First Clinicals coming up!

Ok guys, Im about to start my cliniclas next wednesday...

I am pretty nervous but I am wondering for all of you who have already started cliniclas...what are the best things to review for my first day...I want to be prepared and do well my first day. I am going to review vitals, normal breath and heart sounds, passing meds...charting, the 5 rights plus the 2 new ones...is there anything else that I can do...

or any suggestions...or even any of those, "make sure you dont do this or say this"...any suggestions are welcome:):)

[suzy253, RN]

Will you be assigned a patient beforehand, i.e. the day before your clinical rotation? At my school, the instructor goes over the charts at the hospital and we get assigned patient(s) to provide care for the following day. If that's the case with you, you'll want to look up the diagnosis(es), meds the patient is taking, any other info in the chart like the patient's history, what procedures have been done, etc. etc.

Good luck to you. Let us know how you make out.

[christvs, DNP, RN, NP]

Ok guys, Im about to start my cliniclas next wednesday...

I am pretty nervous but I am wondering for all of you who have already started cliniclas...what are the best things to review for my first day...I want to be prepared and do well my first day. I am going to review vitals, normal breath and heart sounds, passing meds...charting, the 5 rights plus the 2 new ones...is there anything else that I can do...

or any suggestions...or even any of those, "make sure you dont do this or say this"...any suggestions are welcome:):)

Hi! I used to also practice listening to breath and bowel sounds on my husband, and taking his vitals, and asking him to ask me any nursing related question to see if I could answer him. Sounds nutty but it was good practice for me! :) Good luck!

[vegnurse21]

You are passing meds your very first day of clinical!??!

[Imafloat, BSN, RN]

Do you have a copy of the trifold that the hospital uses? If so I would go through that and get a grasp on the assessment.

Do you have actual patient care that day? We normally have orientation the first day. Are you required to do a clinical prep? That will help a lot.

Best of luck to you. Remember also that it is normal to feel like a fish out of water. I was so overwhelmed my first clinical day and felt I had made a huge mistake in career choice.

[GrnHonu99, RN]

Will you be assigned a patient beforehand, i.e. the day before your clinical rotation? At my school, the instructor goes over the charts at the hospital and we get assigned patient(s) to provide care for the following day. If that's the case with you, you'll want to look up the diagnosis(es), meds the patient is taking, any other info in the chart like the patient's history, what procedures have been done, etc. etc.

Good luck to you. Let us know how you make out.

yes we are required to go the day before and meet our patient, read the chart and what not...

[GrnHonu99, RN]

You are passing meds your very first day of clinical!??!

ummm im not sure...even though we start next wednesday they really havent given us too much information? I doubt we will...I think that we are really just going to do simple stuff our first day and I think we will be doing some computer things too...the only thing they have told us is how to dress, what hospital we are going to, and who our clinical instructor will be...oh and where to park...i guess that is why i need so much advice. We have a one week break this week so hopefully tuesday (our first day back) they will fill us in even more..Oh and they did tell us that we are not allowed to do ANYTHING unless a prof is present...I guess I just hear all these horror stories on this board about these awful things happening in clincials and I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly...im sure its just the first day jitters....

[GrnHonu99, RN]

Do you have a copy of the trifold that the hospital uses? If so I would go through that and get a grasp on the assessment.

Do you have actual patient care that day? We normally have orientation the first day. Are you required to do a clinical prep? That will help a lot.

Best of luck to you. Remember also that it is normal to feel like a fish out of water. I was so overwhelmed my first clinical day and felt I had made a huge mistake in career choice.

Hmm...I dont know about a trifold...maybe they will give us that on tuesday..i know that after class on tuesday we are required to go to our clinical site and "get our assignment" they havent really told us what that entails except that we are supposed to meet our patient and read the chart..I guess I wish I had more than a day to prepare as our first day of clinical is the following day...I dont know if we will have any direct pt. care....we have learned quite a bit of skills but I have no idea the timeframe in which we will be using them in clincial...I think they might have said for the first day or so we would be paired with one our classmates but after that we would be expected to work on our own with an instructor of course...

[Imafloat, BSN, RN]

Oh and they did tell us that we are not allowed to do ANYTHING unless a prof is present...I guess I just hear all these horror stories on this board about these awful things happening in clincials and I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly...im sure its just the first day jitters....

I am in Ohio like you and I 'm not sure if it is state law but your prof only has to be present until she feels you are competent in whatever skill you are doing. You might get a chart of what skills a student nurse can perform depending on where they are in the program. I won't do anything that chart says I can't do. Most of them don't apply to me for this quarter. If I am asked to do something I am not allowed to do, I just say "I can't do that yet, but do you want me to get the materials for you to do it so I can watch?" I love watching a nurse who knows their stuff in action.

If you don't get a trifold in class, ask the nurses if you can borrow one (they are 1.50 each) when you go get your patient information on Tuesday.

[GrnHonu99, RN]

I am in Ohio like you and I 'm not sure if it is state law but your prof only has to be present until she feels you are competent in whatever skill you are doing. You might get a chart of what skills a student nurse can perform depending on where they are in the program. I won't do anything that chart says I can't do. Most of them don't apply to me for this quarter. If I am asked to do something I am not allowed to do, I just say "I can't do that yet, but do you want me to get the materials for you to do it so I can watch?" I love watching a nurse who knows their stuff in action.

If you don't get a trifold in class, ask the nurses if you can borrow one (they are 1.50 each) when you go get your patient information on Tuesday.

Where in Ohio are you? This might be a stupid question but...what is a trifold exactly?

[Imafloat, BSN, RN]

Where in Ohio are you? This might be a stupid question but...what is a trifold exactly?

A trifold is the tool the nurses use to chart the assesssments of the patients. They keep them at the bedside. They vary depending on the hospital, but they usually have room for Braden Score, Risk for Falls Assessment, vital signs, pain assessment and a general assessment. I always work my way through the trifold when I do my assessment. I will pmail you later about where I am, I have to go pick up my daughter right now.