Mistakes to avoid in clinicals..

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in CNA/Nursing school student.

Planning to enroll in a nursing program out here in California... Pretty simple question.. What mistakes do you notice by other student nurses when in clinicals, that I should avoid?

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.

Not wanting to work. You should be eager and happy to do anything and everything. Doesn't matter that you've given one bed bath, give another.

Ask questions. Listen to what the nurses say and do, but don't argue with them if you don't agree. Talk to your prof for clarification.

Don't steal a nurses computer. We have charting to do and orders to check. We know that you need to look up stuff too, but wait till we're done.

Don't group together to gossip and/or play on your phone. Yes I know there are drug apps on there so you can look up meds, but we know what gossip sites and fb looks like.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Be mindful of the number of chairs in the nurses' station. If a staff nurse is looking for a seat, give it to them. Be respectful

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Avoid:

-thinking that you're above doing direct care. Be ready to get your hands dirty and do it with a smile.

-being unprepared. Look through your patient's chart. Research their history, the pathophysiology behind their diagnosis, know their meds well, and find the policy for interventions that need to be done. No one is going to enjoy feeding you the answers.

-being late. This is a no brainer.

-doing things you're unsure about. When in doubt ask or look it up!

-talking about your patient in the hallway/outside of the unit. You don't want to get nailed for a HIPAA violation and believe me you're under a microscope.

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.

Oh and another one: do NOT post anything at all about clinicals on facebook! It's best to learn this lesson now. Don't post pictures, don't mention floors, don't say a darn word about anything on FB.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Don't be afraid to answer bells. Leave the phone at home.Don't be late.

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Specializes in CNA/Nursing school student.

Basically be active and take initiative..too...

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I wrote something up about this....

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/advice-nursing-students-886598.html

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I learned a TON in clinicals because the nurses saw that I was busting my butt. I answered call lights, I helped the CNA's, I helped the nurses when they needed an extra hand. I always asked if they minded letting me watch different things. If I heard something was going to happen that day (removing chest tubes, US of bladder, whatever) I asked if they'd mind if I watched. When I had proven myself by not sitting around talking/looking at my phone/avoiding cares, they took the extra time to make sure I was involved in more than my co-students were

Don't leave until you've finished everything with your patient. Don't leave crap for your nurse (literally and figuratively). Be the student you would want to deal with as a nurse

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.

Yes, yes, yes to everything everyone has said above. To add something of my own:

Do not be obsessed with rote tasks. Yes, help with ADLs, answer call lights, take every opportunity you can get to start IVs, insert catheters, NGTs, change dressings, etc., but understand that these are TASKS and do not constitute what your day as a nurse truly consists of once you're on the floor.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Don't think you're "above" the "dirty work". Just because it's within a CNA's scope of practice doesn't mean it's below yours. Get in there and do those vitals and do bed baths and such.

Don't stand in the corner and expect to be "invited" in to do or see stuff. Be proactive and advocate for yourself. Ask to follow your patient to X unit for their procedure or to do their Foley insertion or whatever.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, but do your own research first. My preceptor LOOOOOVES that she can trust that if I'm asking her a question, it's pretty likely that I've sought the answer out on my own and haven't been able to find something. Or I'll ask her where I can locate an answer if I can do it that way.

Ask your nurses why they do certain things the way they do. You'll learn a lot from this.

Be organized, take notes, carry pens, be on time, and be reliable.

Don't trust everything you hear in hand-off. Go through the patient's chart as soon as you can and read their H&P and prior nursing notes. I've found several things in the charts and corrected my hand off in turn.

Complete your own, and communicate with your nurse anything you weren't able to complete.

Do your charting early if possible, and come back to touch it up later.

Challenge yourself! Don't be afraid to push your limits a bit.

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.
Yes, yes, yes to everything everyone has said above. To add something of my own:

Do not be obsessed with rote tasks. Yes, help with ADLs, answer call lights, take every opportunity you can get to start IVs, insert catheters, NGTs, change dressings, etc., but understand that these are TASKS and do not constitute what your day as a nurse truly consists of once you're on the floor.

This is SO true, and I did not appreciate it until I had been on the floor for quite a while.

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