Feeling useless/unsure in clinical/sim lab

[skulskcc01]

I am a second semester nursing student. I haven't started clinicals yet this semester. I start in about a week. I just feel useless when on clinical. I feel I don't know how to make small talk with patients and am unsure about what I should be doing. All my other classmates seem confident and take charge. I wish I could be like that. I just don't know how. If you could give me advice or share an experience. I just want to get better at talking with patients and gain confidence. How can I get better at small talk?

[mpihl]

I seem to have this problem a lot as well. I'm great at talking I just never know how to start the conversation (and sometimes I am not comfortable with doing so either). Luckily from what I have seen most patients are eager to talk to you so they will start the conversation and I'll just go from there. If the patient is not speaking much I'll just ask a few simple questions like so how are you doing today and then they'll start talking. Once a conversation has been started the first time its much easier to continue that conversation throughout the whole shift.

[♑ Capricorn ♑]

Start talking. Just do it. Ask simple questions and don't feel bad about doing it. The more you initiate in speaking the more comfortable you will become. Sometimes we just need that little push to get ourselves out of our comfort zones. :)