Doubts about Nursing - 1st yr clinicals

GingerSue · Oct 2, 2005

Definitely come to the forum

Maybe needs unhurried practice with catheterization - arrange the opportunity to think the steps through, then find opportunities to practice to do it perfectly, with a plan for anything that might go wrong

She can do it

GrnHonu99, RN · Oct 2, 2005

I agree with the others, have her come here, almost every issue in the nursing world has been posted here once before.

As a new nusing student myself (halfway through semester 2 of 4!) I can tell you from experience that the first time you see some things it does freak you out! Some need to remember that there are those that havent ever seen a stranger naked or vulnerable like that. Having someone "go to the bathroom on you" isnt usually something that happens to you everyday and the first time it happens it definetly can be disturbing, maybe she just didnt know how to handle the situation and that is why she was uncomfortable.

I can tell you the first time I performed peri care on a 101 yr old woman, I was so nervous, I had never done anything like that before, now after doing it so many times I am much more comfortable.

Dave, maybe your daughter just needs to give it some more time, we all have stories like hers and one point in nursing quite a few people probably felt that way. Im sure once she takes care of that first patient that sincerely is thankful that she is there she will realize how rewarding nursing really is.

Good luck to you and your daughter.

Pride of July28 · Oct 2, 2005

Hello Dave

As a new nurse graduate myself, I agonized about what would happen in clinical- the first vomit, the first smelly poop-- but it's kinda like once it happened, I dunno, I wasn't as bad as I made it up in my mind. That probably won't happen every day for her, you know. I dunno. I questioned my decision almost daily in clinical but . .. .As of 8/31 I made it so-- encourage her to see the true light at the end of the tunnel- whatever that is for her-- be it confidence in her skill, another role within nursing or health care, etc. Nursing may really have a special place for her!

hope this helps

Sis123 · Oct 3, 2005

I really don't know anyone who was comfy doing very personal things (like caths) or even ordinary things (like injections) the first few times that they did them.

My tone is somewhat terse because at least here you cannot get into nursing school without having some type of hospital/clinic/patient care experience of some sort at the very minimum, and writing a very convincing essay about why you want to be a nurse. Even if all she had was "candy-striping" experience, she'd at least have a better idea of what nurses face when doing their jobs.

I was not being nasty, just very very surprised.

Eilana · Oct 3, 2005

Like many of previous replies, I would just like to emphasize that it is important for your daugther to think about why she chose to go into nursing as profession. What is about unique nursing is that it is not all about textbooks but there *is* a practical aspect involved where we apply what we learn into clinical practice.

With that, there is a (mis)conception about what nursing is all about. I remember my first day of clinical I had to give a complete bedpath on a 80 year old patient. I definitely had to take a deep breath on that one! With any day on the floor, there are the good ones and the bad ones. It simply comes with the territory. All in all, my best advice is to give it time in order to get a field of everything before deciding whether nursing is truly what she wants to do.

PedsRN03 · Oct 3, 2005

My daugther is just starting her first year of clinicals at the University of West Virginia and is calling home every few days with concerns about her choice to be a nurse. She does not like any of the real world experiences she is learning. She has had a person go to the bathroom on her. She had to give a catheter yesterday and it freaked her out. It seems like every couple days she has something that makes her what to quit the program. She was an "A" student with the books but the hands on stuff has her freaked out. Any advice/similar experiences out there? Please help.
Dave

Hi Dave,

I have been out of nursing school for 2 years now and had a similar experience to what your daughter is having. When I first started clinicals I found I was not good at many things in the hospital such as manual blood pressures, catheterizations, and changing dressings on deep oozing wounds. People assured me my worries were warrented because I was a student and I should just "stick it out" I too was a book smart "A" student, but fumbled when I tried to apply my education to reality in the clinical setting. Now I have been working in the hospital for 2 years. Some things have gotten better and I have become comfortable with (such as blood pressures and nasogastric tubes). However, some things, I feel no more comfortable with than when I was in nursing school (I have yet to successfully do a urine catheterization...and packing wounds or suctioning a trach still completely freaks me out.) During nursing school after I started clinicals I started to worry that nursing was not for me and contemplated switching majors. Honestly, I am still not sure bedside nursing is right for me. From my experience working, I have found that there are many other ways to be in a caring profession or to work for the cause of caring for the sick besides bedside nursing. Now that I have a couple of years of experience under my belt, I am considering moving to an area away from the bedside such as case management, health education, research or doing a program in medical social work. Your daughter may consider one of these areas, or another related field such as school nursing, health care administration, nutrition, public health, or child life. If I were her, I would probably work on her skills and stick it out for at least another semester. If things aren't improving after that, she could talk to her advisors about alternative career paths to bedside nursing. Chances are if she is struggling with her skills in school, she will continue to struggle during her orientation and in her work. Bedside nursing is a great career for those who it is right for, but it is not for everybody.