Disappointed about clinical placement

[HealthyRN]

I am a senior nursing student taking a high acuity nursing course. Today was the first day of courses for us and I am so upset! This is a precepted course and one that we were supposedly to "pick" the units where we would like to be placed. I got placed on a general medical-surgical unit, the same unit where I had my first nursing clinical in sophomore year. Out of all the units in the many hospital systems in this area, this is the one unit on which I prayed I would not be placed. I just cannot believe it. I want to go into this quarter with an open mind, but it's hard to forget the negative experiences I had on this unit. I am feeling very discouraged. :o

[truern]

Have you asked for a different assignment?? Sometimes we can ask out of a floor we've already worked.

Bless your heart. I hope things work out and you get the clinical you'd like.

[studentnurserachel]

I was lucky enough to get the area I requested (L&D), but I made sure that my choices after that were ICU and then telemetry because I really didn't want to get stuck on one particular floor (for us it's First East, blech!). Unfortunately some students inevitably get stuck there. In our program it is an unwritten rule that you don't complain about your assignment unless you have a serious conflict. I would just make the best of it. I don't know if you've actually met your preceptor yet, but if you have, how is (s)he? I think the preceptor themself probably makes all the differrence in the world. I also would not let it be known how disappointed you are because the last thing you need is the nurses hearing about that. I would also try to view it from a different perspective, your experience will be much different this time because you will be taking a lot more responsibility for your patients and learning a great deal.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hope you can switch or at least have a better experience this time around.

Good luck