[thrashej]

OMG....soooooooooooo nervous. Wed I am starting my preceptorship thru school in the Critical Care Unit!!! I just had my CC clinicals....only two days!....but realized I feel sooooo stupid and really felt I have no business going into critical care. Problem is, I had already put in for my preceptorship!! Anyway....I am so scared and since this is the Az forum, I thought all you new grads (you know who you are! ) could help me....

I just purchased this neat little critical care book that one of the nurses turned me on to in clinical (www.kathywhite.com). I also plan to PRINT PRINT PRINT all that stuff from www.icufaqs.org) But I have my final tomorrow and am not really going to have a chance to review everything!! Aaaahhh!! Plus, we just went over critical care stuff but it is all very complicated and I don't "get it" yet!!

What area did you do your preceptorship in and what was it like? Mine will be a total of 9 shifts....You can PM me if you prefer. Thanks!!

HELP!

[PhoenixGirl]

I don't really have any helpful advice...just wanted to say I am in the same boat as you! I start my preceptorship next week and I have my final this Friday. I'm doing mine on the med/surg/oncology floor at banner estrella.

The main thing I'm nervous about is organization. I hate falling behind. All the passing meds/assessments/charting and a million other things which happen at once are what I am scared of!

Rebecca

[thrashej]

Hi Rebecca,

I can't believe you are preceptoring too! My final is tomorrow, I am a bundle of nerves! Good Luck! Yikes!

[Calzonan RN]

HEY!! I can't believe you two are getting ready to graduate. What's so scary about that is it means I'm right behind you!! I so don't feel ready for this!! I know everybody probably feels that way, just by talking to people in my class, but still!! I've been externing in L&D and love it!! But it will be so different once it's me that's making all the decisions!!
I hope you guys have a great time and learn lots during your preceptorships, let us know how it goes!!
Good luck on your finals too!
Keli
(8 mo and counting to graduation!!)

[PhoenixGirl]

Thrash--- Good luck on your final! I remember when you weren't sure if you were going to exit out after block 2. Aren't you glad you didn't?! Look how far we've come.

Calzonan- and I remember when you were accepted to nursing school! Wasn't it a few of you at the same time on this board that were a bundle of nerves waiting to hear? Look at you, half way there!

Anyone going to the Banner Estrella lunch on friday? I wanna get into the ER somewhere....

Rebecca

[cardiacRN2006]

Congrats on your preceptorship! You are almost done!



I also have that little kathy white book. I used it today at work, in fact. It's pretty useful.

Which kind of ICU are you going at? I wouldn't worry about you feeling like you shouldn't be there. I did my preceptorship in CVICU, and just flat out hated it! It's good to know what you DON"T want to do!


Be upfront with your preceptor about what your goals are. I had to type them up and print them out and give them to my preceptor. Then I'd try to work on checking them off.

Ask lots of questions, just like in clinical.


Since your clinical instructor won't be there, you will have to learn to be comfortable with doing things on your own. Hopefully, you will like your preceptor!

[thrashej]

Cardiac:

Well, it is not cardiovascular so I suppose it must be everything else.?? I have no clue to be honest.

My goals would probably be getting as many skills as possible because I feel I am lacking there as well as work on time management as far as how my day is going to flow, you know, get a groove. One of my weaknesses is running to get something, getting into pt room, "oh I forgot this", going out of the room, coming back, forgetting my assessment sheet, etc....lol....especially when I am stressed out, I get really disorganized. Definitly have to work on that since I hear you are stressed out 100% of the time. Also not looking forward to giving up drinking water. I have always been really good with that. Don't like the idea that I am going into a career that is going to send me into kidney failure....oh, and anorexia!! I wish I would have picked med surg, just for the skills, but I couldn't switch last minute. Plus, even still, I know ICU will be a great learning experience and like you, atleast I'll be able to rule it out if I hate it!!

OMG, I have to go study, 7 hours do or die! I'll update later!

[cardiacRN2006]

You'll get to do way more skills in critical care than in med-surg.

Oh, and bring a bag with snacks!

[Hoozdo]

Oh how cool!
I did my preceptorship in ICU. I loved it. I loved it so much that I went to the ICU as a new grad!

Honestly, you will be humbled by what you DON'T know. It will be a very good learning experience for you. Best of all, you will be precepted by someone who WANTS to be a preceptor! You must tell..........what hospital?

CONGRATULATIONS
:biere:

[thrashej]

OK...OK....OK....

I PASSED MY FINAL WITH FLYING COLORS!

I was soooo sooo nervous...Started in the CCU, had a few freak out moments a few maybe I can do this moments, and TONS of new learning. My preceptor is tolerating all my q's and is cool. I am liking it but still not sure I have the knowlege base to work there as a new grad. Sometimes I feel like I can't even remember lab norms! I got my CC book today, so "cute", and I am going to research, research this weekend! The vents....forget about it....cardiac...still way complicated for me, even EKG for dummies I don't seem to get. Gotta work on that. I can see how lunches never happen in nursing. Upside if I will lose weight I can see, for sure. You get home so late and you are so tired you wonder if you should bother eating at all...especially if you work again the next day!

Gotta say that I hate that the MAR's are in the computer. Paperless charting. Means I can't do much because I don't have a sign on but I try anyway.

Rebecca...thanks for the kind words. Yeah, I do remember Block 2. I've come a "long way Baby". Well, I guess all of us have!

We will see...Thanks for the encouragement!