Bad first clinical on Oncology floor

[hopefulUS]

a few days ago i had my first clinical. its at an oncology floor at a really good hospital. the first day we were told it was just an orientation and a tour of the hospital.

we get there and are thrown to bathe patients and changed beds with only 3 weeks of nursing school behind us. i felt so lost, dumb and flustered. i felt like my brain froze!i really did not have the skills to do the bath and bed changing. my clinical instructor kept asking us questions about medications and things we haven't even talked about in school yet, and made us feel dumb when we didn't know them. also it did not help that i've lost someone very close to me to cancer and the place brought back bad memories.

i really did not enjoy it i left feeling so discourage and wondering if nursing is for me at all. some of the other people in my clinical group had a great time while i didn't at all. is this a normal experience for first day clinicals? or is it a sign that i'm not meant for nursing. i like to do things slow and carefully, and nursing is so fast paced! i hope i can keep up.

i needed to vent. back to studying

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

You had a rough first day and you were hit with some things you weren't expecting. Sometimes the clinical instructor and what is being taught in class are on total opposite ends of the spectrum. I wouldn't start re-evaluating your choice for nursing based on one bad day. In your career you will have quite a few of them. However you will also have just as many, if not more, good days. Sometimes new things can be difficult, but I'm pretty sure after a few clinicals you will get into the routine and you will find your footing. If you don't, start talking with some of your classmates that seem to be comfortable in what you are supposed to be doing. It also wouldn't hurt to find out from your instructor what she is expecting from you at clinical.

Yes nursing is fast paced, but you need to learn to crawl before you can walk and before you run. You have to learn the basics first.