Labs and clinicals

jamisaurus · Aug 2, 2013

Lab is not that exciting. It's where they introduce you to skills, but where you really get to perform them is CLINICAL!! Woohoo!!! Clinical is where it's at.

I've only ever had one patient in clinical but I'm about to start med surg and I'm sure that will change. Eek. Good luck!!!

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2013

Nursing learning lab is where you are taught and practice hands-on things, often called skills but really tasks, that people always fixate on-- taking vital signs accurately, IV starts and regulation, use of various tubes, dressing changes and other treatments, use of various common pieces of equipment, physical assessment, moving people in bed and to chairs and such, bed baths, and the like. You will likely be tested in lab for proficiency before you can perform a given action on a real person.

Other classes you'll take will have labs to help you learn the material and see it in action-- chemistry, microbiology, physiology.

Clinicals will be in a patient care facility of some kind. You will probably start out with giving basic physical care to one simple patient at a time, and increase over your two or three years to a full RN patient load of complex patients with all medications, treatments, and such, or close to a full load, by the time you graduate.

LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN · Aug 2, 2013

How often are clinicals? I am currently signed up for two days a week in class but we still have no idea when we will start clinicals and which days they will be and for how long.

STLmomma27 · Aug 2, 2013

How often are clinicals? I am currently signed up for two days a week in class but we still have no idea when we will start clinicals and which days they will be and for how long.

I was told it will be one day a week. They start 4th week for me.

STLmomma27 · Aug 2, 2013

Now, in lab, are you doing IV's on the simulation patients or on students?

LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN · Aug 3, 2013

Now, in lab, are you doing IV's on the simulation patients or on students?

I don't think we can do them on each other, only maniquins.

ambitiousBSN · Aug 3, 2013

Now, in lab, are you doing IV's on the simulation patients or on students?

I hope our skills are done on each other- obviously depending on the specific skill. When I completed my Medical Assisting program, we practiced injections and blood draws on "fake arms," and then checked off on our skills on one another. *shrugs*

My clinical starts sometime in October- first semester, and will be on Wednesday and Thursday morning. :-)

goldpk · Aug 3, 2013

We have different labs, we have 'skills lab' and 'sim lab' in skills lab we usually practice skills on each other (or on a fake arm, mannequin... skills like BP, respirations, HR, IVs, giving meds, sterile dressing, Foleys) then in sim lab we go through different scenarios without any help from instructors, giving meds, changing dressings, etc. My favorite part is with the sim man (this really expensive mannequin that talks and breathes and can actually die) we are put in a situation where we have to use the crash cart and "call" a doctor to order meds, etc. That parts fun because we work together to try and figure it out then afterwards talk about what we did wrong/right.

Clinical is a completely different ball game... typically we get one patient. We go up to the hospital to get meds/labs on the patient then do a lot of paperwork before the actual clinical day. Then we either have two 6-hour days or one 12-hour day a week. We basically do everything the RN does (only with our instructor present) this includes giving meds, starting IVs, foley catheters, etc. We help out the CNAs with vitals, bed baths, etc. Basically anything you can find to do you do it. It's a lot of fun and my favorite part of nursing school altogether although the paperwork is stressful because we don't have a lot of time to finish it before the actual clinical day and there is a LOT of stuff to do, especially the meds. At the nursing home my patient would have 20+ meds I'd have to reserach and put on my med sheet (brand name, generic name, type of med, side effects, etc.) that takes awhile.

Labs and clinicals are the FUN part of nursing school... class on the other hand, that's where it can get tough and where a lot of students don't measure up. The trick is to balance the both. It can be done, you just have to want it! When you're in nursing school your life is nursing school. Good luck and congrats!

Simon Iipwaakena · Aug 3, 2013

we are doing it on simulation patients...

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Aug 3, 2013

During LPN schooling we had labs for several weeks during our Nursing Funds class. After about 3 wks we then went to clinicals and were allowed to do everything we were checked off for during lab. Our clincals for the first mod (like a semester but just a bit longer) we had clinicals 2x/wk 8hrs per day, mod 2-5 we had clinicals 3x/wk 8 hrs per day.

For my RN schooling we were shown new skills, we then had to make an appointment to redemo the skill to the lab instructor. She checked you off for those sklills and then you could do anything you had been checked off on

RN clinicals were 3x/wk, 8hrs/day.

Labs were from the ground up (basic patient care to the more complex). Basically everything you will be expected to do in clinicals you learn in the lab first.