Clinical Help

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I feel kinda lost, our clinicals dont seem to be structured the way others are. we aren't assigned a patient just a floor, is there any advice where to even begin? thanks

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

Can I ask what semester your in?

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First, however let me explain a typical day- arrive at hospital 645- eat breakfast until 8

go to floor and instructor leaves us right at the elevator and says "get to work"

we just are like lost puppies honestly, at 10 we have a 45 min break

from 12-1 lunch and leave the floor at 2

I feel sooo behind, only two in our group have passed meds. I guess I feel like she should assign us patients or a nurse....but then again never count on anyone right? I just dont know what to do...there are only so many times you can go to a patients room to see if they need anything...I dont know=( any suggestions I have never worked in a hospital and dont even know where to begin....

even when we get to the floor and we ask the CNA if they need us to do anything they usually say no that they did the vitals already for the morning...

I just feel useless....I would like to do some assessments but I feel uncomfortable going into someones room saying "HI I want to do an assessment on you"...is that what you do? I guess just with watching my father in the hospital, the last thing he would want is people coming in and doing more assessments on him and what not...please HELP!!

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

If your instructor isn't assigning you a pt or two, then yes I would find a patient and introduce myself and get permission to do an assessment including vitals. Do it with as many patients as you can. Check out charts and labs. It seems like you may be teaching yourself. If you not comfortable, team up with another student and work with some more difficult patients. Team up with the CNA's and let them know your looking for cares to do. Believe me, they would like the help. Just remember to be responsible for the pt if the CNA gives you one. You can't just do part of the work and expect them to finish. Once the pt is up, change the bed, pick up the room, and empty the trash. Make the pt want to see you again.

This is a great time to take your time doing assessments. Find those pedal and tibial pulses! Check out the apical heart beat. Listen to the lungs for a long time. If you take your time, the pt doesn't always have to pass out from taking all of those deep breaths. Dive in and your instructor will see that. After all is done, check out when meds are given and let your instructor know the times due and ask if you can give them. Look them up first though so your prepared. Have a great time!

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I just got accepted to my nursing program, so I don't have any experience yet with clinicals. I have a couple questions for you, though, as your situation sounds bad:

1. Has anyone approached the instructor about it?

2. Has anyone approached the head nurse about how to handle the students getting patients? If she doesn't want to deal with it, then she may go to your instructor to complain.

3. Do you have to do patient care plans??

Is there any gossip about this instructor from previous classes? I wonder how she will evaluate you all if she is not there.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
If your instructor isn't assigning you a pt or two, then yes I would find a patient and introduce myself and get permission to do an assessment including vitals.

Also, ask one of the nurses or the charge nurse if there's a patient that they could use extra assistance with--unless your floor is deserted, I can guarantee they'll pull up at least one patient. But do tell the nurses what you're allowed to do and what you can't do, so they can find stuff that fits your level, and not send you in to start an IV when you're nowhere near that point in your schooling :)

And like others have said, definitely assess and do as many VS as you can. I remember very early in NS, our CI took us to the floor. We had no patients assigned because she told us she wanted us to do nothing else but assess all of them. She didn't care if the same patient was assessed multiple times (providing the patient was game for that)--she wanted us to get as many assessments done as possible. The catch: we couldn't take our checksheet in with us. She wanted us to do as much of it as possible from memory, though we could write notes when we left the room as well as go back in to assess further if we missed something. Then she wanted us to practice giving report on the patients, again from memory and to keep it under 3 minutes per.

I was surprised I could rise to that challenge and did all right. I think I learned more about assessments and report giving on that one evening than I had during all of the lectures combined.

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

learn the layout of the floor (where things are located) such as the nurses station, where report is given, where reference materials are kept, where the charts are kept, where the unit secretary is stationed, where the charting is done, what area is for the doctors to sit and chart, where the pantry is (kitchen), how trays are brought up and served to patients at meal times, how patients get transported to tests that are in other departments. this is a chance for you to learn how the unit is run, how things get done for the patients. part of being a nurse is management of what needs to be done for the patient besides direct hands on care. as a manger of care you have to know how these things get done. when people first orient to a new job as a licensed nurse, hospitals spend a good deal of time teaching you these things. it seems your instructors also feel it is necessary for you to know them as well. part of my job as a manager was making rounds of the patient rooms on my unit and looking for things like burned out light bulbs, broken fixtures, moldings coming off the wall, etc. somebody has to do it. it a patient doesn't get their breakfast tray someone has to know how to get it for the patient. if an iv pump malfunctions someone has to know what to do to get the problem corrected. it is you, future licensed nurse.

it may also be that your instructors are also observing what students are going to do when put in this situation at first before giving you some kind of direction. i am also talking about using the nursing process (a problem solving process) to help work through puzzles. it applies here as well. its first step is assessment. here you are in unfamiliar territory (a hospital) where you are eventually going to be taking care of patients. the first thing you want to do is assess your situation--gather data about the hospital, about the area where you will be working and the equipment you will be working with. remember, knowledge is power.

i also think that if your clinical instructor doesn't give some kind of assigned activity, you should ask what you should be doing. the last thing any student will want to be caught at is sitting down doing absolutely nothing. that wreaks of no initiative, no motivation, negative attitude, no dynamic energy, irresponsibility, no capacity to learn, unproductively, inflexibility and no desire to develop professionally. your instructors are always evaluating student performance. instructor evaluations are needed in order to get the first job as you come out of nursing school--no exceptions. best to show some eagerness and willingness to learn something positive about this clinical experience.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
First, however let me explain a typical day- arrive at hospital 645- eat breakfast until 8

go to floor and instructor leaves us right at the elevator and says "get to work"

we just are like lost puppies honestly, at 10 we have a 45 min break

from 12-1 lunch and leave the floor at 2

I feel sooo behind, only two in our group have passed meds. I guess I feel like she should assign us patients or a nurse....but then again never count on anyone right? I just dont know what to do...there are only so many times you can go to a patients room to see if they need anything...I dont know=( any suggestions I have never worked in a hospital and dont even know where to begin....

even when we get to the floor and we ask the CNA if they need us to do anything they usually say no that they did the vitals already for the morning...

I just feel useless....I would like to do some assessments but I feel uncomfortable going into someones room saying "HI I want to do an assessment on you"...is that what you do? I guess just with watching my father in the hospital, the last thing he would want is people coming in and doing more assessments on him and what not...please HELP!!

Sorry. I missed this.

Why are students eating breakfast?

I would go to the dean of your nursing program and tell him/her what has been going on. This is not how clinicals are supposed be done. There should be organization and goals connected with each clinical day.

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Specializes in Neuro.

Yeah, I was wondering about that too. I have clinicals from 6-2 and we don't even get a lunch break, but we can pop into the locker room and grab a snack.

I would also suggest that you just grab a nurse and ask to help. Some might be rude (I have experienced it) but some might honestly appreciate your assistance.

Good luck,

If worst comes to worst, Just call your program director.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Attach yourself to nurses to follow them and learn what they do. Some will allow it and others won't. Ask questions. Make yourself useful. Sit with the Unit Clerk to find out how to transcribe MD orders. Get a chart and read every word. Consider WHY the MD ordered something (lab, procedure, RX) then consider what the outcome was. Be a gopher for the staff and they will then let you participate in more stuff. When someone else does a procedure, give blood, take blood,etc then you can follow them around. You are in this for YOU and I applaud your efforts to get the most out of the situation.

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wow breakfast till 8am! Where do u go to school..geez, we only get a 35 minute lunch break and we have to cover for each other, so basically if no one wants to cover for u, then ur screwed for lunch, and trust me some people wont cover for u...I would take it upon urself to atleast find a nurse and shadow them and ask them for help..Our instructor doesn't hold our hand, were basically alone, but she does ask us if we need help.

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.
Sorry. I missed this.

Why are students eating breakfast?

I would go to the dean of your nursing program and tell him/her what has been going on. This is not how clinicals are supposed be done. There should be organization and goals connected with each clinical day.

I missed this too. Wow, I thought they helped pts with feeding. I see this was not correct. UGH!!!

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