect on how you view your own self-belief: