Student nurse confidence: a reflection

Confidence is an important aspect of the practice of nursing and plays a major role in development for student nurses. After an incident, I recognised that despite my lack of confidence the skill set that required to be completed for a particular patient was within my scope of practice, within my ability and within my knowledge base. On reflection it is clear that my lack of confidence in my ability, when put ‘on the spot’ contributed to my feelings of inadequacy. Through reflection and use of a mentor I was able to clarify that my weakness was not skill mastery or knowledge level but my inability to effectively communicate when under close scrutiny, which in turn led to a lack of confidence in my skill level and clinical knowledge. To develop my confidence and communication skill I adopted Holland’s (1999) three stages. I became proactive and requested the assistance of a senior clinical educator to critically assess my skills and knowledge base. By doing this I reinforced my knowledge and skills but more importantly developed self confidence. My efforts in seeking assistance and assessment of my skills could be seen as a step in ‘becoming more independent’. By gaining input and validation from a senior clinical educator (professional socialisation), I ensured that I was able to successfully communicate with the parent while completing the necessary skills unassisted, thus becoming more independent. Through reflection, practice, repetition, the use of a mentor and awareness of factors that affect my confidence I was able to confidently complete the appropriate nursing interventions, provide a rationale for the skills, and instruct others on the procedurally correct method of skill completion.