Despite your qualifications, do you persistently feel you don’t deserve to be called a nurse? You logically know you’ve worked hard to become a nurse. After all, completing rigorous coursework, passing licensure exams, and gaining hands-on experience with patients isn’t easy.
But do you still constantly feel like you’re not good enough and worry that someone will realize you’re a fraud?
This is called impostor syndrome, and many nurses have dealt with it. This guide will help you tackle this mental hurdle with 10 practical ways to build confidence and silence your inner critic.
What is Imposter Syndrome in Nursing?
Imposter syndrome, also called the “imposter phenomenon,” is when someone consistently feels like a fraud and worries that people will find out. In nursing, this can manifest as self-doubt, fear of making mistakes, or the belief that you aren’t as competent as your peers.
If you’re dealing with imposter syndrome, you aren’t alone! A 2023 study published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing found that between 36% and 75% of clinical nurse specialists and nursing students experience this challenge. It’s also often accompanied or possibly partially caused by burnout, especially for newer nurses.
Despite being called a “syndrome,” imposter syndrome is not a mental illness. However, it is a mental health challenge that can affect every aspect of your life. Experts have developed several self-tests for imposter syndrome. While they may be helpful in many cases, don’t rely on them entirely – you know yourself better than any quiz ever could.
No matter what your negative self-talk says, imposter syndrome does not accurately reflect your abilities. Understanding how to recognize it and why it happens and taking steps to combat its symptoms can increase your confidence and lower your anxiety and fear as you gain nursing experience.
1. Keep a Journal
Keeping a journal can have positive mental health outcomes. Doing so allows you to reflect on things that happen and how you feel about them. Perhaps ironically, taking the time to focus on something causing you fear or stress – though not immediately after the event – can help you move past brooding. Journaling can also help with emotional regulation, anxiety, and confidence to open up to others about your thoughts and feelings.
There are many types of journaling, and you can experiment with different options to see what works best for you. However, consistency can make a massive difference in the success of most types.
2. Recognize and Name Your Feelings
Imposter syndrome thrives in silence. When you identify and name your emotions, you strip them of their power over you. Recognizing persistent negative thoughts about your abilities as imposter syndrome is the first step to overcoming them.
Many nurses feel unqualified from time to time despite years of studying and hands-on experience. Imposter syndrome takes these feelings to a new height. You might attribute your success to luck and worry that your coworkers will “find out that you have no idea what you’re doing.” New nurses often think they’re alone in feeling this way, but imposter syndrome can affect all nurses.
Feelings related to imposter syndrome may include, but aren’t limited to:
- Fear of failure (atychiphobia): Fear of not being the best, resulting in others thinking less or shaming you
- Fear of success (achievemephobia): Worry that doing well could make you set higher standards or increase your workload, difficulty accepting when you’ve succeeded
- Incompetence: Denying abilities even when faced with objective “wins,” attributing good outcomes to chance
- Perfectionism: Extremely competitive, impossible goals, the belief that mistakes are due to lack of ability
- Superheroism (self-sacrificing martyrdom): Need to be the best, overpreparation, taking on additional work
- Urge to over-prepare or procrastinate (imposter cycle): Doing too much upfront work or putting things off until the last second to avoid failing or put off the thing you’re afraid to fail at
This list isn’t all-inclusive, and all mental health challenges look different for each person.
Regardless of the feelings imposter syndrome causes, you need to get them out of your head so you can start processing them. Start by journaling or discussing your feelings with a friend, relative, mentor, or mental health professional. When you name your emotions, you can begin to take back control.
3. Remember That Perfection is Impossible
Nursing is a high-stakes profession, and many nurses hold themselves to an impossibly high standard. This pursuit of perfection often comes from a desire to help people and avoid doing harm—the very reasons you became a nurse in the first place.
Even the most experienced nurses have missteps, but they don’t define their competency. When you let go of unrealistic expectations of perfection, you give yourself room to grow and be confident in your abilities.
4. Learn From Others’ Experiences
Seeking out others who have dealt with imposter syndrome can help you see the light at the end of the tunnel and learn from what worked for them. You can do this in person or by engaging with people’s published discussions.
Many nurses go through imposter syndrome, so you could start with your coworkers, mentors, or former classmates.
If you don’t have someone in your field to talk to, go online or to the library. Make sure the people you connect with can be trusted and that comments sections, if they exist, are helpful (though avoiding them entirely may be advisable!). There are many articles and videos by experts, and the Harvard Business Review even has a recommended list of books for people with imposter syndrome.
5. Set Realistic Goals
Imposter syndrome can make you feel like you’re not progressing fast enough or don’t know enough. Broad expectations can be overwhelming. Setting realistic, achievable goals helps keep you grounded by giving you tangible evidence of your growth.
For example, “improving your clinical skills” is a huge target, and there will always be something else to learn. This can leave you disheartened, even if your skills improve significantly.
Many experts suggest setting SMART goals – ones that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For instance, you could choose how to fill out certain forms more quickly. This is specific, easily measured against time spent, achievable, and relevant to your job. Setting yourself a time frame to achieve your goal is the last step.
After you reach your goal, set a new one.
Tracking your progress in a journal or skills checklist gives evidence of your growth to reflect on when you feel low.
6. Embrace Your Support System
Being surrounded by a supportive network makes all the difference when struggling with imposter syndrome. Connecting with others who share your experiences and know the pressures of being a nurse may help you feel less alone. It also offers an important reminder that imposter syndrome is widespread among nurses.
Consider participating in professional nursing organizations, online communities, or peer support groups where nurses share their experiences. Hearing others discuss their own self-doubt can reassure you that you aren’t alone in yours. Likewise, forming relationships with a supportive group of peers gives you a safe space to share your concerns and receive guidance to help you push past self-doubt.
Your support group also includes your friends, family, and loved ones outside of work. They can provide moral support and encourage self-care. Many may also have experienced imposter syndrome in their own lives!
7. Reframe Your Negative Thoughts
When imposter syndrome makes you feel inadequate, it’s essential to challenge the negative thoughts with evidence that allows you to reimagine them using different, balanced ideas.
This strategy is called cognitive restructuring. To engage in cognitive restructuring, you identify a situation that caused negative thoughts, name the specific thoughts and their associated feelings, and show yourself the evidence for and against those thoughts.
Then, reframe what happened and how you feel about it in a way that doesn’t risk “toxic positivity” by neutrally acknowledging the feelings and evidence. Then, recognize the outcome – how you feel now that you’ve found a less damaging way to think of the situation.
8. Acknowledge and Accept Wins
Nurses tend to overlook their successes, dismissing them as “part of the job” or even saying they were just lucky. However, celebrating your wins is a powerful way to combat imposter syndrome. Whether it’s successfully placing a difficult IV or educating an anxious patient, every win should boost confidence.
Consider keeping a journal where you record moments of growth, positive patient interactions, and compliments from coworkers or patients. When you feel inadequate, flip through the pages for a reminder of your worth as a nurse and a person.
On top of this, practice accepting praise without deflecting it. If someone acknowledges your hard work, thank them instead of downplaying the effort you put in. When you do a good job and others want to recognize it, you deserve to hear their praise. Over time, celebrating your wins can reinforce that you are a skilled and capable nurse.
9. Acknowledge That Growth Takes Time
Like any other profession, gaining nursing expertise and confidence takes time. Comparing yourself to a nurse with decades of experience is unfair to your journey. Rather than focusing on what you don’t know, reflect on how far you have come.
When you accept that growth happens gradually and that every challenge contributes to your development, you’ll begin to trust your abilities and feel more secure in your role as a nurse.
10. Seek Help From a Mental Health Professional
It’s okay to admit you need help from someone trained in mental health services. Experiencing imposter syndrome does not mean there is something wrong with you. But if you continue to live under those circumstances, you could begin to experience anxiety, depression, burnout, and other challenges.
A therapist or other mental health professional can help you navigate your thoughts and feelings and develop skills to confront them.
