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Discussion

Fundamentals of Nursing ?

I just finished my first nursing classes of my program and am so looking forward to (hopefully) getting more hands on soon. I'm taking 14 credits next semester, 10 of which are fundamentals (4-lecture, 4-lab, 2-clinical). I know every school is obviously different and I'm told the "clinical" credits are mostly observational time but I'm wondering what I might expect otherwise. Is it most likely gonna be CNA type skills/knowledge? Would anyone who has taken a "fundamentals", or something similar, care to share their experience? (topics you studied, skills you learned, etc.) ?

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    I just finished fundamentals a few weeks ago. It's some "CNA type skills" like vitals, but you will also learn basic nursing skills. You will learn to assess patients (especially in the form of a head-to-toe assessment), you will most likely learn sterile technique and sterile procedures (dressing changes, trach suctioning, foley catheters, etc), and you will also probably learn that you have been washing your hands all wrong for your entire life. It is largely observational, however we were allowed to perform any task that we had been signed off on whenever an opportunity presented itself.

    Theory (lecture) largely coordinated with clinical. So the week we did cardiac assessment in clinical, we would talk about cardiac assessment in theory. We also covered basic nutrition (which was VERY basic, since we have to take an individual nutrition course anyway), evidence based practice, patient centered care, nursing process, nursing theorists, cultural awareness and sensitivity, pain management (particularly using non pharmacological interventions), etc.

    The info is going to be pretty basic, but there is going to be a LOT of it. The emphasis is definitely on assessment. At least that's how my fundamentals class was.

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    Thank you! That's incredibly helpful!

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    The Fundamentals of Nursing class in the program I went to was a 9 credit hour class. It consisted of lecture 2 days per week, skills lab 2 days per week, physical assessment lecture 2 days per week, physical assessment lab 1 day per week and clinicals. We basically went to school 7 - 10 hours per day, every day, except Fridays (unless you were unlucky enough to be in the Thursday/Friday clinical group). The first 6 weeks of Fundamentals was the toughest of the program.

    At first, skills lab was a review of CNA skills (making beds, bathing, repositioning, etc.), but after the first 2 weeks, we transitioned into nursing skills (IM, SQ & ID injections, wound dressings, etc.).

    The hardest part of Fundamentals is learning to "think like a nurse"....critical thinking. You have to learn to tackle your exams in a completely different way. In your pre-reqs, you simply had to memorize info and find the right answer on your exam. No longer will that be the case. In nursing all the answers can be correct, but you need to pick the MOST correct answer. It can be very frustrating at first until you get the hang of it.

    I highly recommend the book "Fundamentals Success". It gives you critical thinking questions to practice that are geared for a first semester nursing student. Definitely makes taking your exams easier when you learn how to think through your answers.

    The other part is learning how to document assessments properly. What is subjective data? What is objective data? How do you indicate something is "normal" without using the word normal? (You'll find out soon :)) You'll learn all the abbreviations and how to complete your clinical paperwork.

    Don't get discouraged if it's hard at first. Just stick with it, find a good study group and go to supplemental instruction, if they offer it.

    Good luck on your 1st semester. :D

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    Thank you SopranoKris, I appreciate your detailed response and well wishes! I will actually be starting my second semester in nursing in January. In my program, our first semester included Intro to professional nursing, basics of ethical thinking, nutrition, and a critical thinking course. It now makes a lot of sense, with your insight in mind, why the program was designed to include some critical thinking preparation prior to fundamentals. I am grateful because I actually have already struggled a bit with the new way of thinking and answering questions, but I'll definitely take on next semester with more wisdom than I would have otherwise! Thanks again

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