How would you feel?

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I Am in my last semester of my ADN nursing program and have had a wonderful experience thus far. I had done all clinicals up to this semester at the medical facility I currently work as a PCA at. This semester my workplace was not offered as a clinical location for day students.

Instead, we went to a smaller facility. They put us on an orthopedic floor ( we did orthopedics 3 semesters ago- this semester we are doing GI,renal and neuro). Only one student has gotten a patient related to our curriculum thus far. Meanwhile the other students in other clinicals are on trauma units, renal floors, etc. on top of this we have a brand new ( adjunct) clinical instructor who really is not up to speed with our program

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Posted before I could finish.. She doesn't challenge us at all. I feel like instead of being pushed into the nurse role we've all been thrown backwards it's very frustrating. She's very nice but is not the best teacher. She's more worried about how our written work looks than how out patients look and I'm really upset about it!

How would you feel

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

So make the most of the setting you are in now and take advantage of the learning opportunity.Take responsibility for your own learning, you should be capable of that at this point.Just because you did ortho a while ago it doesn't mean you can't take care of these patients now. Many schools have limits as to how many students they can send to each site.You will have to deal with what you get.Handle this with maturity.

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I did my "surgical" rotation with an entire semester on an ortho floor in a big metro VA, and took care of 3 patients with osteomyelitis of the right tibia r/t old (like WWII old) war wounds.

Somehow I learned a lot about surgical nursing later on. :)

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while l have d same problem when l was in lpn school,that is why am having difficulties of passing the nclex exam,but l think we should just face the challeges by studying hard and I know god will take contro.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Onc.

I think that you need to take what you can from the location you're at and make the best of it. There is definitely things to learn and do no matter where you are. There isn't anything you can do to change things at this point, put on a positive attitude and you will learn something even with the "worst" instructors. I've been there done that.

If you're worried about NCLEX issues time for a study group! Pick up several different NCLEX books, I love Lippincott (especially the only alternative answer book) and Priotization, Delegation, and Assignment by LaCharity. I've used Saunders as well and I did like that one but I basically have gone through the book twice by now so it was time to ditch it. I'm also in my final ADN semester and counting the days til pinning in December.

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Do you have a sim lab at your school where you can practice some of the skills you are not being exposed to on the ortho floor?

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We so but our school has us practice with old supplies that are half broken. And to add to that we can't do any skills at the site I'm at because the instructor has yet to schedule computer training for us

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ask her to let you have more patients or ask her to find ways to challenge you. Let her know you want to see and do as much as you can. I had this last semester and when I told her this stuff I got to watch and participate in much more than other students. She pulled me away to see something I might not have (actually WOULD not have) had I not asked her to push me harder. Talk to nurses on the floor and let them know you would like to learn as much as you can, too. AT one hospital when I was bored I started answering call lights of other patients so the PCA's thought I was the bees knees and then showed me things as well. Speak up and take advantage of your location

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