help! I'm terrified of clinicals!

lemonaidangel · Sep 20, 2008

Hey, you are not alone. When I started my first semester, I was in the same boat. I had no previous medical background. I never saw a chart, I never took a blood pressure, I never talked to a patient. I was terrified my first week at clincals. All I have to say is, don't be afraid of looking silly by asking questions. Your instructors don't expect everyone to know everything on the first day, and I am sure your peers will be willing to help out as well. The odds are, they are going to be freaking out on their first day as well! It gets easier, trust me. Just remember to breathe. You will be fine. Soon you will be like me, a senior, and you'll be a pro at flipping through charts, and you will be shouting out things like NPO, CAGB x 4, I&O, BID, PRN like you were born talking medical lingo.

whiteoleander5 · Sep 20, 2008

I feel the same exact way. I'm in week five also but have had clinicals since the first week. We haven't even stepped foot into a patients room yet, instead we have been learning basic skills. I am a complete nervous wreck before clinicals, I cant even wait for the day to be over...and I absolutely terrified of the day when I have to interact with the patients... :no:

Thankfully, my clinical instructor is a very nice woman who has taken us under her wing.. She has taught us basic things but I think even if you know how to do it, you're still going to be "tossed in" eventually... Because eventually you have to make that step onto doing all these things with/on a real person.. :eek: Oh no.... !

But I am just as terrified as you are. Clinical days are the worst days of the week... But hopefully one day we will both be like lemonaidangel :bow:

pattylpn54, LPN · Sep 20, 2008

Your instructors, your preceptors,and the staff at whatever facility you do clinicals at, all know you're in school and have little or no experience. They all know you're nervous, will have thousands of questions, and make plenty of mistakes. As long as none of the mistakes are life-threatening, clinicals will go along fine. We've all been where you are right now, felt everything you're feeling--so you're not alone and there is nothing wrong with what you're feeling. The old saying-- This to will pass -- is true. Before you know it, your nerves will calm down and hopefully, you'll learn, you'll enjoy, and you'll feel better as time passes. You CAN do it. I'm 54 and got my license in Aug. so if I can do it, you certainly can. Try to relax(chill!) and enjoy this entire experience. It was actually fun for me. Good luck. Go get em!!!!!

:yeah: :up:

mbb21 · Sep 20, 2008

I COMPLETELY understand how you feel. I am starting my 4th week of NS and i had my very first clinical experience yesterday! And, not to scare you, but we were literally thrown in. We didn't follow a nurse as other students did. Our instructor simply said "Go get the patients up, take their vitals, document, assist with feedings, help clean them up" and that was it!!!! I was terrified, but just get in there and do your best... That's all I did and I learned SO much. I was scared just as you are (and I still am scared), but try to put that aside and take in everything you can... Good luck to all of you! :nurse:

jbjints · Sep 20, 2008

You are not alone. I am a plumber by trade with obviously no medical experience so I know what you are going through. Apply theory to clinical, listen to your instructor and the nursing staff and you'll be fine.

StudentNurseAndi · Sep 20, 2008

I felt the exact same way first and second semester! I'm now in my last year and feel so much more confident than I did when I first started. Just stick with it and know that everyone started out feeling the same way!

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Sep 20, 2008

I started NS about 5wks ago and we have about 4wks until our clinicals begin. Pretty much everyone in my class is already at least a CNA, but I have NO medical background. The only time I've even been in a hospital was when I had my son a few years ago. I've never seen a chart, or anything. It seems like when we're in lab most of my classmates know what they're doing or at least have seen the stuff we're talking about.
How can I get over these jitters and what can I do to prepare? Do they just toss you in, sink or swim style in your clinicals or do they hold your hand through everything? I just have no idea what to expect. Help!

Ok, so since I am the first "senior" an.com member to respond let me put this out there....EVERYONE gets nervous at first...regardless of how long they've been doing it. AFter you've seen a procedure the first time or done something for the first time, it sticks in your head. Do you start in LTC or hospital? Generally, charts are seperated with tabs that are labeled with the catagory..."lab, xray, h&p, etc) so this should help you find the info. The first time in LTC clinicals I went in with NO cna job expierence....I was a wreck. You just fake it till you make it, ask questions of your instructor if you DON'T know what to do, ASK! It depends on your CI, hopefully you have a good one who will guide you. Good luck, and let us know how it's going!

rnmomtobe2010 · Sep 20, 2008

I feel the same way...I start Wednesday and I get nervous everyday... Good luck and just pray...

Bobylon · Sep 20, 2008

I hear you, clinicals can indeed be stressful - I had no previous medical experience either. The first couple of days on-site were stressful to me, not knowing what to expect, not wanting to hurt anyone who's already sick, injured, whathaveyou......anyways, we've been in clinicals for several weeks, now, and I feel ok about what I'm doing when actually there, but worry like crazy from the time we leave until the time I see my patients the next day, so I can know for sure that they're still alive, and all ....I mean, I do everything I'm supposed to, "by the book" and all, know which meds I'm passing shouldn't be crushed (med cards....arrrrgggghhh !!!!), etc, but as soon as I get out of there, I start wondering stuff like "Oh No !!!...what if Jane Doe in room 1313 actually chewed the XR pills I gave her ???? ..... what if John Doe aspirated after I administered his meds through his gastro tube later after we left ???? ... what if ??? what if ???? etc, etc, etc...." through that day/evening/night. So far, so good - I haven't adversely affected anyone (yet), but was a little concerned when we arrived at clinicals last week and one of my pts was being rolled out the door on a stretcher on his way to the hospital:eek: - he had fallen that early a.m., but he was back by the next day just a lil sore and with a black eye.

Other than the post-clinical worrying, I really love the hands on experience, and have found that the vast majority of my pts have been quite pleasant, considering the condition some of them are in.... any questions you may have, anything you're not quite comfortable with, etc, ask your clinical instructor (ours are really great) and/or the LPN your assigned to......there are no stupid questions.

Wishing you the best - it will get easier with time :cool: I much prefer clinicals to, oh, say....:banghead::banghead:Advanced Pharmacology:banghead::banghead:

Gabby_101, BSN · Sep 20, 2008

i hope that none of you are offended or anything. i am not trying to be mean just a question. how do you guys know that you want to be nurses if you have no clinical expirence?

i mean work so hard and pay so much money and not know what you are getting into? i know several cna's that have worked on my floor that got their cna as a pre req for nursing school and saw what the nurses really do and quit (the did know that nurses had to clean up poop, give baths, take people to the bathroom, etc.). not to say that you can't be a nurse w/o having prior expirence, there is no doubt that you can and you can be a really good nurse.

i just don't understand why putting so much time, effort, and money into something that you don't "really" know what they do. again i'm not trying to sound like you can't do it but i just know that if i was going to be spending money on a new car (same price as a few semesters of college) i would be trying it out first so i knew what i was gettin into and making sure that it was the right car for me. good luck to you all! i'm sure you will do fine! i'm sorry to anyone who is offended. please help me understand it.

:spbox:

Dubah · Sep 21, 2008

I felt the same way when I first started nursing school. I had no clue how to do the simplest things, like even making a patient's bed. But trust me it will all come together for you. Each semester you will feel more confident in your skills and knowledge. The most important thing is to ask questions when you are not sure about how to do something. It's better to risk looking dumb infront of a nurse or your CI, then hurt a patient. So relax, you will be okay.