Nervous about Clinical

sweetie3.14 · Oct 23, 2008

i know how you feel. i am in my second month of clinicals and i was a bit nervous before we started them. i think it is a normal feeling when you do something you have never done before. my first day at clinicals was on a med-surg floor(hospital) and we had only one patient for the first day,(dont get used to that cuz it changes!lol) our instructors wanted us to be oriented to the facility and get a feel for what we would be doing. which is vital signs and basic morning care(assist pts. with breakfast if needed, give baths, change linens and whatever else they need) we were and still are responsible for writing a pt. assessment. and nursing notes. we rotate with each other on who is to be passing meds for the day with our instructor. it is a great hands on learning experience, i have learned so much! and you will too. i must say, you will have your days and just remain flexable and adjust to whatever situation comes up and if a learning opportunity should come up, jump on it! you will learn alot! and as far as remembering everything, it never hurts to review what you have already learned, everyone needs a refresher course sometimes. and one last thing, maybe you need a new stethoscope. i know the ones that we were supplied with were not of the best quality so i had to buy one on my own. so have confidence in yourself and good luck. let me know how your first day goes! :yeah:

amjowens · Oct 24, 2008

Just remember you are there to learn. You are paying for each moment you are there just so you can learn, so do all you can to take it in. I'm about to graduate, and I wish I could have a day or two over just to ask clinical instructors questions. I am more concerned with balancing patient care with LPN duties, interacting effectively with aides, etc., managing time, handling crisis, etc. So, watch the nurses, see what works and doesn't.

It never hurts to practice aide work, but truth is, a lot of my clinical time was spent doing aide work. The sites love us students (though they won't show it!)...some of my instructors spent a lot of time teaching skills/LPN stuff, and I really value that time. You've got to go with the flow of the instructor, though, and just appreciate them for what each offers.

vintagestudent · Oct 25, 2008

I'm in a 9 month LPN program and so far i'm in my second month of schooling. All of my classes are going well enough, my grades are really good ( I'm in the A range for most tests),I feel that i'm learning so much material and it's generally a great feeling. The problem however is that we are starting clinicals really soon, in about 3-4 weeks and i'm really nervous about it. I dont have experience working as a CNA or HHA. The LPN program is a fresh start for me and I feel as though there are things that I should know but keep forgetting. How do clinicals usually go? Like on the first day? I know that we will be starting at a nursing home and then later on doing a rotation at a hospital (giving injections, IV's, Medication, Foley's etc) but is it something that I should really freak out about right now? I really want to succeed in this program and so far i'm learning so much and doing well in the course work, but i feel we are not getting enough actual "practice" to be ready for clinicals. I'm also having a semi hard time hearing the korotkoff sounds for taking blood pressure.

Welcome to clinical nursing, fellow student. I too came in with no previous medical experience and have been home raising kids for the past 20+ years.

Nervousness before beginning something entirely new is normal. Relax. It's true that what you've learned in theory all this time will begin to make more sense when you're at clinicals. There will be good and bad days, welcome to life, right? :) As others have said, jump on every opportunity you're given to learn something new. Work with your classmates and instructors as best you can. Do the best you can with what you know. As time progresses, you'll see marked improvement in your nursing skills. Also, don't shy away from asking questions when something isn't clear to you. Keep good notes while you're on the floor because sometimes it's just too much for to remember off the top of your head. Oh, and understand that not all nurses think alike. Some do things differently than you've been taught, so stick to what your instructor tells you unless she/he tells you otherwise.

Tip: To help me with remembering all the various types of lab tests & lab values, I bought a pocketsize book titled Lab Notes. Sorry, but I can't remember the author's name right now. It's helped me quite a bit. Cost was less than $30, and I'm certain I'll use this reference booklet for a long time to come.

You're on your way to becoming a competent & caring nurse! Enjoy it as much as possible.