Hello everyone so after covid hit, everything transitioned online, including clinicals. I am going to graduate this December but I have a huge problem.
I HAVE NO HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE!!
The only clinical I went to was at nursing home where we didn't do much besides feeding the residents and taking vital signs. We did not get to pass any medication, look at documentation, etc. I have never done or observed any basic nursing skills such as administering IV, documenting, passing a med, IV push, foley, assessments, etc.
I feel like I know nothing and will be fired from my first job because I am completely clueless. What do I do ?
Specializes in I am very nice humble dedicated person..
On 11/22/2020 at 4:18 PM, The Seasoned Nurse said:
Yes! All of this! When I watch students in clinicals, I see them stressing over paperwork. I notice they spend hours in the break room working on their care plans instead of actually learning to take care of patients. Then they go off and take a leisurely one hour lunch. This experience is nothing like the real world. I would not stress about missing out on clinicals, you will be fine. I would encourage you to be upfront with your preceptor about your lack of hospital experience so they know to take it a little slower with you early on. Good luck to you!
Thanks so much for this comment. I'm starting an online RN program and the clinical done online as well. Im scared whether to do it or not. I am a CNA and thats all...
Thanks so much for this comment. I'm starting an online RN program and the clinical done online as well. Im scared whether to do it or not. I am a CNA and thats all...
What reason is being given for this? Is it supposedly because of Covid-19 or now just being straight-up marketed?
You’ll learn everything on the floor. Besides that you can watch Youtube skills videos.
I can understand your motivation to reassure the OP but I cannot agree with your answer in a regular school year without the pandemic. Why would anyone attend a program if they can do an apprentice system to meet the needs of the profession. We have moved forward from that -- in addition, when does an RN have time to "watch Youtube videos" when carrying a full load of patients. A reply such as yours is the basis of the hospitals and staff nurses complaints that "schools don't teach students anything" and create a costly nurse residency program.
I realize my comments are harsh but can you tell me about your basic nurse education program -- clinical and lab experiences?
I can understand your motivation to reassure the OP but I cannot agree with your answer in a regular school year without the pandemic. Why would anyone attend a program if they can do an apprentice system to meet the needs of the profession. We have moved forward from that -- in addition, when does an RN have time to "watch Youtube videos" when carrying a full load of patients. A reply such as yours is the basis of the hospitals and staff nurses complaints that "schools don't teach students anything" and create a costly nurse residency program.
I realize my comments are harsh but can you tell me about your basic nurse education program -- clinical and lab experiences?
Thank you for voicing exactly what I was thinking. I was looking for the words to not sound so negative.
Considering this is a GLOBAL pandemic, every hospital and every hiring manager and every nurse preceptor to be knows that clinicals have been canceled.
I work in a large teaching hospital who has essentially not allowed nursing students since March. W all know the new grad nurses will need extended orientations and hands on experience.
Everyone who is speaking like this should never happen... lots of things in 2020 should never happen. I should not be trying to remote teach second grade yet here we are. Circumstances are not ideal, but no one can change that that is the reality of nursing school right now.
Just go in to your first job ready and willing to learn. Most nurses enjoy teaching, when the person is open to learning. We all learn how to really be a nurse the first year — just ask questions. Your charge nurse, your experienced nurses on the floor, your nurse educator, etc. Nurses generally feel like the scariest thing is a new nurse who doesn’t ask questions. If you don’t know something you have to ask.
Everyone who is speaking like this should never happen...
I will speak for myself about ^ that. It isn't that it should never temporarily be an issue during a pandemic (which, yes, we all know is global)...it's that whether it is due to a pandemic or not, it certainly makes life easier for those who are charged with educating nurses and can just throw up their hands and cancel everything but still receive tuition payments and send students out into a very harsh and demanding work environment unprepared. And we haven't even spoken about patients yet--those people who are the MAIN factor, here.
Also, I'd love nothing more than to be 100% wrong, but this "feels" like one of those issues where it'll be hard to go back to demanding schools endure all the hassles of arranging clinicals once everyone gets used to getting by in this inadequate fashion. They were already pretty much struggling and not doing great at ensuring adequate clinicals for all before the pandemic. Plus they have the example of the totally bull MO of nursing grad schools which take money and tell students to find their own preceptors.
So maybe all of this is a little worse as a big picture than your insinuation that the experienced nurses who have commented with great concern about this are just somehow failing to realize there is a pandemic. There is *always* some kind of crisis excuse for everything that is subpar in nursing; that's why we've had crap staffing forever, for one example. Covid has already become very convenient for certain players.
Lastly, I think that professional schools (such as med schools) have taken a more play-it-by ear approach. Yes, students were out in the beginning but by Summer places were individually evaluating situations and trying to restore some of students' clinical experiences. Meanwhile nursing students are just -----??♀️-----out, indefinitely. Some schools also haven't been having skills labs, even. And it's suddenly just fine for nursing students to go right out into the workplaces where they will require even more substantial training than usual, in orientations and "residencies" that are already shorted on resources and often very inadequate at baseline because staff nurses don't have time to be full-time teachers and no employer seems to have time for new nurses to take very long getting up to speed.
So. No I am not somehow unaware that there is a GLOBAL pandemic.
I will speak for myself about ^ that. It isn't that it should never temporarily be an issue during a pandemic (which, yes, we all know is global)...it's that whether it is due to a pandemic or not, it certainly makes life easier for those who are charged with educating nurses and can just throw up their hands and cancel everything but still receive tuition payments and send students out into a very harsh and demanding work environment unprepared. And we haven't even spoken about patients yet--those people who are the MAIN factor, here.
Also, I'd love nothing more than to be 100% wrong, but this "feels" like one of those issues where it'll be hard to go back to demanding schools endure all the hassles of arranging clinicals once everyone gets used to getting by in this inadequate fashion. They were already pretty much struggling and not doing great at ensuring adequate clinicals for all before the pandemic. Plus they have the example of the totally bull MO of nursing grad schools which take money and tell students to find their own preceptors.
So maybe all of this is a little worse as a big picture than your insinuation that the experienced nurses who have commented with great concern about this are just somehow failing to realize there is a pandemic. There is *always* some kind of crisis excuse for everything that is subpar in nursing; that's why we've had crap staffing forever, for one example. Covid has already become very convenient for certain players.
Lastly, I think that professional schools (such as med schools) have taken a more play-it-by ear approach. Yes, students were out in the beginning but by Summer places were individually evaluating situations and trying to restore some of students' clinical experiences. Meanwhile nursing students are just -----??♀️-----out, indefinitely. Some schools also haven't been having skills labs, even. And it's suddenly just fine for nursing students to go right out into the workplaces where they will require even more substantial training than usual, in orientations and "residencies" that are already shorted on resources and often very inadequate at baseline because staff nurses don't have time to be full-time teachers and no employer seems to have time for new nurses to take very long getting up to speed.
So. No I am not somehow unaware that there is a GLOBAL pandemic.
I am not sure why your response sounds insulted. We all know and agree that this shouldn’t be the state of schooling. I am not doubting that there are going to be hardships due to that inadequate schooling. I’m simply stating that these are circumstances out of any of our control so we have no choice but to figure out how to navigate among them.
Plenty of our aides are in nursing school and they would desperately prefer hospital clinicals to hours of case studies. I empathize with them and the fact they all started nursing school expecting a typical experience and were dealt this difficult year.
I don’t know exactly why hospitals shut their doors to students. I would guess the liability of more people potentially getting sick, and the need to conserve the PPE we have. But it’s of no fault of the nursing students, that is who I am trying to be supportive of (the OP).
My area in particular is facing a severe nursing shortage which is of course compounded even more now by the pandemic. We desperately need these new nurses, even if we have to some how find the extra time to help them learn.
I am not doubting that there are going to be hardships due to that inadequate schooling. I’m simply stating that these are circumstances out of any of our control so we have no choice but to figure out how to navigate among them.
What JLK is saying and I agree is that there is a good chance that some nursing programs may see this as an opportunity to get rid of that tedious chore of arranging and managing actual clinicals and substitute virtual clinicals instead...permanently. Nursing schools are notorious for abdicating their clinical teaching responsibilities to the staff nurses. Can you imagine, going forward, crops of new grads who's only clinical experience is you tube videos? A poster here actually suggested that as an acceptable alternative. Come on, we've all seen it in nursing administration. You've got a nurse out on extended leave and everybody pulls together, does a little extra and makes it work. Next thing you know administration is telling you they're reducing your FTEs by one because you're "obviously" overstaffed. And who's going to precept these new graduates? The precepting staff nurses certainly do not have the time to teach all the skills they need from the very beginning. If we are going to have the hospitals do all the clinical education then maybe they should just start opening their own schools.
get rid of that tedious chore of arranging and managing actual clinicals and substitute virtual clinicals instead...permanently
I can see your concern about the potential for hands-on clinicals to be replaced by virtual simulations. This became a problem with the proliferance of for-profit schools unable or unwilling to have a clinical practicum where students actually 'practice' on real people. Many schools were also increasing their simulations, reducing hospital time. Each state board of nursing can prescribe what constitutes a 'clinical experience./education'.
I think almost all states only allow up to 50% of all lab/clinical education hours to be spent on simulations. This obviously became a problem last Spring and the NCSBN issued temporary allowances for more virtual lab. Below is what was issued in June, detailing the temporary changes. I have not seen if this has been amended and when full time clinical setting, hands-on care will be the norm again.
headofcurls, BSN, RN
136 Posts
No worries!! You’ll learn everything on the floor. Besides that you can watch Youtube skills videos.