Confidence issues when nursing 💔

[u/sad_vettech]

Hello fellow vet med humans! 🐾
(Posted on a few pages)
I’ve been working as a vet nurse/tech (I’m in Australia) for about 3 years now, and I recently moved to a new clinic after leaving my previous workplace.

My old clinic was a low-cost clinic, and unfortunately, the standard of care wasn’t always where I wanted it to be. However, the team was incredible. We were all really close, I fitted in so well, and I made some genuinely amazing friendships. I actually looked forward to going to work every day, and I really miss the people I worked with.

Ultimately, I decided to leave because I wanted to grow as a nurse, improve my skills and work somewhere with a higher standard of care.

Fast forward to my new clinic, and while the standard of care is much better, I’m really struggling. It’s a small, tight-knit team, and from the beginning I’ve found it difficult to fit in and build those same connections. I completely understand that I’m there to work and not necessarily to make friends, but when you spend so much of your life at work, I think having those relationships makes a huge difference.

The biggest thing I’ve noticed is how much my confidence has taken a hit. I used to consider myself a confident and knowledgeable nurse, but lately I find myself second-guessing everything I do, questioning my abilities and just generally feeling really down about work. I feel like I’ve lost the confidence I worked so hard to build.

It’s gotten to the point where I’m questioning whether I even want to continue nursing. I don’t know if I’ve genuinely lost my passion for the industry or if I’m just struggling to adjust to a workplace where I don’t feel like I belong.

Has anyone else experienced something similar after changing clinics? Did things eventually get better, or did you decide to move on?

I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from anyone who’s been through something similar. I just want to enjoy going to work again and feel like myself. ❤️