How to improve my clinical performance?

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This is my 2nd term of nursing and I am on the orthopedic ward. It is a big jump for me in terms of nursing skills, care planning, critical thinking etc. I feel really stressed when I arrive to the unit as I am afraid of making mistakes, or not monitoring my patients well. My instructor has very high expectation from her students. So she always quizzes us individually and that adds more pressure. In the past 5 weeks, I have filed couple incidence reports! That was insane! I really want to change this situation.

What can I do to reduce the stress without it influencing my performance? What's your recommendations/tips/tricks to help you do well in clinical?

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If you have a pre-clinical where you go and find out your patient, make sure you research any and everything about that patient's conditions so you'll be prepared to care for them. Thorough research never led me astray.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Do you have access to a sim lab? If so, spend as much time as possible there - practicing your skills. It's a safe environment to develop the "muscle memory" that will enable you to perform with confidence in the clinical setting.

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Where is your clinical instructor??? They are paid to stick by your side and guide you through your day. If not then I'd stick with the nurse you were assigned to and have her double check everything you do until you feel comfortable.

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Thanks HouTx. I managed to visit open lab to practice at least 1 time per week. There are only 2 days in a week I can go anyway since I have 2 clinical days.

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Thanks hannahleahw, we need to do patient researches on the day before clinical and prepare for it. our instructor likes to ask us things that we did not think it would link to each other, at least at the moment when she tests us. I guess we need to do more researches then? Honestly, we all spend hours in doing so and we thought we have well prepared.

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Where is your clinical instructor??? They are paid to stick by your side and guide you through your day. If not then I'd stick with the nurse you were assigned to and have her double check everything you do until you feel comfortable.

She did her best to guide us. no kidding. we are allowed to ask RN for help or check things we are unsure. However, RN is also busy all the time. I did try though to catch them whenever it is possible.

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