About to start OB and Med/Surg I...any advice????

Nursing Students Student Assist

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Specializes in Critical Care-Neuro/Trauma ICU.

I'm about to start OB and Med/Surg I...for some reason I'm nervous! I feel like I didn't get enough experience with some skills when I was in clinical last semester (we were in a nursing home where the staff HATED us...especially the CNA's). Does anyone have any advice or can anyone tell me what to expect for this next semester??

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I am also starting Med/Surg...Bumping for replies!

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Specializes in Peds Hem, Onc, Med/Surg.

Ob was the best clinical for me. It was the first clinical that really made me feel like a nurse. I took care of 6 patients without losing control.

Med Surg clinical I really enjoyed also. Just remember to breathe and that when things get rough remember this too shall pass!

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

as a student you will always feel that you are never getting enough experience with any skills. that is just the reality of being new and a learner at anything. time and experience solves that. we all have gone through this. all you can do is just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. each of us will have unique experiences with patients that will add to what we learn from textbooks.

keep in mind that just as doctors treat the signs and symptoms of diseases/conditions, so do we. we also carry out many of those doctors treatments as well as our own.

as part of your study of these two subjects, keep in mind that you always need to know what the normal anatomy and physiology of the body or body organ/system involved is. where the anatomy or physiology breaks down results in a disease or condition that produces the signs/symptoms/patient response. our professions respond by treating them. your studies involve learning these signs/symptoms/patient responses as well as both the doctor's treatments as well as the nursing interventions. it is a lot to digest. using the critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students.doc, which you can copy and use for each disease/condition, will help you with you study. the weblinks listed on this sticky thread will also help you find information about the ob complications and med/surg conditions: https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/medical-disease-information-treatment-procedures-test-reference-websites-258109.html - medical disease information/treatment/procedures/test reference websites. for weblinks to help with skills see the posts on this sticky thread: https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/any-good-iv-therapy-nursing-procedure-web-sites-127657.html - any good iv therapy or nursing procedure web sites

good luck as you go into this next semester!

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My OB clinical was a total bummer. The nurses were very protective of the clients and also very stressed. Its a shame, OB is what I would like to do and I came out of it learning no skills.

Now my lecture was awesome, I have never been so absorbed in a lecture. Interesting stuff!!

Other students at other hospitals were allowed to do more than my clinical group was.

Med-Surg was alright, again the nurses were stressed and it was rare to get a nurse that actually wanted a student.

Know your meds, pathophys, and have humility.

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I too am about to start my OB and Peds rotation and I have heard many people say that Peds is sooo hard. I am not sure as to what it is that makes it so hard. :confused: I am trying not to stress out too hard about it though. If anyone has any tips they would be greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
i too am about to start my ob and peds rotation and i have heard many people say that peds is sooo hard. i am not sure as to what it is that makes it so hard. :confused: i am trying not to stress out too hard about it though. if anyone has any tips they would be greatly appreciated.

peds (kids) are immature people that have not grown to adulthood yet. they have the same anatomy and physiology. they pretty much get the same diseases with a few exceptions--congenital problems that are uniquely taken care of in the pediatric years and typical childhood diseases that kids get because of their immature immune systems. and, another biggie. . .because they can't articulate their symptoms as well as adults can, we have to observe them for changes in their behaviors, which is how they express pain and other aggravations. thus, knowledge of what normal childhood behaviors are is an important part of assessing kids. not being disrespectful here, but its kind of like trying to read what is wrong with your pets based on how they are acting--and most of the time you will be assessing other people's kids that you don't even know! that information must also be considered when performing nursing interventions on kids because of their stages of development. you can't talk and work with a child and expect the same outcomes as you can with an adult. on https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/medical-disease-information-treatment-procedures-test-reference-websites-258109.html - medical disease information/treatment/procedures/test reference websites there are pediatric weblinks. on many of the websites that are listed there are typical milestones and behaviors listed for the different pediatric ages that you will want to look at. you will most likely be tested on these in your pediatric nursing class. there are also pediatric assessment weblinks on the https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/health-assessment-resources-145091.html - health assessment resources, techniques, and forms thread including a really nice video on assessing the pediatric patient towards the end of the posts and a pediatric assessment form.

remember. . .the word "hard" is being used by others in a contextual way and is very subjective. don't let it influence you. what is hard for one person may not be necessarily true for you. keep an open mind and rationalize what is going on. there is always good, logical theory behind what you will be learning. the trick is to find a way to organize it so that your brain can make sense of it easily. then, you may not find it hard at all.

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Specializes in Critical Care-Neuro/Trauma ICU.
as a student you will always feel that you are never getting enough experience with any skills. that is just the reality of being new and a learner at anything. time and experience solves that. we all have gone through this. all you can do is just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. each of us will have unique experiences with patients that will add to what we learn from textbooks.

keep in mind that just as doctors treat the signs and symptoms of diseases/conditions, so do we. we also carry out many of those doctors treatments as well as our own.

as part of your study of these two subjects, keep in mind that you always need to know what the normal anatomy and physiology of the body or body organ/system involved is. where the anatomy or physiology breaks down results in a disease or condition that produces the signs/symptoms/patient response. our professions respond by treating them. your studies involve learning these signs/symptoms/patient responses as well as both the doctor's treatments as well as the nursing interventions. it is a lot to digest. using the critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students.doc, which you can copy and use for each disease/condition, will help you with you study. the weblinks listed on this sticky thread will also help you find information about the ob complications and med/surg conditions: https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/medical-disease-information-treatment-procedures-test-reference-websites-258109.html - medical disease information/treatment/procedures/test reference websites. for weblinks to help with skills see the posts on this sticky thread: https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/any-good-iv-therapy-nursing-procedure-web-sites-127657.html - any good iv therapy or nursing procedure web sites

good luck as you go into this next semester!

thank you so much daytonite! you are awesome!! i've been going through these sites and they are just great. had my first day of class today and feeling a little less anxious than i was before. i'm really excited about ob, but still a little hesitant about med surg clinical...i'm afraid my instructor is going to put me on the spot and ask me to do something i've never done and i'll freeze! it's been a while since i was in fundamentals skills labs and inserting a foley in a dummy is a totally different ball game than a real person! haha! i just feel like some things i need to see done once and i'll be fine! i don't know...we'll see! thank you everyone for the information! i'll keep ya posted!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

i will start my clinical rotations in Med-surg, Peds and OB next week also. I'm very excited and cannot wait to sart. at the same time i have doubt as far as my clinical skills and what exactly to expect from everything and everyone(instructors, patients, nurses etc..). But I do keep a positive attitude because i am ready to work hard and prove to myself that I can do it.

I had an instructor who used to tell us: "millions of people have done that before you, there is no way you cannot do this if you want to".

I keep this saying in mind everytime i have doubt about my capabilities.

At the end of the semester you and I will tell everybody "we did it!!!!".

Good luck

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Just some random things I can think of about med-surg: Stay safe-remember bedrails, lowering the bed, turning your patient, hygiene. When you get busy it is easy to forget the most basic things. Get your charting done for meds immediately(esp. for computer). Same for assessments. Practice communicating with staff, docs, CNA's(CNA's can be your lifesaver when you have 2 patients). Try to understand your labs more, and what they have to do with your patient's symptoms and dx. Some people run and hide from experiences they are of afraid of(I was guilty sometimes), and you should try not to do this. Lastly, try to get along wtih clinical instructor, and all the staff. Good luck to you!

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Specializes in OB/Peds.

get an NCLEXs book, LOL! It was the best thing I have ever done. I just started MedSurg as well and the books with nothing but pracitce questions are a life savor for tests!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in critical care, PACU.
get an NCLEXs book, LOL! It was the best thing I have ever done. I just started MedSurg as well and the books with nothing but pracitce questions are a life savor for tests!!!!!!!!!!!

I definitely agree with this. I use Saunders. Try to find one that uses your textbook as a source by flipping to the end of the practice tests in each section. Then you know the info is pretty consistent.

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