Feeling lost and discouraged in clinical....

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2012

honey, anybody who makes themselves feel bigger by making you feel smaller isn't worth your time and attention. i can tell by your writing that you're certainly smart enough to do nursing school-- and to write coherently about it. do not give that one another minute of your time or another ounce of your attention. you have bigger fish to fry!

so hey, something you never did before wasn't something you could do like a pro? this is not junior soccer where you'll get a big medal for just for attendance . you'll practice, and it's a simple thing, and you'll be a pro after you've practiced three or four. do each other in the break room, so everybody does three or four, and you'll see what i mean (and you'll have a better appreciation for the patients' experience, too).

sheet? hey, every facility has different ones. no worries there.

they tell you in nursing school never to tell a patient not to worry, because doing that devalues his feelings and makes him less likely to confide in you, and that way lies madness. but we can tell the patient what we see that is good news-- your fever is resolved, your dressings look good, you walked well in the hall, you're starting to eat, your doc wants to send you home in the morning. if he tells you something that's worrisome, you'll address it. but otherwise, reassure, reassure-- this is a strange thing to hm.

so with this. so i won't say,"don't worry! you'll be fine!" and i will tell you that you appear thoughtful, intelligent, and willing to learn, and these are all characteristics which will serve you well in nursing school, nursing practice, and life.

now, does that help?:hug:

jc2012 · Feb 8, 2012

I just wanted to let you know that I felt the EXACT same way during my first few clinical rotations (I'm in my last semester of a BSN program now). I felt confident with the more difficult stuff, but when it came to something as easy as a bed bath I was lost. I think there is a huge disconnect in BSN programs with the simple stuff, because they are concerned about preparing you for advancing your education. I have friends who did ADN and diploma nursing and they said that they practiced the simple stuff until it was perfect.

See if there is a nice nursing assistant on your floor and ask them for help. A lot of them like to be asked questions and to teach you how they do things.

Also, with turning patients, brief changes, and bed baths..you kind of just have to do it. If you're not supposed to move a patient I'm sure you will find it in the chart or be told in report.

aweldon001 · Feb 11, 2012

Thank you so much for your kind words. You made me feel so much better and I really feel like reassurance is exactly what I needed. You're right about the practice for sure. I feel like the more I practice, the more confident I feel. I still worry because I hear from a lot of the nurses on the unit we do clinical at, that you never get enough practice in nursing school but hopefully I will feel better by the end. Thank you so much for your help. :)

aweldon001 · Feb 11, 2012

jc2012, thank you for the reassurance. I sometimes feel like I'm so alone in how I feel and everyone always tells me that most of the time, others feel just as scared and worried as I feel. I agree with you though, I think there's a huge disconnect with the simple things because I think we literally for 5 minutes went over bed baths and how to change a bed properly with a patient in it. And that's the number one thing our instructor inspects us to do every day with our patients. Hopefully with more practice, I will feel better. I will start asking for help/advice more often.

i<3u · Feb 12, 2012

I'm in the same boat as you. I get discouraged seeing students that have that CNA experience breeze through those skills. I think, "Wow, will I ever be able to complete those tasks with ease?". When I do feel that way, I'll ask those students or the CNAs on the floor for tips. They always say that with practice, it'll become easier (like GrnTea mentioned). I feel better that I'm not the only person that feels this way. This past week, two of the students in my clinical group (the both of them have worked as CNAs for YEARS) asked me to help them on their studying techniques for the exams.

lalopop86 · Feb 12, 2012

I'm sorry you feel that way- I second what someone above me said, ask the CNAs for help! I work as a CNA in a hospital and I LOVE helping the nursing students that do their first semester clinicals on our floor.

karamarie91 · Feb 12, 2012

I'm a new CNA on a hospital floor and if it was me, I would be more than happy to help you! It helps me with my new position even though I been doing cna work for 9 months!

It is better to ask then do the wrong thing and be asked, "Why didn't you ask?!"

Aberdeen · Feb 12, 2012

You are not alone. Everyone feels that way at some point. I am in my last semester of nursing school with about 75 days left to go and I still feel the same way you do at times. Skills take time to learn. By definition, to learn a new skill it takes, knowledge, practice, and aptitude. You obviously have the aptitude, because if you did not, you would not have been accepted into nursing school. You have the knowledge, because you have gone to class, now it is just a matter of practice. Like Meat Loaf says, "two out of three ain't bad". Keep your head up and your eye on the prize and it will all be over before you know it!!

susanlwins · Feb 12, 2012

Congratulations on making it this far - you will be fine. It takes a LONG time to get confident with even basic skills like bed baths. It will come with time. And even then, sometimes you will forget supplies, bring the wrong thing, make mistakes. It's OK.

It sounds like you are doing clinicals in a unit that has a very unhealthy work culture, which is NOT the case everywhere. You are not the only one to have ever gone through this, not the only one to feel this way. Just remember, you are there to learn, and part of learning is learning what NOT to do. If the people around you expect you to be perfect, while KNOWING that you are a student, as well as a human being, they are the ones who need to go back and learn something new, like how to "be" in life so that they don't generally SUCK as a person!

Whatever they say to you, whichever eyeball they roll at you, DON'T internalize it. It has nothing to do with you and only speaks poorly of their professionalism, skills in precepting, and general understanding of what nursing is all about. I would venture to guess that the nurses rolling their eyes when you grab the wrong sheet are the same ones rolling their eyes when a patient complains of pain one too many times, or a family member asks what they feel is a dumb question. It is very unprofessional. You, on the other hand, are NOT going to be like that, because you know better, have learned better, and are going to work to be a positive force in this kind of environment. You are going to be great!

susanlwins · Feb 12, 2012

Congratulations on making it this far - you will be fine. It takes a LONG time to get confident with even basic skills like bed baths. It will come with time. And even then, sometimes you will forget supplies, bring the wrong thing, make mistakes. It's OK.

It sounds like you are doing clinicals in a unit that has a very unhealthy work culture, which is NOT the case everywhere. You are not the only one to have ever gone through this, not the only one to feel this way. Just remember, you are there to learn, and part of learning is learning what NOT to do. If the people around you expect you to be perfect, while KNOWING that you are a student, as well as a human being, they are the ones who need to go back and learn something new, like how to "be" in life so that they don't generally SUCK as a person!

Whatever they say to you, whichever eyeball they roll at you, DON'T internalize it. It has nothing to do with you and only speaks poorly of their professionalism, skills in precepting, and general understanding of what nursing is all about. I would venture to guess that the nurses rolling their eyes when you grab the wrong sheet are the same ones rolling their eyes when a patient complains of pain one too many times, or a family member asks what they feel is a dumb question. It is very unprofessional. You, on the other hand, are NOT going to be like that, because you know better, have learned better, and are going to work to be a positive force in this kind of environment. You are going to be great!

chuckz, BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2012

I have been a nurse for almost 2 years now and I still feel stupid at times when I don't know something. It's called, "Caring about what we do." I did the lat 18 months in an MICU and I just transferred to the ER. I put IV's in maybe once or twice a month in the ICU because everybody has arterial or central lines. I never had the need. When I started in the ER I would hack somebody's arm up or have to poke multiple times. I was so mad at myself that I couldn't do it. It just took some practice and I did get better, but it took time. I care about what I do and want to be the best I can at something.

We as nurses, sometimes get lost in tasks. I can tell you that your most important skill will be your critical thinking. Nurses don't get paid for their tasks, they get paid for their mind. You are on the right path by caring, but any skill you attempt multiple times you will get better at, but it's the critical thinking that makes you a good nurse. Keep that in your back pocket when a surly person starts to try and belittle you over a task that you have not had experience in. When a patient starts to crump and go bad, that same person will be asking you what to do and it will be your responsibility to make a decision on what to do. That is what we get paid for.

You will be fine. Just learn what you can. The skills will be learned when you are on the floor, just make sure to train your mind to think critically and you will be a helluva nurse.