Dreading clinicals

[flwannaB]

I have been in my program for 7 weeks. We only have clinicals on Tuesday but I dread it. Right now we are at a LTC facility. I try really hard to be positive about it, learn as much as I can when I am there but I still hate every minute of it. Starting Feb 15, we will be doing our clinicals in a hospital 3 days a week and I am looking forward to that. Someone please tell me it gets better.

[flwannaB]

How aweful that must have been for you. I would have been on pins and needles everyday waiting for the ball to drop. Hurting a patient is my biggest fear.

Actually, clinicals did worsen for me during the middle of my school year. While doing a clinical rotation in a LTC facility, I tied a patient's trach tie too tightly and she became cyanotic. As a result, I was written up and watched like a hawk for several months afterward. There was talk that the former clinical teacher was attempting to fail me.

However, things did improve with the passage of time.

[MMARN, BSN, RN]

Actually, clinicals did worsen for me during the middle of my school year. While doing a clinical rotation in a LTC facility, I tied a patient's trach tie too tightly and she became cyanotic. As a result, I was written up and watched like a hawk for several months afterward. There was talk that the former clinical teacher was attempting to fail me.

However, things did improve with the passage of time.

Oh my goodness!!!! That is something I hope I don't do. That is the scariest thing ever!!! And knowing me, I probably would have killed her!! :eek:

God help me.

[following_faith]

What is it you don't like? Is it the actual care itself, the facility, are you bored?

It will probably pick up when you get into the meat and potatoes of the program.

Good luck to you!

[sweetie01]

It should get better. I was always real nervous and kind of shy with the patients. The biggest single thing that helped me through nursing school was working at the hospital as a Nursing Assistant. Even if I could only manage 1 shift a week. It made a huge difference in my comfort level with the patients and clinical. I didn't have to worry how to give a bath, where the linens were, or how to call dietary for a tray, etc... In my state you could do foleys, trach care, remove IV's, dressing changes, etc. as an NAII.

I should add that I worked Prn and because of this I was able to work on a bunch of different floors as a Nursing Assistant. I started on one floor and then would just call the nurse manager on whatever floor I wanted to work. This helped me to decide what type of nursing I wanted to do when I graduated. Good Luck! Sweetie 01