New to Ambulatory Clinic

[NurseDianne, ADN]

After years and years working in busy hospitals and travel nursing, I have settled down in beautiful Montana and have landed a FABULOUS job in a Ambulatory Clinic for a FNP. The hours are great, the staff is great, the patients are like heaven compared to the busy understaffed hospitals!!

However....yes you knew that was coming...I find myself feeling like a fish out of water sometimes. What I am looking for is some educational materials to refresh my knowledge of what I need to know about being a clinic nurse. I have looked on the "certification" website and found a Core Curriculum for Ambulatory Care Nursing book that I can buy, but I am wondering if any of you have any information or websites I can go to to refresh what I need to know. Or even insight of what I do need to know.

We see patients from babies to gereatric. No OB. But we do GYN. We also have an inhouse lab, fluoroscope and EKG. Of course we also do minor sutures and casting.

Thanks for any and all help!!

NurseDianne

[elprup, BSN, RN]

I found that youtube online has some good videos on procedures done in a clinic - basic medical assisting/lab skills that I did not learn in nursing school. Otherwise I had to be shown...because our clinic's policies and procedures are so outdated it isn't even funny (or legal?). Best of luck.

[shortscrubbs108]

When I first started in my clinic (granted it is a speciatly area) there were things I had no idea about, but luckily anything I wasn't comfortable with another nurse would show me and even the doctor would explain to me what exactly he expects, as each providers has a certain way they like things. Good luck!

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

I probably sounds like a preacher or a broken record, but I highly recommend the CDC's pink book if your clinic does vaccines. You may already have one there, but if not you can sometimes get them from Amazon or some other similar site. If you contact the CDC you may be able to have them send you one; I'm not sure how that works. The community health center where I previously worked already had one when I got there. But I found that it was like my bible for both adult and pediatric vaccines. (PS - I know what you mean about finding your calling! I loved my years at that clinic!! )

http://www.amazon.com/Epidemiology-Prevention-Vaccine-Preventable-Diseases-Pink/dp/0017066050/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305851340&sr=1-1

[Black Jade, BSN, RN]

You will need to get education materials such as Diabetes, TB and Coumadin. try googling those types of information on line. You will be instructing on how to use a glucometer, insulin teaching, Coumadin education, BP screening, TB screening. Get yourself a Nurses Drug book and a Triage Book.