i need confidence

[summers hope]

I am scared of clinicals @ the hospital, and Tomorrow is my first day. What should I expect? I am scared of not catching on quick enough. Anxiety keeps me from learning as quick as I feel that I should. Are Dr.s really that hard on nurses?¿?¿ I did ok @ the long term care facility, but I hear that the hospital is faster pace. Can anyone give me some words of wisdom? thanks, summers hope

[TDE RN]

Hey summers hope. It's okay to be nervous. I am a nursing student also, getting ready to start my last semester, and I still get nervous. But don't worry, most of the nurses are really great about helping students. Of course, not all of them are so ready to help. But don't worry. Where are you in school?

[summers hope]

Thanks for the reply, I'm in an lpn program at a votech. I have taken it a day at a time up to now, but for some reason I'm having overwhelming anxiety about the hospital. summers hope

[maryloufu]

Hey- During clinicals It seems like the docs leave you alone- they know you are learning- Just do everything you are allowed to do- watch everything you can- get in there and grab some experience! Good luck! (PS ask a lot of questions!)

[summers hope]

Thank you, I was hoping the Doc.s try to be understanding. summers hope

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

Don't worry about Dr's, they will pretty much ignore you for the most part...lol.

My only advice is to be proactive and to jump right in (even if your scared to!). And no, your not going to catch on right away, my first few days I felt very overwhelmed because there IS a lot to learn and that is ok!!

I remember our first clinical day last semester (Med/Surg at a huge hospital). One of my friends had a migraine from the fear, I felt like I was going to puke and was sweating from the nerves, most of us were scared to death! It's normal. By the time my second rotation came around (Psych) I was MUCH more calm about it all.

Good luck and get some sleep tonight! I start back tomorrow as well.

[summers hope]

Thanks, and goodluck to you to. I'm getting my butt to bed,lol.

[Imafloat, BSN, RN]

The doctors do ignore you! There is a medical school at the university where I went to nursing school, we took the same Anatomy, worked on the same donors, took the same physiology, etc as the med students. I saw many of those med students at the hospitals, they never acknowledged us.

The expecation of a student in their first clinical experience is very low. We were pretty much given a tour of the unit, we met our patients, did am care which consisted of vital signs, mouth care, baths, and tidying up the room. Your school knows this is your first experience with real patients, it's ok.

I am a new grad, I look back at my first clinical and realize how uptight I was about stuff that didn't really matter. Just relax and try to learn as much as you can.

Best of luck to you tomorow, you are in for the ride of your life.

[Brigi23, BSN]

Good luck to you on your first day as a nurse webabyRN!!!!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

you probably will have already been to your clinical by the time you read this. i went through most of nursing school feeling sick to my stomach and scared to death i would accidentally kill a patient every time i walked into the hospital. those fears eventually went away as i became experienced. i also worried for years about doctors screaming at me and wondered how i would react. i've never had a doctor yell at me face-to-face. at least, not that i can remember. i've only heard stories of it happening to others. i've had them get nasty on the phone and i've slammed the receiver down on one or two of them. the best advice that i think anyone can give you is to follow your instructor's directions. they are pretty much your supervisor and responsible for what you do. take medication administration very seriously and re-check everything. never leave a patient in an unsafe condition where they might be likely to fall and hurt themselves. never leave a patient without access to a call light. that should get you started.

[Scrubz]

lol @ pre-med students... I did pre-med and switched to nursing and pre-med was no harder, aside from more chemistry classes. I don't see how any good student couldn't become a doctor if they didn't mind spending 10 years in education and dropping tons of money for it; that's the real kicker. Plus I never wanted to be a doctor in the first place, I wanted to go into an advanced nursing practice.