New Instructor about to start clinicals! Yikes!

[RN0599, BSN, MSN]

Hi!

I am a newly minted MSN-ED with a new job as an instructor in a small ADN program. I have the Nursing Fundamentals class for skills and clinicals. I have 11 students who have no healthcare experience. I will take half on wednesdays and the others on thursdays so I am not so overwhelmed with all 11 at once.

We will be going to a nursing home. This is the first clinical group being allowed there since COVID. I have never been there before.

I could use some pointers on how to get started!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

[sleepwalker, MSN, NP]

be sure to visit the site and floor you're assigned to prior to clinical so you can introduce yourself, set your expectations with the staff, get the layout of the floor and nursing areas, locate the breakrooms, where to put student's personal belongings, cafeteria locations, where to hold pre and post conference, etc. 

[RN0599, BSN, MSN]

Yes! Thank you for the advice! We finished our 1st week, so now I have a better idea of what we are going to focus on. The students had an eye opening 1st week! Hard work but rewarding!

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

I found that the best way to follow students’ progress was to have them journal. I had them get notebooks to write in, and turn them in to me first thing after clinical. I told them they could write anything at all, as long as it had something to do with their clinical day. 
I got minute-by-minute accounts that gave me insights into people who were task-oriented. I got thoughtful musings about how it felt to see (x,y,z) for the first time, patient experiences, suffering... I got confusion about how this wasn’t what they thought nursing would be and whether they wanted to do it. I got accounts of how hard it was to be a single parent. I got feedback on staff interactions.  And more. 
These gave me some insights into the individuals but also food for a ten-minute section in post conference about these things. This had the effect of getting eyes opened a little more— when you’re a student and totally wrapped up in your own experience you miss the fact that others’ experiences might be completely different. I left a comment on my thoughts, answers to questions, references, supports, insights... The students found this really helpful in getting them to reflect on their experiences and open lines of communication c me. 
 

I have posted before on some of the post-conf topics and exercises we covered with this sort of first-semester SNF intro. I mostly tried to direct their attention to the patient experience to get them to focus away from the almost inescapable lab check off mentality. This attitude can carry forward into later semesters and the world of work in obvious ways.

Have fun! 

[RN0599, BSN, MSN]

Awesome suggestion! Thank you for the tip!!