17// 5 Types of Imposter Syndrome You Need to Know about in Your Nursing Job

In this episode, I will walk you through the five distinct types of imposter syndrome and show you how to recognize the signs that might be hindering your career growth.

From the perfectionist who's never satisfied to the super nurse battling to prove their worth by overworking, this discussion is an call to embrace your accomplishments and push past the fear masking your true potential.

We'll explore the dangers of imposter syndrome. Discover why aiming for excellence rather than perfection can save your sanity and why admitting you need help doesn't make you any less competent.

We'll celebrate the journey towards not just better nursing practices but also towards becoming a more balanced, fulfilled professional. This episode isn't just a listen; it's a step towards breaking free from the chains of doubt and stepping into the light of self-assurance.

The Muse Article on the 5 Types of Imposter Syndrome

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Welcome to the Ambitious Nurse Podcast, where I provide tips, tools and resources for the experienced nurse to put in your career bag to help you be a better person, a better leader, a better professional and, most of all, a better nurse. I'm your host, bonnie Meadows, a career coach and a clinical nurse specialist with over 18 years of experience in healthcare and nursing. It's my passion to help experienced nurses develop their careers to impact healthcare and their communities. Welcome back to the Ambitious Nurse Podcast. It's good to be with you again. Today we are continuing our series on imposter syndrome. What a popular word these days or popular two words these days. So ready to dig in. Last episode, I gave that baseline definition of what is imposter syndrome, what causes it, what are some common things that you would see around it, and so today I promised that I would dig a little bit into identification of it, characteristics of, and I have about five types to lay out for you. I actually got these. This is not something that I like, researched and came up with Like. These are not my. I actually saw these on a website called the Muse. They have a lot of career coaching information. They have a lot of career coaching information and so, like a true nurse, I do like to try to reference where I pulled my material from, because I just think it's important, like I am, like you all. Yes, I do coaching, career coaching, but this stuff is not necessarily like laid out on a silver platter like when you come into nursing, and so what's important is that there are resources out there, and it's more so about how does this translate into the nursing and healthcare profession world, because everything that's out there doesn't necessarily translate to nursing and, in particular, to the way that nursing is set up for career growth down into. Well, what does that mean to the experienced nurse who wants to grow and who is fearful of taking that next step from the bedside to another area of nursing? So let's jump right in.

Speaker 1: 2:57

So here's a quick recap of imposter syndrome. Is you know what is it? It's feeling like a phony, feeling like a fake, having all of the accolades and then still feeling like you don't have enough to go for to do that next thing, or to walk through that next door, or to make that next step or to make that next step. And so I just want to encourage you that you can work through, you can identify that you have imposter syndrome, and that's really the goal for this episode is to help you identify that. Yes, I do identify with having imposter syndrome in this particular area, because you may not have it in every area of your life, but it may be coming up in some form or fashion in your career, and so it's important for you to identify it, identify what it is, what type you may fall into, and then what are those steps that you can take to help get you over the hump so that you can make that next step?

Speaker 1: 4:08

Everybody has to go through something, and I'm not talking about like, oh rough, this, that and the other, but there are just emotions that come up when you're trying to make a new step in your career. You're afraid that you might make the wrong decision, or you're afraid that it just won't be what you thought it would be. Well, let me tell you something when you are is not where you want to be, so you can either stay stuck there and miserable, or you can take a chance and figure out what is your next. Here's the thing you can always go back where you came from If you find out oh gosh, that's a misstep. Oh, yeah, that's not where I want to be. Yeah, that's not where I want to be, and I said this in the last episode. Like every step, every move you make, you know it's not going to be a home run, but it's always a learning experience. So let's talk about how do we identify it and then we'll quickly jump into those types. And so I said much of this last week. But agonizing even over the smallest mistakes or flaws in your work that I did not talk about last week but that will come up Mistakes, flaws in your work, that's kind of that self-sabotaging piece that I talked about.

Speaker 1: 5:39

You're self-sabotaging yourself. You attribute your success to luck or outside factors, especially if you're at the bedside. Oh well, you know, I learned this or I did this, and so, yeah, no, I, you know I'm not really good at all of these things, I just happen to learn them, I do it myself. Like people will say, oh, you're so smart and you're this and you're that Y'all. I'm not trying to brag, I'm just telling you what people tell me. And so then I'll say, well, I'm just resourceful. That's true, but let's just not always attribute it to outside factors. There is growing and maturing that has happened over almost 20 years. That has allowed me to do what I do. And then there's the gifts that God has placed inside of me in order to be able to articulate this to you and to have a heart and a passion to talk about these things and to help people to get where they want to go in their careers.

Speaker 1: 6:47

You're sensitive to even constructive criticism. That is actually a sign of imposter syndrome. You feel like you'll be found out as a phony. There's that you're a fake baby, you know. Some of you may or may not know that song. It is very old school. It came out like in back of the 80s and 90s. But I digress. Yes, I do sing a little bit and you might hear me sing here and there, but that's for another day.

Speaker 1: 7:14

You downplay your own expertise even in areas where you're genuinely more skilled than others because it comes so easily to you. More skilled than others because it comes so easily to you. This happens to a lot of people who step out and they go into or they want to have a business. So people like me I personally don't desire to leave like my full-time regular job. I love working in nursing, but there is this podcast that is on the side. I had to overcome imposter syndrome in order to get on the mic and talk to you, to encourage you in your career. There are a lot of things that I have to do on a daily basis, weekly basis, to help me to move forward, because everything I do almost every day is new forward, because everything I do almost every day is new.

Speaker 1: 8:05

Imposter syndrome, if we allow it to it, can hold us back from promotions, presenting, doing projects or from stepping up into leadership positions. It keeps us from taking big leaps. It keeps us from investing in ourselves for betterment of the profession and ourselves. I've worked with nurses who do great work at the bedside, have great projects. I encourage them to present their work that they do on a daily basis at conferences and they say no, and I know that is clearly imposter syndrome. Then we go to these conferences and they say, oh well, we're doing the same exact work and we actually had better results. Well, I could have presented that. That's what I'm trying to tell you. The only difference between you and that person who is presenting is that they got over their imposter syndrome and they just did it. They did it.

Speaker 1: 9:11

I identify that imposter syndrome creeps up on me every time when I sit and I think about what episode I want to write for you or what content I want to bring for you that's going to help you to move forward. And I have just developed this theme or this word or this I don't like to use the word mantra but this affirmation that I say and it's really not an affirmation, it's just more so a phrase that I say Because it's not affirming it's something that just kind of moves me forward and I say I can't not do the thing because I'm going to be mad at myself if I don't, because I've been there and have been mad at myself because I didn't do the thing, mad at myself because I didn't do the thing. So when it's really pulling on me, when it's weighing on me heavily, I can't not do the thing because I don't even like that heavy weight that weighs on me. When I feel like I need to do the thing, I'm constantly reminded that there's someone out there doing the same thing, but without the depth of knowledge that I have to share with others. What drives me is the need to encourage every nurse to be their best so that their patients and the profession the healthcare profession and nursing profession can be at its best.

Speaker 1: 10:42

So five types of imposter syndrome. There is one, the perfectionist. Two, the superwoman man person, however, the natural genius, the soloist and the expert. Oh, this is going to be interesting. So let's start with the perfectionist. Perfectionists set excessively high goals. When they fail to reach a goal, they experience major self-doubt and worry about messing up. This group can also be control freaks. Are you controlling? Saying if they want something done right, they have to do it themselves. They can also have these characteristics Previously being accused of being a micromanager on a project, or you might be a leader.

Speaker 1: 11:35

Listening to this. Accused of being a micromanager has great difficulty delegating when you need to delegate. And then, when you do delegate, you feel frustrated and disappointed in the results. You feel like the work must be 100% perfect, 100% of the time. Let me tell you this is not me. I'm a perfectionist in my own right, but not because I always feel like there's always improvements to be made.

Speaker 1: 12:03

Now, that might be the clinical nurse specialist in me, but I don't think anything is perfect and even if it does turn out perfect, if we wait for perfect, we're late. First of all, if we've if we've waited for perfect, if I just want to get this thing just right. I want to make sure this project is mapped out just right. You're already too late. Or I want to make sure I have all of these things in place before I move forward. You're already too late. So I don't believe in getting things 100% of the time, because the needle is going to move, y'all it's going to move and it's no longer going to be perfect. That is my issue. I'm like I can't go for perfectionist or I can't do 100%, because the needle is going to move and I'm going to be exhausted trying to get to 100. So let's just do 80 and then we'll work our way down to 100. And once we've worked our way to 100, then we need to move on to something else.

Speaker 1: 13:03

All right, for the perfectionist type, success is rarely satisfying, because they believe they could have done it better. Owning and celebrating achievements is essential if you want to avoid burnout. This is my burnout crowd. They are just trying to dot every I and cross every T. That is a form of imposter syndrome, because you have to have it. You feel like you have to have it just right. And here's another thing that you really have to think about when you are in when you are the perfectionist type. All of this, as far as projects and the work work beyond the bedside, is really subjective. So what the old saying is, what's good for the goose is not always good for the gander. So you might have done it perfectly over here and thought of like the perfect plan over here, but they don't like that plan. They don't operate that way. Their culture is different. So you have to celebrate, just own your achievements, celebrate those small wins because they'll end up building up into large wins and you'll get to that 100. But you've got to move forward and move over that hump of perfectionism and just be good with.

Speaker 1: 14:30

Okay, how about this? Work towards excellence? Because excellence is not perfection. Those are two different things. Ooh, that's something we can jump into. I might have to do an episode on that one can jump into. I might have to do an episode on that.

Speaker 1: 14:49

One Perfectionism versus excellence. Working towards excellence, because excellence focuses more on who the work will impact. Perfectionism focuses more on ourselves. We're just going to leave that right there. Second, we're just going to leave that right there. Second, the super woman, super man, super person trying to do it all. You got the cape. You got the cape. It's number two.

Speaker 1: 15:17

People who experience this are convinced they're phonies amongst real deal colleagues. They often push themselves to work harder and harder to measure up. Here we go, we're being burnt out. This is the perfectionist and the super woman, the super person, super woman, super man. They are the burnout crowd for sure, but this is a false cover up for their insecurities. And I see that a lot People who are just doing their most. You can tell that there is an insecurity there and the work overload may harm not only their mental health but also their relationship with others.

Speaker 1: 15:57

So some of the characteristics of the superwoman, superman are staying later at the office than the rest of your team, even past the point that you've completed the day's necessary work. Like the work for the day is done, it's done. Yet you decide you want to do a little extra. You get stressed when you're not working and find downtime completely wasteful. You let your hobbies and passions fall by the wayside and sacrifice to work. This is working the long hours, pretty much thinking that people can't do it without you. And they can, they can. You can end up in the hospital tomorrow and they will find somebody else.

Speaker 1: 16:45

So I need you to understand that you are a mere mortal and your imposter syndrome of being the superwoman superman is getting in your way, and so, with this particular one, it is important to just kind of hang back, take note of things that find you joy, because you are finding your purpose and your whole life into this work and there's more to you than just this work, and you have to remember that you are enough, you do enough, you've done enough and there are relationships that need to be spared. The other thing to note about this perfectionist and the superman, superwoman type is that you have to remember that it takes relationships and your work to be able to move forward in your career, and so if you're damaging relationships along the way and you're boxing people out along the way, then people will find out out. I can't if I had a dime, maybe even a nickel, for every time someone comes to me and says hey, do you know we have this applicant that came across our desk and we're hiring for this position. Do you know? I mean inside my organization, outside my organization, people contact me on a regular basis to find out what people's work ethic is, how they work well with people. You know all of that. They find out. So you're not just. Your interview doesn't start when you start applying. Your interview starts when you're in the work that you currently do. So you have to be mindful of that. Take a step back, start to value relationships in the work that you do and it'll help you to get over that hump of imposter syndrome. Your worth is wrapped into the work when you're more than the totality of your work.

Speaker 1: 19:08

All right, let's move on to number three, the natural genius. Now see, this is sometimes a pocket I can fall into, but let's go with it. Let's, let's go to it. The natural genius sets the natural genius type, sets their internal bar impossibly high, just like perfectionist. I told you I'm a slight perfectionist, but just in a different way. But they judge themselves based on ridiculous expectations and based on getting things right on the first try. Actually, no, this is not me, let me back up, pause.

Speaker 1: 19:43

The natural genius, the natural genius type, sets their internal bar impossibly high, just like perfectionist. But they judge themselves based on ridiculous expectations and based on getting things right on the first try. When they're not able to do something quickly or fluently, their alarm sounds. So they usually have these characteristics. They're accustomed to excelling without much effort. They have a track record of getting straight A's or gold stars in everything they do. They're told frequently as a child that you were the smart one in your family, in a peer or group.

Speaker 1: 20:23

So with the natural genius, that is a type of imposter syndrome. And so it's like oh, if you don't get it quickly, then there must be something wrong. And no, you've just met your match, you've just met your challenge. So instead of retreating from it, you dig deeper. Like that is your opportunity to dig deeper, ask more questions. Like that is your opportunity to dig deeper, ask more questions. Or step back and reflect and say, maybe this is not for me, but don't retreat just because it's not coming easy for you. It might be the challenge that you need in your career, but with imposter syndrome, this particular type, they will more than likely retreat because they're not excelling without much effort. But if it's the right way for you to go, if it's the right move, then that thing will continue to come for you until you are able to accept that there are just some things that you're not going to be great at the first time. But that's your challenge to build your muscles and be strengthened so that you can then gain more knowledge to do more. Get that clarity.

Speaker 1: 21:42

The soloist oh boy, we've seen the soloist. We've seen the soloist. Let me tell you what the soloist is. They suffer. The soloist feel as though asking for help reveals their phoniness. We see this a lot in nursing. It's okay to be independent, but not to the extent that you refuse assistance so that you can prove your worth. So I kind of see the soloist is that nurse? Please don't be that nurse. That is like running around. And they're like I'm so busy, I'm just doing this and I'm doing that, and I do that and I. And then you ask them for help and they're like no, I got it. No, no, that is a form of imposter syndrome, because either you don't want to be found out that you're not that busy, or you don't want to be found out that you don't have it all together. So then you just fake like you're just this busy. You talk about it, but you're really not that busy. But you want people to assume that you're busy and that you have it all together.

Speaker 1: 22:52

Oh, the soloists firmly believe and firmly feel that they need to accomplish things on their own. They tell others I don't need anyone's help. I'm good, I'm good. And then they frame requests in terms of the requirements of the project rather than your needs as a person. This is a form of imposter syndrome and to get over this hump, you have to be open. This is all relationship building. This is relationship building. It's relationship building and getting over that hump to say, yes, I do need help. Understanding that in order for you to succeed, you can't just do it by yourself. You're going to have to ask for help in some way, shape, form or fashion eventually.

Speaker 1: 23:45

Lastly, the expert. So the expert measures their competence based on what and how much they know and can do, believing they will never know enough. They fear being exposed as inexperienced or unknowledgeable. I kind of fall in this category. Someone raise my hand on this one, because I kind of fall in this category. Again. I don't have imposter syndrome 100% figured out, but I have figured out how to move past it and how to not allow it to hold me back from going for the next right thing in my career. So they shy away from applying to job positions unless you meet every single education requirement. You constantly seek out training or certifications because you think you need to improve your skills in order to succeed. And even if you've been in your role for some time, you feel like you still don't know enough. You shudder when someone says you're an expert, guess what? You're an expert, or guess what.

Speaker 1: 24:53

This goes back to what I said last week you know enough, you've been doing enough, you know it's time for you to leave, but yet you stay stuck Because it's who else is doing what. There's so many options out there. I don't know what to do. Who else is going to work with my schedule? I don't know if I can make a change right now. And I agree, and I told you assess your work schedule, assess this, assess that, assess that.

Speaker 1: 25:25

But this is also your opportunity to be in a place where you just start. You just start, you just get started and ask questions. The answer is no until you start. Otherwise, you've already told yourself the answer is no, but you don't believe that you have enough or you are enough. You have enough, you are enough. And if there is something that you do have your eye on and you know it takes a higher degree, then go ahead and apply.

Speaker 1: 26:01

That goes back to overcoming perfectionism. And just just apply for that, like no one's calling you for an interview yet because, yeah, you haven't applied for the job but you're already thinking, oh, what if that doesn't work for my schedule? You let them figure it out. You have a conversation with them. When it all comes down to it, ask them what is the requirements for the schedule with them, when it all comes down to it, ask them what is the requirements for the schedule? Now, I made that mistake in not asking, and that was a hot mess. I'm going to tell y'all about that later. But that was one of the jobs where I exited very quickly because the schedule wasn't working for me. So I'm just going to tell you, just give you a light at the end of the tunnel. You can exit if you need to. So there's always it's true, there's always more to learn. There's always more to learn.

Speaker 1: 26:50

Striving to bulk up your skill set can certainly help you make strides professionally and keep you competitive in your job market. But, taken too far, the tendency to endlessly seek out more information can actually be a form of procrastination. Start practicing just-in-time learning. This means acquiring a skill when you need it. After working in cardiac surgery for over 17, it would be 20, over about 19 years, there are some days when I walk in my expertise very confidently and some days where I feel like I know nothing.

Speaker 1: 27:30

Now I'm not in that space anymore, but I do have the critical thinking skills to apply to that area, if I walked in the door today, and so I have to be good with that. I am also currently working in an area that I don't have an expertise in a clinical expertise. But I've learned how to understand, do that self-assessment, get self-awareness, understand what I bring to the table, knowing that the job requirements don't require me to have an expertise in that area, knowing that the job requirements don't require me to have an expertise in that area. Apply what the job requirements do have that I should do, require that I should have, and then walk in that manner. I was just talking to one of my coaches about that just the other day.

Speaker 1: 28:19

Because there is that fear to jump into something that you might not necessarily have an expertise in. And I've actually worked in that type of space several times in my career where I'm not the expert at the table but I'm the facilitator, I am the coordinator of the thing and we pride ourselves on having our clinical expertise. And let me tell you what I do know. I'm good at critical thinking, I'm good at coordinating, I'm good at connecting. Again, you have to understand what your strengths and your skills are and bring those to the table and don't allow this expertness to cause you to procrastinate because you don't know enough about that thing. So, with that, I try to make sure I have a plan for professional development in the area that I feel like I need to, so that I don't feel like I'm a fake. So that's where that ongoing investment of yourself comes into play.

Speaker 1: 29:27

So we have just reviewed what how to identify imposter syndrome, the five types the perfectionist, the natural genius, the superwoman, superman, the soloist, the expert. Which category do you fall into when it comes to imposter syndrome and what are those things? Now that you've identified, what are those things that you can do to help you to move forward in that thing, to make that next step, help you to move forward to make that next step in your career? It was good talking to you today. If you have any questions or want to talk a little bit more about it, or whatever the case may be, you can find me on LinkedIn. I have the link to my profile in the show notes, so you're more than welcome to send me a message. I would love to hear from you, or I do have a one-on-one coaching call that is available if you want to dig deeper into this and how you can move out of imposter syndrome and take that next step in your career.

Speaker 1: 30:50

Until then, I will see you next week. Thanks for joining us this week on the Ambitious Nurse Podcast. Until then, I will see you next week. Follow or subscribe so you don't miss a future episode. Also, please consider leaving a rating, review and or comment about what you want to hear. This helps more nurses, just like you find this podcast. Thank you for joining me, bonnie Meadows, on the Ambitious Nurse Podcast. I look forward to chatting with you the next time and remember you don't have to grow your career alone. As iron sharpens iron, one person sharpens another. Thank you for letting me sharpen you as you take this knowledge to sharpen the next.