first clinicals this week..HELP

[sophie<3]

i am starting my first clinicals this week and i am very nervous. the courses i am taking now are basic fundamentals where we are learning just basic skills over the course of the semester and as we are checked off on them we are allowed to perform them in the clinical setting.. so far we have only learned blood pressure and transferring, positioning, restraints, bed making, bed baths, and ROM. wednesday i have clinicals in my local hospital and am required to care for one patient. i do not know how to prepare for this because i will not know who my patient is until the morning of! i know that i will not be expected to know how to do much but i am wondering what i can expect? how will i keep myself busy with only one patient? what will i be doing in between tasks? i don't want to be the type of nursing student who is just standing around..i want to be useful but i find it hard to LOOK for the things to do because i am only limited to so many things due to it being the beginning of the semester. my clincals are on a med-surg floor so we will be taking care of a variety of patients. i am allowed to bring a little cheat sheet book to help me remember things..i was thinking of writing down the normal vital signs..any math covnersions..and i dont know what else! so basically..help

[Do-over, ASN, RN]

Chances are - you will be very busy with just one patient.

You'll be busy because you are new - you won't know where everything is, nor how to work the equipment, etc. You'll probably also be expected to help each other out with repositioning / transfers, etc.

Good luck!

[SNtil11]

It's nerve-wracking, we've all been there. Just take a deep breath, bring only what you think you might need (really, probably only your stethoscope and some paper...) you'll be busy with just the one patient, because as DoOver said, there is a lot to do, and you wont know where to find things (so half your day will probably be a scavenger hunt) this is all normal, so don't worry. :)

if you do have some down time, ask the nurse who is assigned to your patient if you can follow her and observe, or, go into your patients room and just ask to listen to his heart and lungs, bowel sounds, etc. even if you haven't gone over that yet, there is really no harm in it as long as your patient is fine. my first day was crazy, we were paired up with classmate for one patient (so 2 students, a nurse, and a sitter) for 1 patient, and we were still running around all day. :)

trust your instincts and clear your head when you get overwhelmed - you can do it! :)

[liladybug526, RN]

I remember feeling the same way you did when I first started clinicals. Your clinical instructor will probably let you know during your orientation what she expects of you and what you will be required to do. Personally, when I didn't have anything to do I would take that opportunity to learn about my patients health history. If my patient was in heart failure and had COPD then I would look those conditions up in my medical book. I would look through his/her chart for the medications they were on, look them up in my drug book and see how those tied in to his/her condition. Not only will this keep you busy but you will actually know what you are talking about during post conferences. Remember that clinicals is an extention of the classroom, you are not suppose to be able to function as a nurse yet, so relax and learn as much as possible. Good luck.:)

[Charlie0413]

First take a deep breath....ok now. I just had my first clinical this past weekend and only had one patient. We were there from 8-3 and i actually ran out of time. You will be doing assessments and such and in between while your patient is resting ect. you will most likely be looking at his chart or something to gather nursing information. Believe me one patient is enough.

[Hazel11]

Always ask questions..I can't stress that enough. Like others have stated, the first day is always the craziest. If you run out of things to do, you can always ask your clinical instructor or the nurse you are working with if you can watch certain procedures. Last semester we got to watch a man receive a wound vac. Good luck! :)

[luv-my-coffee]

I agree with the other posts! You will have plenty to do during clinical & if you find that there is down time, always ask the nurse if there is anything you can help with. Be proactive & show that you are anxious to learn! At my clinical, my partner & I (on the first day after orientation) were working on our care plan & a nurse poked her head in our conference room & asked if we'd like to help w/ a dressing change...we said "of course"! I was thinking a simple dressing change on a little surgical incision...instead we helped w/ a stage 4 pressure ulcer that was HUGE! It was such a great learning experience. Good luck, you'll do great!:)

[9livesRN, BSN, RN]

read over the chart. become familiar with the way they put it together, look at what was done from the time he was admitted until now, look at the progress notes and doctor orders.. read the labs....

and then when you feel there is nothing left to do, go get cold water for all patients THAT ARE ALLOWED TO DRINK, and you can follow your nurse, or shave your pt if he wants, or comb their hair... there is plenty of things to do to change a boring day into something good!