Feeling unskilled/unprepared with no new grad training

[Anderle]

One of the main concerns of many of my former classmates was the limited opportunities to practice and apply the nursing skills learned in lab during our clinical training. Also due to college budget cuts, summer or winter break work/study programs were not always offered.

I have only started a few IV's in the AC area. Using lidocaine over hand veins just obliterated them for me. Also for students on the med/surg floor, IV's and IV bags are already in place and some hospitals have their own IV team so the floor nurses are seldom starting them.

Skills like tracheostomy care, NG tube insertion were not available or the patient was too fragile for a student to practice on. Wound care and dressing changes very minimal the same with chest tubes.

Our instructors would try to calm these concerns by saying the hospitals know you are new and expect this. So I figured when I graduated I would get to choose a specialty area and be taught those skills needed in a safe environment with a nurse mentor. But with no new grad programs in my area I am feeling very inadequate. Is this normal, or was my timing in clinical really bad for missing learning opportunities?

[fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN]

from what i've heard form nurses i've worked with during clinicals is that this is common. one ICU nurse i worked with never started a single IV through nursing school. also several have said they didn't learn anything about nursing until they got a nursing job.

even if it's not a new grad program, most jobs are going to have you with a preceptor during orientation, so i wouldn't worry about that.

my state is so saturated with nursing schools that a lot of us are not getting our final preceptorships... we just get an additional clinical rotation. with this saturation, i think we just have to be happy with what we get.

[Hawkens]

fromthesea what part of Ohio are you in? I ask because it sounds like my area Cleveland/akron, tons of schools teaching nursing but no new grad jobs to be found.

I only started 2 iv for real in my whole time at school and tested out on all the other skills we were taught.