Regardless of your position, the first day in a new job is exciting and nerve-wracking, with anticipation of how this day will work itself out. Your stomach doing flip-flops is completely natural and happens even to professionals like physicians. Read here for advice for early career physicians.

It’s difficult for everyone to make their first impression, but it’s doubly challenging if you’re incredibly nervous. When facing the unknown, anxiety is common. No one knows what to expect with a new job, but it’s not an experience you must fear.

Perhaps the hospital is much larger compared to your former position, or the job is a little outside your particular field of knowledge; plus, you’ll be getting to know a new group of people, and trying to fit in as the new person can be overwhelming. There are ways to calm your jitters to allow an enjoyable first day.

How To Calm First-Day Jitters as a Physician in a New Career

Most people develop first-day jitters when starting a new job because they don’t know what to expect. That’s also true of physicians beginning their careers at a new facility.

They are still determining if they’ll be able to handle the scope of their new duties, whether they’ll be accepted as a new practitioner, or if the size of the facility will be overwhelming.

This can be extremely intimidating if you’re a brand-new doctor and this is your very first position. Learn about hiring physicians at https://money.com/how-to-hire-physicians/.

Here are a few tips on calming those nerves and bringing the best first impression when stepping into your new role.

What will you do

It’s relatively easy to forget what was discussed during the interview, the scope of the position, and the tour you took, particularly when you’re nervous. Getting up a little early to grab some self-care time on the first day is a good idea.

Enjoy a good breakfast with some coffee and time reading over the job description to refresh your memory. This will help you prepare to step into the role when arriving at the facility and develop an understanding of what to expect in the week ahead.

It’s also a good time to remind yourself of the reasons this job stood out to you over other possibilities and how you worked to achieve it. While you might feel incredibly insecure at the moment, you were confident when applying and interviewing for the role.

This can reinforce your faith that this job is a good fit, and you will do well with it instead of looking at the entire day in one swoop. Take it minute by minute; it won’t be so overwhelming.

Be proactive

A hospital environment produces a great deal of pressure, with many rookies making a majority of their mistakes not based on incompetence but from their lack of finding the information needed for adequate decision-making.

Many new doctors believe they’ll appear unknowledgeable if they ask too many questions. Instead, they base decisions on ideas they’ve already learned. These are not necessarily the proper protocols in every situation or different facilities. That can cause all kinds of turmoil. You won’t make fast friends like that.

The most knowledgeable person will ask plenty of questions to learn as much as they can about how each facility practices so the physician can perform their duties as that particular practice works and not take it upon themselves to change the protocol.

Strive for trust

Healthcare facilities are fast-paced and high-stress, with patients and staff needing to rely on the practitioner to make the right decisions; they need to establish trust in their knowledge and judgment.

The staff will bring you into the team with a certain degree of trust depending on your previous experience, but much of what you receive will need to be earned through the quality of care you provide the patients there and the work you perform with the other team members. Some things you can do to develop credibility and trust include:

• Include colleagues in decisions or changes and follow through with promises/commitments
• Admit uncertainty when you don’t know how to handle something
• When interacting with others, be upfront, honest, and respectful

You might not know

You shouldn’t expect to know everything. While you might have needed to be on point with the interview, it’s different when you start the job. You’ll be learning as you go for a while. While it’s okay to be confident, it’s also okay when you don’t know.

Make it clear to others that you’re there to learn as much as you are to show your skills. If you make a mistake, you shouldn’t panic. The leaders don’t expect you to be perfect. Minor errors come with adapting to new processes; most employers allow space for these moments.

It’s vital, however, that you take accountability when it is your error. It’s better to admit when you have a problem or make a mistake so you can learn from it and so others can help you with the solution.

Final Thought

New doctor careers should be positive experiences despite bringing with them a day of unexpected challenges.

Remember that you successfully passed the hiring part, including a relatively stringent interview. You know you’re capable of excelling in your career when you learn the facilities processes.