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Discussion

Clinical Partner Problems

I am in my first semester of NS. We will be starting clinicals this Friday. For the first few days we will be with a partner. For every activity in class where we need a partner, my friend and I usually pair up. She is also in my clinical group. She is a very sweet & nice girl, but she is always so so nervous & suffers from anxiety. I know she wants me to be her partner in clinicals, but I would rather be with someone who is more confident. Another one of my friends is also in the group. She has had experience in a health care facility. I would rather be with her so I could learn more and feel more comfortable with my first time of working with a real patient.

Is it wrong of me to say no to the other girl who is so nervous? I really feel as if I would do better and learn more if I didn't have to hear "This is so scary, it's hard, I'm going to pass out. I'm too scared to touch a patient...." I just really don't want to let her down or hurt feelings...

Featured Replies

hmmm, don't want to be rude, but you do not need to be holding her hand. as hard as i've heard ns is, you need to be looking out for you. it's nice enough of you to think about your friend. has the other friend of yours asked you to partner up with you, if so, say yes. you want to be confident at clinicals rather than having to worry if she's going to make it through. just say, it's nothing personal and that she makes you nervous by her being nervous, or if the friend of yours has asked you already, just tell her that your other friend asked you first.

Partnering is a pretty intimate relationship and you really rely on one another to meet the demands of your program. I would partner with whomever you will have the best working relationship. It doesn't sound like this girl fits that bill.

  • Experts

I understand you don't want to hurt your friend's feelings. :up: Fortunately, there's a nice way to say just about anything. Ask whomever you think you will work best with, and if your other friend asks, just tell her you already have a partner, and maybe offer to study with her instead (if you learn by studying in a group).

I was that Nervous Nelly my first semester of clinical. Scared to freakin' death. I got over it though, and your friend just might do the same thing.

  • Author

Thank you for the advice!! I guess I'm just worried because if she gets a partner that she doesn't know she will freeze up. :(

  • Experts

It's kind of you to be concerned that she'll freeze up if she's with someone she doesn't know, but you might also be doing her a big favor. Being a nurse means (for most careers, anyway) dealing well with people you don't really know, and this might be what gives her that start.

I remember that feeling well...the dread of 'am I going to have a nice patient today?' 'will the floor nurses be mean to me?' 'will my clinical group think I'm an idiot for [insert your reason here]?' And you know what? It did get easier as I went through nursing school. So your friend will probably do better on her own than she thinks she will.

  • Author

Thank you :)

Laura, you sound like a very considerate person but perhaps a tad too concerned about others. While I do think it's important to be as kind and helpful as possible (and I think my classmates would say that I was), nursing school is fundamentally a solo project and your primary concern should be for yourself.

  • Author

I agree, I just want her to be successful.

But...I'm pretty nervous about it myself. I just don't let it get to me. I push it to the back of my mind. I just graduated HS, so I have never had any type of experience in a hospital/nursing home. Haha, I got my tonsils removed when I was 8 if that counts... :) jk.

Don't sweat it... I didn't find it nearly so rough as I'd feared it would be.

That said, there's precious little time or energy to be pulling more than your share. Pick your partner well... and by all means, don't guilt yourself into partnering up with someone because they "need" you.

You're in a very tough spot but like what has been said, you have to do what's best for you and you can't let anyone else hold you back. If your other friend says ok I would just tell the one you're worried about that you were already asked and accepted as to let her down gently. Hopefully with time she can pull herself up.

For what it's worth...

I was unceremoniously dumped from a group and turned down by somebody else as a partner. After recovering from the shock and hurt feelings (I can't help it... I'm pretty sensitive to rejection), I rounded up another group that turned out to be fabulous... even though it had people that I never would've thought that I'd work well with.

Look out for yourself... she'll be fine (or not... in which case you probably wouldn't have made the difference).

Much success to you.

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