how many patients do you get for clinical?

1. Just wondering.. How many patients do you typically get in your second year of nursing school?
   I'm a second year nursing student and just started a new rotation on a SUPER BUSY med-surg unit in a large urban teaching hospital. We were given 3 patients plus meds yesterday and words can not even begin to describe how overwhelemed I felt! Most patients were on like 10-15 meds and I know I didnt handle the stress well at all. After the day was over, my instructor said how disappointed she was with our skills/knowledge of documenting/meds/overallknowledge base. That really hurt my feelings. I tried as hard as I could but I was just so flustered. She even gave some specific examples about what we did wrong and some of them I knew were directly about me (she was looking right at me.) I feel HORRIBLE. I'm not a bad student, I always get solid Bs on all my tests but I realize that when you're on the floor it's not like a "nclex style test" that you need to know what to do one a seconds notice. Basically, I just don't feel like everything has clicked yet (if you know what I mean.) Like I can sit down and tell you signs/symtpoms, lab values, meds, etc but I can't put the whole picture together at clinical. I can't plan well and I dont know how to improve. Please tell me soemone else feels this way! I just want to be good student and a good nurse when I graduate. Thanks!
2. 

   About glamgalRN

   Joined: Jul '07; Posts: 262; Likes: 77
   from US
   Specialty: 5 year(s) of experience in oncology, transplant, OB

   9 Comments

   Topic Closed
3. 
   Oct 30, '07

   Occupation: allnurses Asst Community Manager, APRN Specialty: 25 year(s) of experience in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU ; From: US ; Joined: Apr '00; Posts: 53,607; Likes: 26,736

   Gosh - your instructor should relax! The point of clinicals is to learn how to coordinate patient care. Being on a busy unit is helpful for students if they are not overwhelmed. Sorry for the emotional trauma this caused you. Students are just that, students.
4. 
   Oct 30, '07

   Joined: Sep '06; Posts: 298; Likes: 105

   geez i have the opposite problem! in my 2nd yr of school and on med surg none of us got more than 1 patient at a time for some reason! We did the entire year with only one patient. how am i supposed to develop time management skills? lol
5. 
   Oct 30, '07

   Specialty: L & D ; Joined: Oct '04; Posts: 233; Likes: 49

   We had one patient the first semester, worked up to two the second. Our mini summer semester we had three patients for three 8 hours shifts a week for five weeks. Overwhelming & frustrating, but boy did we learn time management. Third semester was OB and peds - just observation. By our fourth & final semester we worked up to six patients.
   
   When I started working this summer as a new RN, I felt very well prepared. Granted, I'm in L & D where we usually only have one patient. My classmates who went to med-surg floors after graduation were respondible for 8 - 10 patients when their orientation was completed. They were very thankful we attended a tough program taught by instructors with sky-high expectations!
   
   It really takes until the last semester for everything to fit together. As we learned in school, new nurses are "task oriented" - focused on tasks - meds, dressing changes, etc. It takes a long time to put all the puzzle pieces together. Don't be too hard on yourself!!
6. 
   Oct 30, '07

   Specialty: med surg/tele ; Joined: Jul '05; Posts: 73; Likes: 14

   Quote from glamgal

   Just wondering.. How many patients do you typically get in your second year of nursing school?

   In the final semester of an ADN program and I'm taking 4 patients on a med/surg tele floor.
7. 
   Oct 30, '07

   Occupation: CDU nurse Joined: Sep '03; Posts: 4,001; Likes: 542

   ADN seior year you start with 3 (primary care no CNA) then when you move up to 4, if the unit utilizes CNA's they would still work your patients so it is more of a team approach.
8. 
   Oct 31, '07

   Joined: Sep '07; Posts: 594; Likes: 244

   first semester- nsg home/acute care 1 pt
   2nd semester- 1 pt, 2 at the end for a couple of times
   3rd semester- 2 pts right away, 3 ending
   4th semester- 4 pts
   
   *1-3, dont know about 4th,, we have total cares, so CNA work AND!!!!!!!! the RN work, plus a ton more. GGRRR
   
   GL!
   -H-
9. 
   Nov 3, '07

   Occupation: Wendy's!!! Joined: Apr '06; Posts: 56; Likes: 4

   Our first year you only get 1..the third semester we started out with one and worked our way up to 3, but our instructor only gave you three if she felt you could hendle the stressof having three..unfortunately I was the first to get 3!! Which meant alot to me but at the same time I just was having a bad morning anyways and was not wanting the added on stress...but she said I did an excellent job with having 3 so that meant alot ot me. Our fourth semester you get 3 until our mentorship and then you get however many your nurse preceptor has which where I'm goin to hopefully be at is 6 patients..not to bad. Clinical seems a little easier this semester because things are finally starting to click!!
10. 
    Nov 3, '07

    Occupation: RN at Littleton Adventist Hospital Specialty: SICU, MICU, CICU, NeuroICU ; From: US ; Joined: Oct '07; Posts: 523; Likes: 110

    Unfortunately I've only had a max of two. How are we supposed to be prepared for when we get out into the real world?
11. 
    Nov 3, '07

    Occupation: Critical Care: Surgical Heart Specialty: Critical Care: Cardiac, VAD, Transplant ; From: US ; Joined: May '06; Posts: 133; Likes: 30

    I am currently in my first semester clinicals of a BSN program. We started with one patient for the first half of the semester. Starting this week we will have 2 patients each plus we are starting meds. We don't do IV's until next semester.

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