Newcomer nursing student

RNonsense · Mar 15, 2003

Nice to "meet" you MaryLuAn! Welcome to the boards!

CountrifiedRN · Mar 16, 2003

Welcome to the board!

SingingNurse2 · Mar 16, 2003

Welcome MaryLuAn!

perfectbluebuildings, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2003

Welcome MaryLuAn! I am just in my second year of nursing school and just started clinical rotations, so I am still kind of new at it too. I am glad you joined us. :)

/~MaryLuAn~/ · Mar 16, 2003

Hello Everyone Again! It is so very nice to meet You too. As I mentioned befour, I am on first year and for about 4 mounth I will go for practice to the hospital and I already feel stage fright. At college they learn us most of all theory , but use it in real life , most of all in our profession it is probably very hard , it is like two other things. Most of You probably have this experience with patients behind You already , It would be nice to hear from You something about it , maybe it is not soscary as it seems :)

JacelRN, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2003

Hi MaryLuAn,

Congratz on starting nursing school and keep at it. It sounds like you have a really caring attitude. I am in my last year at college and getting ready to graduate so I wanted to relive myself a bit and answer your question.

My very first rotation was in a LTC facility. I had a very nice professor who I felt comfortable with, but I knew all eyes were on me to do a good job. This is probalby how you're feeling. As far as working with the patients, I can honestly say they kept me going. Most of the patients the nurses recommend for students aren't too difficult or too demanding (MOST I say hehe). So for this reason, I enjoyed talking with the patients I had because that was the relaxing part of the rotation. It was when my professor came along where I got nervous.

What I did, if this helps, is pay all your attention to the patient. Really get in there and get your hands dirty, pardon the pun. Remember they may be nervous about you too and may just need a friendly face, it gets a little easier.

Hope this helps and good luck!

/~MaryLuAn~/ · Mar 16, 2003

Hello Jacel , It's very nice to meet You. I realy want to thank you , you can be sure that your words helps me a lot. I like what you said and it is true about patient's situation. They can be much nervous then me when I will care for them , but I will do my best to make them comfortable and make them feel they are in good hands that they are respected. I realy like to help people and i don't want first practice to become for me disaffected. Your words calm me down, I only hope that I will have this lucky like You that my professor will be also understanding and make me used to situation - let me organize my work and prove myself . You will soon end college so I wish you good luck too and succesful job in the future , Thank you once again Jacle!

/~MaryLuAn~/ · Mar 16, 2003

Hello it is me again , Jacel I want to ask You for more advice. Do you think it would be possible for me , when I am just on begining of nursing school some vacation practice in the hospital of course not including this one which I will have in July. If it is possibility to know some more, learn this in practice, helping professional nurses - exchanging experience. Did You heard something about this?

perfectbluebuildings, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2003

Hi, MaryLuAn... I am not sure if this is the type of experience you mean, but at the hospital where I am from, you can be an unpaid volunteer and help the nurses on certain floors. You would be doing things like answering phones and call lights, talking with patients who are lonely, playing with or watching children whose parents can't be there. But you would get to see what the nurses do. And at the hospital I volunteered it seemed to help the nurses a lot because they often did not have the time to offer those little extras. Another thing you could do is try to take the CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) exam and then you would get paid for your work and be able to do more nursing kinds of things.

Hope this helps!

RNIAM, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2003

Welcome and good luck to you.

Love-A-Nurse · Mar 17, 2003

welcome, mary! enjoy your stay with us on the board.