How do clinicals work?

[beccaleigh72]

I just wanted an idea of how they work. Do you stay in groups and go throughout the hospital? Do you just watch the nurses? Do they throw you in there and tell you what needs to be done and you do it? With first year students going in I'm sure you don't know much so how does it work? Do you do labs first then go? I'm just full of questions.

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

Yesterday I learned that I didn't know how to properly flush an IV line, in front of 6 doctors. It was a humbling experience. I got an IV pole, a bag a saline, a line, and everytime I had a second, I started it.

I also made an appointment with one of my faculty to find out how to become better at communication, because there were some situations I didn't know how to handle. It was a bad day for me, but good as well. It's okay to have bad days as long as you know you need to improve and take the steps to do so.

[loriangel14, RN]

First semester, I learned how to be a CNA, basically.

Why the sad face? Learning how to provide good personal care and interact with patients is very important.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

I learned that I have very good compressions during CPR.

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

I was able to apply all my knowledge that I've learned throughout the first semester. Things just snapped into place. Electrolytes and acid-base balance, wound care, oxygenation, vital signs, and assessment. A thousand discombobulated notes came together to form this grand symphony. I know, I make it sound more grand than it is, but given where I started, a student wondering why they were letting me into a patient's room, to where I am now: the difference is night and day.

I hope that every nursing student enjoys their clinical day. I hope that you have a clinical atmosphere like mine, where asking a question is encouraged and you never feel stupid for doing so, where you learn humbling experiences, where you have not such great days but you continue to learn from the bad and the good, and you grow.

I am excited to see what the next semester will bring. The only thing I know for certain: This is the field I was meant to be in.