I am in the process of putting together a clinical "cheat sheet" for my first semester students. What information would you have loved to have had in a miniature booklet for clinicals? So far, I have:
normal vitals by age range
normal labs for adults
ABG info (trying to make it something they will use in later semesters)
mini skills review cards (injections, NG tubes, cath, etc)
I know you're done with your cheat sheet, but if you're still thinking of adding to it, I would suggest some facility specific info like where things are and what they look like. I know I sound like an idiot, but in my first semester, honestly I had no idea what an emesis basin looked like, was used for or was located! And now in med-surg, even at the end of the semester I was unsure of where the abd pads, the IV tubing and stuff like that were. I mean, I found what I needed, but it would have been so nice not to have to keep asking!
Also, even more basic info like what you need to take in with you for a bed change or a bed bath.
And things like can you borrow the pulse oximeter off the nurse's cart or not. If not, then which one can you use and where is it?
Can you tell how lost I was in my first semester?!
Thank you so much for doing this for your students!
Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.
Hello there, for some reason i could not attach all I wanted.
I made a few forms myself inspired by daytonite, to help me be efficient, learn as much as i can, and don't feel lost or waste time in clinicals! so they are attached:
would you please send to me. I'm finishing my gen ed classes. I'm really worried about starting my clinicals in September. I hear that the clinical instructors are very, very mean. Which I can believe because the students are not any better. The students hang with there own groups and look at everyone else like we are retarded. I'm 38 years old, I dont' have the time and patience to deal with mean nurses and students. That is so childish and STUPID! I have other things to worry about.
A sample care plan would be a wonderful idea. However, sometimes people fixate on the sample and have trouble generalizing to their patients. Always tricky!
More helpful, however, was the sample comprehensive note one kind instructor provided us. A sample DAR note would be wonderful as well. I also had an instructor who obtained for us a hard copy of the paperwork (which we completed on the computer) we would be completing after each assessment. This was very helpful in focusing our assessments and reminding us to be comprehensive.
9livesRN, BSN, RN
1,570 Posts
Here is what I use... dont know if you will like but