What exactly do you learn/do during clinicals?

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I'm really excited about nursing school. I applied for the Fall 2012 semester and I'm praying that I get accepted. I just want to know what to expect during clinicals. What are you allowed to do/not do? What kinds of assignments did you have? Do you learn how to start and IV? Do you learn to take blood? What would cause someone to fail a clinical? Do you have access to meds? Can you pass meds? Any and all experiences are welcome. I know every school is different, but I just want a little bit of info. I have no idea what to expect! thanks!

Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

What I've done through my first 1.5 years in clinicals:

-assessments

-vital signs

-toileting (on bedpans, on commodes, assisting to bathroom, etc.)

-bed baths (partial, full, changing gowns, sheets, etc.)

-dressing changes - on IVs, burns, other wounds

-ostomy care (ileo, nephro, colostomy)

-all things IV (hanging fluids, saline flush, starting pumps, changing tubing

-blood draws

-blood transfusions

-putting on EKG leads

-inserting and removing Foleys, and cath care

-nephrostomy care

- all kinds of meds (IV, IM, subcut, PO, PR, transdermal, etc.)

-e-charting

-watching a pt through thyroid storm

-patient education

-O2 therapy

-finger sticks

-dealing with JP drains

-trach care

-all things ortho (amputees, traction, RA, etc.)

-DVT prevention

-went with a pt to a cardiac procedure

-observed several surgeries (lap to open chole, TKA, shoulder surgery)

-CBI, bladder scan

psych: got locked down on our unit, had to dodge an agitated pt who was swinging, etc.

I'm sure there's more.

other clinical crap we've tested off on: NG tubes, Pleurovacs, IV sticks, etc.

I've seen just about every kind of body fluid (urine, poop wherever it comes out, vomit, blood, gastric contents, pus, mucus) and had no problem going to eat my lunch. I've calmed down crying patients and have befriended others.

Can't wait for next year!

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That's a great question, and I would love to find out how classes will go for me too. My first semester of Nursing starts in August, yet my school has required us to become licensed CNAs before the classes start. I'm on my second round of clinicals in a local nursing home now. During our orientation, the instructors did say that they're taking the CNA skills out of our nursing program to make more room for the RN stuff. I'm looking forward to the actual injections and meds more than additional Activities of Daily Living skills. Being a CNA is tough work!! Kudos to anyone who does this for a living :)

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like everyone said, you start off mostly just learning baths, and toileting. you continue to do that, but add skills. i gave meds with my instructor. we did assessments and vital signs on everyone. Then, depending on the patient you will do everything the nurse would do (with your instructor!). If they have a trach, you'll do trach care. if they have chest tubes, you'll monitor those, if they have a wound you'll change the dressing. insert foleys/straight caths, hang iv, ng tubes, etc. if your patient is having a procedure done, at my school we go down and watch. So i've gotten to see various surgeries, spinal blocks, dialysis many times, cardiac caths, echocardiograms, etc. its great!

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Cleaning bodies, cleaning beds, moving bodies, moving beds, taking vital signs, taking health histories, doing physical exams, shots, IV's and IV stuff, tubes in urethras, tubes in stomachs, enemas, feeding through tubes, other things involving tubes, and doing things to ugly parts of the body.

The most peculiar thing to me was a video we had to watch over making beds. I learned you can change bedding with someone laying in bed although I still think it's odd. I'd rather pick them up, lay them on the floor, change the bed, and put them back, but hey nurses get outraged over that idea, lol. Oh, well, I graduated nonetheless...with honors too if you can imagine. Mostly the clinical rotations are about doing things, on the rare occasion the opportunities present themselves, the way school teaches you to do it and passing. Then you can graduate, work, and actually learn how to do stuff.

Rite, but what exactly are you tested on? Is there a written test about how to insert a tube somewhere, or which sheet goes on the bed first? I'm just a bit confused. thanks.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
That's a great question and I would love to find out how classes will go for me too. My first semester of Nursing starts in August, yet my school has required us to become licensed CNAs before the classes start. I'm on my second round of clinicals in a local nursing home now. During our orientation, the instructors did say that they're taking the CNA skills out of our nursing program to make more room for the RN stuff. I'm looking forward to the actual injections and meds more than additional Activities of Daily Living skills. Being a CNA is tough work!! Kudos to anyone who does this for a living :)[/quote']

Question for you: what state are you in? And is this something your state allows/requires (the CNA before starting nursing) or just your school?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Rite, but what exactly are you tested on? Is there a written test about how to insert a tube somewhere, or which sheet goes on the bed first? I'm just a bit confused. thanks.

Certain skills will require you to be tested out on. It depends on the school. Some schools test only on certain skills, but expect that you know them all (ie, if you are never formally tested on making a bed, but you show that you are unable to perform the skill in clinical, you could fail clinical as a Result).

Where I have taught, all skills testing is done in the lab. But again, if you can't perform the skill in real life, it will count against you in your clinical eval.

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Specializes in Gyn.
Question for you: what state are you in? And is this something your state allows/requires (the CNA before starting nursing) or just your school?

In NC if you are going to a community college, they require you to do your CNA first. If you're going to a 4 year University, you don't have to do your CNA first. I did mine a few years ago and will be starting RN school in August. I'm glad they made us do the CNA first because the experience I've gained working in that environment will be extremely helpful when it comes time for clinicals. Can't wait!!! :yes:

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Thanks for all your awesome answers! I'm a CNA and took the 120 hour course so i guess fundamentals of nursing will be a nice lil review for me. everything else will be brand new.

Don't go into it thinking it's going to be a nice little review. We lost two CNA's this semester who treated this class as a nice little review. Fundamentals does teach you the basics ADLs, vitals, etc. But this is where your critical thinking comes in. You have to learn to think like a nurse now, not a CNA. Prioritizing is a HUGE thing in Fundamentals and it will just build from there.

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