Has anyone or does anyone feel this way?

Nursing Students General Students

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So, I went to orientation, first lecture and our assessment class. I am totally freaked out. There is sooo much reading that needs to be done. Okay, I can probably manage finding the time to do that. I can probably make the grades. But, when they told us in clinicals we would be bathing, feeding and possible shoving gauze three inches into someone's skin that kinda freaked me out. Seriously...how do they expect us to go in and take a history from people if we don't even know what is going on or what to ask? What if the patient asks us something we don't know the answer to? This is all making me feel very uncomfortable. I was hoping to work with children when I graduate. But, I have to be honest the thought of wiping a four hundred pound man's butt does not sound very appealing to me. I know that I would make a great nurse and I am sure when you are in the situation it is totally different then just thinking about it, but all of this is very overwhelming and making me seriously doubt myself. Any words of wisdom or just say something to help ease my mind PLEASE. Thanks so much.

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All fundamentals students have to do ADLs and basic care in clinicals. It gets better with each semester. I was a little apprehensive my first day of clinicals, but I learned so much that semester. Do you start clinicals right away, or do you have a few weeks of class first? At mmy school we spent the first 6 weeks of that first semester in lab where we learned abotu dressings, bathing, assisting with ADLs, vitals, assessments, etc. Then six weeks later when we started clinicals, we were ready.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Telemetry.

Take it a day at a time. It is nbot as bad as it seems. I felt the same way as you when I first started but as soon as I got used to the clinicals and found a balance, it was okay. Just stay positive and do the best you can.

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We start clinicals on the third week.

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It can be really scary when you first start. I remember, my Professor gave us the most complicated patients on our first day of clinicals. But we had partners, and we got through it. Once you go in and start talking to the patients and show that you are not scared, they open up to you. It really does get easier over time. Just stay calm, and if there is situation that you absolutely don't feel comfortable in, let your Professor know. :0)

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Rest assured that they're not going to send you into the hospital and tell you to dress a wound or give a bath w/o giving you any instruction at all. Not only would it be bad for the patient but it would make the school look bad as well!

As far as the bathing/changing/wiping etc go, I think the biggest thing is to not psych yourself out over it. It seems to me the more people think about it and dwell on it the more of an issue it becomes for them. Just approach it like you would any other task in your job description that has to be done. And breath through your mouth. ;)

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Specializes in NICU.

Our foundations clinic also started on the third week. It's doable--it really is. The bathing and wiping is certainly not my favorite experience, but I have found that thinking about what freaks me out is worse than actually dealing with it. For that reason, when something bothers me, I try to volunteer for more experience in that area. Currently, the idea of central catheters and PICC lines are freaking me out, but I'm hoping that.

Side note- I've been told that when a would is bad enough that it is 3 inches deep, it's already deep enough to kill the nerves, so the dressing changes aren't terribly painful.

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hi there,

i know it sounds all so scary, but the unknown always is. i just started my second semester and this one sounds scarry to. but rest assured, you will not be sent into a situation that you would be expected to handle if you have not been taught it. i had never set foot in a nursing home, so i was totally out of my element. however, it was i who was sorry when the semester clinicals were over. this semester, the hospital, and, again it is scarry. but i figure if i made it through that i will make it through this. just keep in mind, if you are in doubt about what to do, or need help, the instructors are there to assist. they do not expect you to know everything, but it is a great learning experience. you will learn so much not than just in a lecture hall.

good luck to you and i know you will do just great!!!:redpinkhe:redpinkhe

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In our program, we have a 2 week orientation and start labs and clinicals on the 3rd week. We learn a skill during the week like passing meds and the next week, we are checked off on that skill. So, as the semester progresses, we are allowed to do more things in the clinical setting.

The first clinical day (the 3rd week), we had partners to work with. Our first patient had to use a bedpan and my partner and I had to clean him up. I have zero problem with blood, urine, feces and any other bodily fluids so I cleaned the patient with my partner emptying the bedpan. It wasn't until the end of the day that I found out that my partner wasn't so blase about feces and actually threw up a little bit ito her mouth. (I still kid her about that)

As for the OP's comment about wiping a 400 lb man's butt, I had to do just that last week. He wasn't even my patient, but I answered his call light and he had juuuust missed the toilet. I spent 45 minutes and a stack of towels cleaning him up. Did I mention he wasn't my patient? lol

The CNA seemed so grateful I took care of him.

And no it isn't my favorite thing to do, but it is just a natural bodily function and when someone is in such a diminished state that they are in a hospital, it is our job to care for them. Think about how you would like yourself, your spouse or your parents to be taken care of - that's how I look at it.

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It all looks overwhelming at first, and it's normal to be intimidated and ask yourself if you really truly can handle it and learn it all. Take it one day at a time and trust that your instructors know what they're doing, and you'll be fine. Bathing and toileting is really the last thing you should be worried about, they are not complicated tasks and they aren't 'unpleasant' when you are doing them, because at the time you thoughts will be "my patient needs me to give him/her a bath and to be wiped after a bowel movement"

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Specializes in NICU.

Once you're done with this semester, you'll look back and wonder why you were even scared.

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Specializes in Midwifery, women's health.

The first couple days of clinical, in my experience, are horrible. You're uncomfortable/embarassed with what's asked of you, you feel like the nurses, CNA's, and the patients are all judging you, everything is new, and you're afraid you're going to hurt someone, and you really have no clue what you're doing. Amazingly, it gets easier. After the first 2-3, giving a bath or cleaning up a BM really isn't that big a deal! The more you do something, the more easily it comes. Just give it a few weeks, and you're be giving baths and doing assessments no problem! Then you get to move on to drawing blood and starting IV's! I have a feeling (I'm still a student) that I'm going to feel totally inadequate until I have a few years -- or even decades -- under my belt.;)

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