Okay - I'm a nursing student already thru med surg and onto peds. I've NEVER seen any of my instructors do an assessment of a patient, and I've never seen any of the nurses do an assessment. I saw one nurse listen to lungs once. We took an assessment class, but it was all about using tuning forks and otoscopes and things that nurses don't even use!
So seriously, what am I supposed to be doing when I go into the patients room? When I listen to the heart/lungs do I do it through the gown, under the gown??? Do I do APETM or just listen over the heart (I've never seen anyone do APETM or ever had anyone listen to my heart that way). Usually at clinicals we take lots of blood pressures, make beds, and hide in the hallway because we're afraid of our instructor. I'm going to graduate in 6 months and I don't know how to do any skills. Is this normal? I'm doing great in theory, but scared to death in clinicals and don't feel that our instructors offer any help. I've given ONE med and never even hung an IV. I've watched assessment vids on youtube, but again, I've never seen a real floor nurse do any of these things, they only seem to give meds. What the heck am I supposed to be doing, or should I just wait to get a job and hope that my hospital will train me according to their protocol? Help!