Clinicals???

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What are clinicals like? Do they start the first year? I am in my last semester of Pre-reqs. I am getting excited and full of questions? I am nervous wondering if I can make it through Nursing school. My daughter died of a heroin overdose a year and a half ago. It has been hard in AP1 and Micro and now I am in APII. My memory is starting to come back and it is so refreshing, but I guess I am nervous.:redpinkhe

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Clinicals are fine, don't worry about them. I far prefer them over lecture classes. My program began clinical rotations the very first semester. Some may not, however.

Good luck to you. :flowersfo

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You'll do fine, clinicals to me are the best part, I really enjoy everything I do in that setting.

Theory for me is more difficult but doable, just very time consuming a lot of reading and then just figuring out the "system" of the school.

good luck to you!

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clinicals is fun i think. people always complain in classes that you never use what you learn...this is the exact opposite. you actually get to learn a skill and use it in real life. plus nurse's tell you all kinds of secrets...haha very useful secrets that they can never teach you in school.

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We started clinicals the first semester. Its the hands on part where you really get to be a nurse. I am in my third level and got too be 100% responsible for a post anesthesia patient last week. It was really, really cool. I knew the instructor and the nurse were there to back me up, but they let me handle it. Just remember one thing, a back rub goes a long way to making a grumpy patient have a complete change of attitude.

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Specializes in Corrections.

I'm first semester and our clinicals start in about a month! I'm looking forward to it!

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My school has clinicals in the first semester too.

What can i expect to do?

I'm thinking baths and bed changes and what not, maybe vitals too.. pretty sure we aren't giving meds out or doing wound dresses..

Thanks in advance

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We did meds and dressing changes first semester. They just took things one at a time and it is always done with the instructor present. As we got the skill checked off in lab, we were able to do it in clinicals. You will be surprised how much you are able to do after even a few weeks.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

I love my clinicals! If nothing else, you learn communication skills. Our first semester began with our clinicals in our skills lab on campus. We learned baths, beds, assessments, VS... basics. Every semester, we have selected skills checks to perform; then, once they've been successfully completed, we do them in the clinical setting. First semester, we had to do PO and parenteral meds and IV therapy, then we did sterile dressings and urinary catheterizations is 2nd semester. This year, our third semester, we've done IV starts and blood draws and we're going to be doing NG tube insertions in a couple of weeks. After that, we do trach care, and then our skillslab assignments will be done. My clinical instructor this year is awesome, and selects our patients to give us many, many skill opportunities. This semester alone, I've hung TPN and worked with burn dressings, PICC lines, titrated heparin drips, administered blood... lots of stuff that would have been very intimidating to me with someone else. And time is flying by. I graduate in May and wonder sometimes if I'm going to remember it all.

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I'm very sorry to hear about your daughter. It must have been very tough for you. I prefer clinicals over lectures. i think they make everyone start of at institutions like nursing homes going up. It also depends on what you are learning. If it is Geriatrics then you can mostly find clients like these in Extended care facilities (nur homes). They won't put us in Medsurg right away without full knowledge. i'm enjoying my clinicals.. you'll love it too!! goodluck! YOU'LL MAKE IT! WE WILL MAKE IT!

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Specializes in SRNA.

We are assigned to neuro/rehab units for our first semester clinical (1 day/week), second and third semester we have 16 hours per week x 7 weeks each in Psych, OB, Med Surg/ICU and Peds. Final semester includes Public Health clinical and a seven week Transitions Practicum where we transition into 36 hour clinical weeks in a unit of our choice.

The clinical experiences a program provides will really make it stand apart from schools of lesser quality. During the application process I would recommend that all applicants get some feedback regarding the teaching strengths of the clinical instructors and the quality of the clinical venues the program pairs with.

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We're doing 7 weeks in LTC, then 7 in med-surg 1 day a week, next semester 7 in OB 1 day a week, then 7 in another med-surg 2 days a week. Summer is either one day a week as a student tech in med-surg for 9 weeks, or if you have a job in a med-surg unit you can co-op. I can't remember what comes after that.

One day at time as my hubby's AA group says.

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