my clinical experience (sorry so long)

[I_Love_Nursing]

HI everyone! I just wanted to share my thoughts and experience so far with everyone. I am a level two LVN nursing student. I attend a part-time evening program that is 18 months long. We do classes on tuesday and thursday nights from 6p to 10p and we do our clinicals everyother weekend, 12 hr shifts. Right now our clincals are in LTC. I love my program and I am learning so much. I am getting very excited about becoming a nurse. We just started our clincals, I have done four 12 hr shifts. Our instructor lets us pick our pt that we will have for two weekends and we do all our research on that one pt and become familiar with their meds and medical Dx and stuff b/c of course, we will be taking on that pt for the time we are there. (eventually we will take on two pt's) My first pt that I chose was a very very nice eldrely gentlman who was fairly easy and just needed some assistance with getting dressed and stuff, nothing major. It was comforting to me to take on a simple task for my first pt so that I was confortable and got familiar with the process of what we would be doing. We wrote a care plan for our pt and everything. It was great! Anyways, my pt decided he wanted to go and tell my instructor how much he liked me and how good I was to him, which I did appreciate. So when I went to pick my new pt for next weekend my instructor came to me and challenged me to pick someone that would be a little more difficult that I could learn from b/c she thought I was ready to handle it. I was nervous at first but took on the challenge. My next pt is bedridden and unresponsive. She has a G-Tube with continous feedings. So needless to say, I am going to be responsible for her G-tube care and feedings and her oral care, turning her q 2hrs, incontinent care, and wound care on her pressure ulcer, and all that stuff that comes along with a completely dependent pt. I will also be doing my first head to toe assessment on a real pt on her. I am excited about it but a little nervous but my instructor assured me that she would guide me through and that I could handle it. She said that she was proud of me for taking on the challenge and that I would learn alot. She wants me to learn as much as I can before I get to my clinicals at the hospital so I am not lost there b/c she said that the pase is much much faster and more hectic. So i just wanted to share my first experinces with yall b/c no one in my family is in nursing or understands the excitement of going through nursing school so I thought I would turn to yall, who im sure can relate 100%. I am open to anyone's advice and encouragement. Wish me luck as I prepare myself to take on this challenge next weekend.

Sorry this is so long and kinda pointless but I was excited, thanks for listnening!!!

[kersti]

Glad to hear that you are enjoying your experiences so much! Keep it up with your learning and have fun.

[Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP]

That's super, and I am so happy for you. It's good to hear someone who is having a good clinical experience. I read so many nightmare stories on these boards about horrible instructors and mean patients that it has made me think a few times about my schooling. However, there are people who go through clinicals and love it, and that encourages me to keep going for it. Thank you for the wonderful posting.

[Hoosiernurse, ADN, RN]

It sounds like your teachers are supportive and understanding, which makes all the difference in the world to someone who is just learning! I came out of a terrible experience (for me) in an LPN school where there was no time to practice, no teachers available to ask, we were just flying by the seat of our pants. People said, "This is just what you have to go through to become a nurse, deal with it." I looked into other programs and found one that students said they LOVED, so I took a deep breath, left the LPN program and applied to the RN program that had such good references. I got in today! So reading your post just made me smile to know that someone else has a program that is nurturing them and helping them expand and grow. Isn't it wonderful??

I'm so glad for you, and I bet you'll be such a great nurse.

Hoosiernurse

[I_Love_Nursing]

Thank so much! You'll have a great time I'm sure. I think its all what you take out of your experience. Congrats!!!

[mandana]

Congratulations and good luck!

Your instructor sounds really supportive and if he/she thinks you are up to the challenge, I know you are. Complex patients can be such great learning experiences and this is probably going to sound wrong, but unresponsive patients are really good for me to learn new things with because while you won't do anything differently, you aren't so preoccupied/distracted/derailed with their responses to you which is always a challenge for me.

Let us know how it goes! You'll do great.

Amanda

[I_Love_Nursing]

Yes my instructor is very supportive and I completely understand what you mean about the unresponsiveness, I felt the EXACT same way... I'll be glad to get the skills down without distraction and then throw the rest of the puzzle in later.. :)