I am your soon-to-be instructor. Here are my golden rules to my students. Take what you like. Discard the rest. But understand why each is important. Apply them and perhaps you will make the most of our 12 short weeks together.
I am your soon-to-be instructor. Know that I love this profession and have dedicated my life to it and to my patients. I consider this profession to be a calling. I did not come to this profession for money, for prestige, or for the title. I came to it for the love of caring for people at their worse. Along the way I discovered that I love to teach the next generation this love as well, while at the same time instilling in you all the importance of taking this seriously, understanding that people live or die by your decision.
Nursing today is about much more than turning a patient and washing them (although I seriously doubt it was ever about only this, despite what the movies would have you think). Nursing is about understanding the medical and nursing diagnosis, medication recognition and administration, symptom management, pathophysiology, procedures, and most importantly how the nursing process fits into all of this. Is it a daunting task for us to teach all of this to you in 12 weeks, yet somehow we are expected too.
I ask for your help in all of this. Some things are basic. Show up on time. Come in uniform. Make sure it is washed and pressed. Look your best. Remove your piercings and cover your tattoo's. Wash your hands before and after entering a patient's room. Imagine your grandmother in the hospital and the nurse comes in with a nose ring or a tattoo. Or doesn't wash their hands. Or is unclean. Would you want that person caring for your family? Furthermore, come awake, with passion and motivation to learn. I, like you, have a personal life. However, once we come through those doors to the unit, all of that has to be put aside and we must give all we have to caring for our patients. If we don't, who will?
Furthermore, we challenge you mentally not to show you how much we know, but to stress how much you need to know. It is not enough to report a vital sign. You must be able to tell me the normal ranges, which ones are abnormal, and most importantly why. If you cannot, what good does that do your patient? It is not enough to know that a lab value is abnormal. If you cannot tell me why your post-op patient has a low hemoglobin, what good does that do your patient?
It is certainly not enough to tell me the patient has a history of diabetes. You must tell me why it is so vitally important to understand the pathophysiology of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and how it affects the healing process, how it affects the ability of the body to fight infection, and the most accurate way to treat it. If you cannot, your patient will suffer.
To prepare for clinical is not easy. I emphasize that it takes a long time to write a care plan, and that you think it may not be as important as studying for that exam coming up. I understand that each instructor grades your papers differently, and that it feels unfair that you must change and conform to what each instructor wants. However, what you don't understand is that nursing is an ever-changing profession. Each patient is unique, and your ability to care for them needs to change for each patient you see. Some will love you, some will loathe you. It is not personal; they are patients who need different things, much like we are as your instructors. You ability to adapt to out of control situations and dangerous scenarios will define you and your career, not your ability to complain about the amount of work you have.
Golden Rules For Students
Take what you like. Discard the rest. But understand why each is important. Apply them and perhaps you will make the most of our 12 short weeks together.
Come prepared and ready to work.
Your hygiene and appearance means everything to your patients.
If you haven't spent 8 hours on your care plan it is likely incomplete. Coordinate the care plan. Link the pathophysiology, labs, and nursing diagnosis. Show us you understand how they are all related. If you don't know, say it. but give an educated guess that shows us you are trying. I give just as much value to trying as I do to getting it correct.
If you know your patient has a foley catheter, nasogastric tube, chest tube, etc... look up and prepare for how to care for those. Print out the care from the book. Include it on your care plan. make an effort. Saying I don't know to an instructor tells us you didn't care enough to look it up.
Know the 5 rights of medication administration in and out. Be ready to tell them to me during med pass. know your medications. Write down the important information and be ready to discuss it at the pyxis, in the room, in the nursing station.
It is never personal. remember that your patients are there to get better, not provide you with an opportunity to learn. That is a gift that can quickly be taken away by your attitude.
Watch what you say in the hallway and the volume of your voice. sound carries. your patient does not care about your lunch, your day, how mean your instructor is.
If your instructor provides constructive criticism to you, do not take it personal. listen to what they are saying and improve. show them you can internalize criticism and get better.
Love your profession. if you are in it for anything except caring for patients, leave now. If you are in it for the money, leave even faster.
Love nursing. every day. take every opportunity to improve your practice and the profession. This is your shot to make a difference in a world where for many it is difficult to even go to work each day. don't sell yourself short, you are about to enter the most rewarding profession there is.
I thought this was pretty spot on and simply points out what this clinical instructor expects from his students, which was pretty much what my nursing instructors expect from me, and is not unreasonable. Nursing school is a very difficult and stressful time. As for the yelling part, it really didn't even jump out at me, but yeah I'd be pretty upset if any of my instructors, clinical or not, yelled at me, but I'd probably be more upset at myself because I would have had to do something pretty wrong. I'm a good student, and I feel I'm good in the clinical atmosphere as well, but I put my heart and soul into everything nursing whether it be an exam, a quiz, preparations for clinicals, or actual client care. I only wish my clinical prep took 8 hours, lol more like 12 for me. But when anyone comes at me with questions about issues with my client, I try to be prepared enough to be able to answer them. They say this will improve over time, that it won't take as long the more experience you have. I love the discussions and encouragement from this forum.
I'm beginning my first semester of nursing school in January and it's good to have insight and tips from a nursing instructor. Thanks, this was great! =) It makes me a little nervous though.
Every summer I come back and re-read this article I wrote. I love teaching students, and yet, just tonight we were having a discussion on the unit I work as an APRN on and they were saying how evil I must be in clinical with students. I respond the same everytime. It's not evil to be "that preceptor"... You all had one of those. The one who pushes and pushes you to stop asking how and start asking why. I did. She changed my life. And because of her, I push and push to make the next nurse one who will change the world. Are they changing the world, the hundreds of students I have taught, I sure hope so!!!
I loved everything you had to say, but your last item made me smile. I am so excited to start school - I worked so hard to get here!
I agree. And my hard work will continue not just in the program, but after school as well. I only hope to make a difference in the many lives I will encounter throughout my nursing career.
Also, I hope to have an instructor as dedicated as you are. :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I start my first semester of my ADN in a couple weeks and clinicals 3 weeks after that. I've been looking all over for what to expect, advice and warnings for clinicals and your article made what's expected of me clearer. I look forward to reading any other advice articles you write. :)
livelaughlove09
81 Posts
I thought this was pretty spot on and simply points out what this clinical instructor expects from his students, which was pretty much what my nursing instructors expect from me, and is not unreasonable. Nursing school is a very difficult and stressful time. As for the yelling part, it really didn't even jump out at me, but yeah I'd be pretty upset if any of my instructors, clinical or not, yelled at me, but I'd probably be more upset at myself because I would have had to do something pretty wrong. I'm a good student, and I feel I'm good in the clinical atmosphere as well, but I put my heart and soul into everything nursing whether it be an exam, a quiz, preparations for clinicals, or actual client care. I only wish my clinical prep took 8 hours, lol more like 12 for me. But when anyone comes at me with questions about issues with my client, I try to be prepared enough to be able to answer them. They say this will improve over time, that it won't take as long the more experience you have. I love the discussions and encouragement from this forum.