CLINICALS!! What to expect?

bunnysanford · Sep 23, 2015

My best advice is to be engaged in your learning and as helpful as you can be. Don't ask the staff nurses things that you could easily find out for yourself, or by asking your instructor. There's a current thread going about whether nurses get paid extra for helping students (usually no), that could provide some perspective. I always tried to make myself useful, answering call lights and grabbing forgotten items from the utility room. Make sure you're taking down adequate information to fill out your paperwork, but don't spend the whole shift writing out your care plans.

AceOfHearts<3 · Sep 25, 2015

Be prepared to help out in any way you can. Answer call bells even if they aren't for your patient(s). Check with the nurses to see what their expectations are for you for the day. Let them know if there are any new procedures you learned and would like a chance to practice if possible (suctioning, foley cath, etc.). Let them know you are there to help in any way. If there isn't much going on with your assigned patient(s) ask them if it is ok to shadow them for the day. The more you put into it the more you will get out of it. Some nurses don't mind answering questions and like to explain things if they have time, but if they don't don't take it personally and just ask your instructor. Good luck!

NiftyGirl2014 · Sep 25, 2015

Honestly don't hang around the nurse's station and DON'T take up a seat at the nurse's station when there are nurses and techs that need to document on their patients.

Answer call lights regardless if they're your patient or not. Help the techs out (plus they have tons of hacks on how to efficiently care & clean up patients), because you're bound to have some "down time" as a student when your nurse is charting. Be helpful without being in the way. Gauge your nurse's want to teach. If unfortunately you've been paired with a nurse that doesn't really have the time or doesn't want to take the time to teach you, just remain calm/respectful and help her as needed. Don't take it personally, everyone has their days and sometimes adding a student can become a burden.

Now, if you get paired with a nurse that really seems to be the type to want to teach, utilize that resource but don't ask questions that could otherwise be looked up in a matter of minutes.

Patients usually love students because they kind of know that they'll be receiving extra attention. Utilize your time wisely, check in on patients regularly, ask if they could use some thing (a fresh cup of ice water goes a long way), and so on. Towards the end of the day, my instructor even had us check patient rooms to make sure they're will stocked wth S, M, L gloves, gauze, tape, that med cabinets have syringes, etc.

I think the biggest point I can get across is just be helpful. Don't waste valuable clinical time sitting at the nurse's station with other students chit chatting like there's nothing to be done.

NanikRN · Sep 26, 2015

Curiosity. Interest. A willingness to ask questions at the right time A desire to know to the point you'll look up things for yourself.

Oh, and donutsðŸ˜ƒ