FIRST DAY AT CLINICAL!!!! Advice please?

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Tomorrow is my first day of clinical and I am terrified! We went to our clinical site today to gather all our info on our individual patients...such as lab values, medications, allergies, etc. What can I do to prepare myself for tomorrow? Please help...I am so scared...I feel so intimidated and I'm scared my professor will ask me a question and I won't know how to answer it!

The primary diagnosis of my patient is right uretal stent blockage, intractable pain, and metastatic uretin cancer. What do I need to research in order to "know my stuff" and prepare for tomorrow? Thanks in advance!

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Read up on the pathophysiology, diagnotic procedures, and therapeutic management of the patient's diagnoses. Compare the lab values of your patient to the normals for each, determine which ones are abnormal, and formulate a reason why based on the patho of their condition. Look up each medication your patient is on, determine why it has been prescribed for the patient, what the side/adverse affects of each are, and what you as the nurse would assess for and how you would evaluate the effectiveness of the medication. Best of luck.:nurse:

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

where you given objectives? first semester the objectives were so simple to me. all i did was follow the objectives and had a successful clinical rotation. i scored the highest grades in my group. students that did not read or follow the objectives were the ones who had problems.

the above poster lists much of what you are expected to have looked up, but usually the objectives will list in detail expectations regarding this information and more. if not, i think you need to clarify with your ci the clinical expectations for this rotation because it is neither fair nor safe for you to walk into clinicals not knowing what you should and should not do for the day. gl!

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

this is late in being posted, but i usually am not online on sunday evenings. the information will be helpful to you for subsequent assignments.

this post from some time ago (and it is also posted on the health assessment resources, techniques, and forms sticky thread) will help you organize what information you should be looking for in the chart: https://allnurses.com/forums/2228927-post5.html. also, and most important, when you get home you need to look up information about your patient's medical diseases/conditions to learn about the signs and symptoms and pathophysiology of them. if you have time, do some reading into the medical procedures that are performed for these diseases/conditions, any expected consequences of the diseases/conditions or procedures done for them, and potential complications. these are all things that an instructor might ask you and that you will eventually need to know. if you are required to write a care plan about this patient you will have to find this information by the time the care plan is completed.

if you do not have all the references you need to find all that information, the websites posted on these threads will be a big help:

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Stay busy. Don't stand/sit around in the Nurses Station. Never, ever say "There's nothing to do!".

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Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.
Stay busy. Don't stand/sit around in the Nurses Station. Never, ever say "There's nothing to do!".

This is good advice if I've ever read any. I used to make it a point to assist the CNAs if my nurse/preceptor was having down time. My instructor would have killed us, buried us, and then dug us up to repeat the process again if we were caught sitting/hanging around the nurses station.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

My wife has been a nurse for 25 years or so. The best advice she ever gave me, going into clinicals, was "Develop a good relationship with the CNA's. They'll be your saving grace as a nurse."

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For my clinicals we are required to research and provide information on these:

1. Pathophysiology map of their admitting diagnosis

2. Medications (we also have to show page number, classification, action, side effects, nursing implication, teaching, etc.)

3. Nursing diagnoses

4. Mini care plan

5. And something else I just can't quite put my finger on right this minute!

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.
For my clinicals we are required to research and provide information on these:

1. Pathophysiology map of their admitting diagnosis

2. Medications (we also have to show page number, classification, action, side effects, nursing implication, teaching, etc.)

3. Nursing diagnoses

4. Mini care plan

5. And something else I just can't quite put my finger on right this minute!

Lab work?

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Lab work?

Thank you and YES! We'd have to look at their labs and write why we think a value is high or low.

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Stay busy. Don't stand/sit around in the Nurses Station. Never, ever say "There's nothing to do!".

i don't stay at the nurses station in my first day of clinical duty, get the all information about your assigned patient and establish rappour with your patient...read about the condition of your patient and it'll be better if you'll make a case study about it, it'll be a great help for you....:)

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Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.
i don't stay at the nurses station in my first day of clinical duty, get the all information about your assigned patient and establish rappour with your patient...read about the condition of your patient and it'll be better if you'll make a case study about it, it'll be a great help for you....:)

An assessment and case study was a requirement at each area we "worked".

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