First clinicals in 2nd year!!

[COLPN]

Hey all,

I just got done with two days of 13 hour shifts on a Med/Surg floor as a second year student. We got to practice at the RN level as opposed to LPN level during first year clinicals. I had a blast!! It was so great to be doing full patient care. Now I only wish I could get paid for it!!

Anyway a couple questions for the rest of you.

Do you practice at the LPN level your first year, as well??

How long are your shifts during clinical?? Ours are supposed to be 12 hours but we go early for report and ending staying late to give report.

How many patient's are you allowed to take on??

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

Well, we had basically 9 hour clinicals 1x a week...but we always practiced at the RN level...We took up to 4 patients in the hospital, but in LTC we had 13 divided by 3 students. 1 was "charge" and took 2-3...the other 2 took care of the rest.

It's very common for my "12" hour shift....to wind up from 4:30pm(to be prepared and ready for report at 5) til 5:45-6...if a nurse is late, or something comes up right at shift change.

[sugarbush]

Ours are twice a week, 0630-1300. We practice on the nursing student level... When we chart we chart as nursing students. We have full patient care with the exception that we cannot pass narcs. The first time we do something (start, DC IV, Change colostomy bag etc.) our clinical instructor has to be with us to check us off on it and then we are good after that. We have 10 students to one instructor so we are on our own unless we need her.

[Gauge]

I am currently in the 3rd of 6 semesters of the actual BSN program here at my university. We practice at RN level and the only things we can't do as students are blood and chemo. We can give all meds, the only thing we can't do yet is start an IV (because we won't learn that until next semester). Our clinical for that class is from 645 to 1245 with 1 patient and halfway through the semester it is bumped up to 2 patients. We also have collaborators which is basically like a charge nurse in charge of 2-3 students. We do total care for each of our client's and the instructor will come in there for the first time or two that you do something (because the semester just started and we have never had her before) and then she will pretty much let you do it on your own after that unless you need help or she wants to check in on you. Ton of paperwork, but hey...it's school.

Got to go to the ER this week...it was crazy! A guy chopped the tip of his finger off and it was squirting blood with his pulse....super bloody, but it was pretty cool!