fourth year clinical placements; what has the most skills?

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Hey all :)

I am going into my 4th and last year of nursing and my school is having a "lottery" to assign placements to us. I want a placement where I get to learn as many skills as possible. I want to learn EVERYTHING I could possibly learn about every part of the body, every organ, every system, etc. and i want to know it all. I want to graduate as an expert with IVs, needles, suctioning etc. and I have NO idea what placement to choose!

Has anyone had any good experiences in clinical theyd like to suggest that I could possibly choose as well for next year?

Thanks so much :)

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Specializes in ED.

I don't have first hand knowledge but some of my friends that are seniors doing their precept clinicals rave about ICU/MICU. A lot of students really pull for the ER too because you will see a little bit of almost everything. That all depends on how busy your ER is of course. The only caveat to that is that sometimes you are "treating and streeting" and not really seeing your patient all through treatment.

Good luck!

meredith

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Specializes in Tele, CVIU.

I would have to go with the ER/ED.

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Specializes in O.R. Nursing - ENT, CTC, Vasc..

I would think the ICU would give you a lot of experience. By the way - it's possible that you will not be an expert at things even after you graduate, but that is OK, they train you. Anyway, in my personal experience, I think the ICU let me do the most. I did way more IVs than I did in med-surg, and I got familiar with ART lines, chest tubes, drains, peritoneal dialysis (OK this I am not sure is what it was called, but they drain fluid from the peritoneum as part of it and it's got to be sterile...), ventilators, telemetry, ICP monitoring, blood transfusions, NG tubes, sedation, personal care, foleys, etc. SO much stuff. I loved it. The ED is busy but you could have a lot of slow times and "treat and street" as the previous person said.

Other than that, I'd think med-surg would be another busy skill-filled area.

I did my last clinicals in an OR - I didn't get to do anything. I did my ICU clinicals only in my critical care clinicals.

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