first year student...what is clinical like...?

Im from Ireland so my experience could probably be a little different to yours but I am studying for a BSN and at the end of the day a BSN is a BSN :) So to start off I thought clinicals were great fun!! Exciting too and a great place to learn lots! You get a real sense of fulfillment when you do something for a real patient that makes their lives better...something as simple as feeding them :) However Clinicals can also cause one to be nervous and even a little frightened at times and as far as I know that is totally normal....I often felt a bit nervous...especially for doing things the first time such as giving sub cuts etc. I found the majority of the RN's to be really nice and helpful and supportive. In Ireland we are assigned to an RN - our preceptor, and he/she is the one to decide if we pass or fail. So they are kinda like our instructor :) I was really quiet too and you can't help the type of person you are. My advise would be to smile and be friendly, even if you are quiet. Don't be afraid to ask questions, lots of questions, it shows enthusiasm and a willingness to learn :) Most people will understand its your first time on clinicals and if you have done nothing wrong and they aren't being friendly or nice well its obviously their problem not yours so dont let it knock your self esteem, still ask questions if you are unsure :) With regards to the teacher watching you do something, everyone is supervised at some stage, even they were, they know how it feels. You are learning and they want to see you do things correctly, its only fair to you and the patient. They want to see you do well, remember that and take note on any constructive criticism they may give you :) Also I know when Im on clinicals the nurses dont like to see students hanging around doing nothing or at the nurses station doing nothing, we are told to go and sit beside a patient and chat to them. This builds up your confidence, you get to improve communication skills and it keeps you busy :) So just in case it is different where you do clinicals, if you feel you have nothing to do, maybe you could ask can you talk to a patient. Also, always wear your full uniform, if your hair is supposed to be pinned back, pin it back...its not worth getting into trouble over. On a more practical note when you are on clinicals try your best to go to bed early, eat well and drink plenty of fluid to prevent getting sick because the hours are long and the work although enjoyable is hard! Most importantly just try to learn lots and have fun! Best of luck!!!!! :) :)

there is a post I just made in the nurses section of this forum. It's titled (pet peeves when nursing students arrive) or something like that. It has some good advice like the above post that may help ease your worries and gear you to succeed like it did me.

sandan rnstudent

I'm starting my second year of clinicals this month.

First and foremost, it all depends on your clinical instructor and what unit your on.

So for example, during my first semester, in which I was learning all the basic nursing skills like taking blood pressure, cleaning wounds, taking temperatures, etc., I was on a unit that had a diverse population with patients that had many things wrong with them. On top of that, I had a great clinical instructor who went out of her way to find patients for us that would challenge us with our skills under her supervision or she would show us skills that we weren't prepared to do because we didn't learn it yet. That whole semester, I was cleaning stage 4 decubiti (the worse type of bed sore) wounds, head to toe assessment, peg tube feedings, changing IV bags, setting drip rates, cleaning patients, changing their linen all semester long - I volunteered for everything and I learnt so much that semester.

My second semester, on the other hand, I had a really sweet intelligent instructor but she didn't get us the patients that we had like the first semester. We mostly did head to toe assessments, changed linens and bathed the patient. I went to more places during my second semester - so I saw major surgery, went to the pacu, I saw dialysis, etc. I just didn't see too much excitement on the floor.

Don't be scared. Ask questions. And volunteer during clinical.

I considered myself a shy person too when I started. My clinical instructor had to actually give me a little pep talk because I looked so anxious when all I had to do was just interview a patient on our first day of clinical. And by the end of that semester, she made me "charge nurse" because I grew so much from our first day and I worked with everyone of my peer's patients and helped them make sure that they got everything done with their patients. It was one of the best experiences so far that I had in Nursing school.

Anyways, good luck and make sure you have fun in clinical.