Clinical question

[Lions81]

Hello, I just finished my first semester of nursing school and am about to start my first clinical course! I finished my first semester of nursing school with no problems getting through Path, Pharm, and Physical assessment. However, this semester is already frightening me.

To prepare for clinicals, we go to skills lab and watch videos on how to perform tasks such as inserting an NG tube, catheter, cleaning a wound or even providing a bed bath and then perform it on a sim man. It is very hard for me to remember the exact steps in order for tasks like these and even something like just making a bed the correct way after only watching a 3-5 minute video on this. When it comes time to perform it on sim man, it is difficult for me to do especially with an instructor breathing down your neck. Weeks go by and we don't practice the skills again in sim lab, our only reference guide is our skills checklist book that is difficult to understand without a visual aid. All of this makes me very nervous for performing these tasks in the clinicals coming up.

What I am asking is, how well do instructors expect students to know these skills during the first clinical course? Do instructors guide you through it as you do it or just expect you to know it 100% ? How exactly does the process work? After getting into one of the best universities in my state for nursing and I having had very good grades throughout college and the 1st semester of nursing school my confidence is going down the drain after just a few weeks into this semester. I am getting very very nervous/anxious. Any tips/help would be very appreciated!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Does your school offer hours where you can show up in the lab and practice? My school had specified hours, and the school where students who do clinicals at my facility offers the same thing. That would be something to investigate. Other than that, what about family members volunteering? Fellow nursing students? Obviously not for invasive skills like NGTs or catheters, but for bed baths and things like that.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Welcome to allnurses.com

Thread moved to Student forum.

[dragonflylilly]

Do you have skills lab hours at your school where you can practice? If not, practice on friends, classmates, or family members; the more you do it, the more you will know it when you do it in clinical.