Overwhelmed at clinicals**vent**

[karamarie91]

Hello. I was so excited to start my clinicals yesterday however today was like a complete whirlwind. My instructor put on us the floor in pairs in which we had 4 patients. I was at lost and extremely nervous about the order in which to do things. I was begging the CNA every minute about the patients. I had no experience cleaning a colonstomy(sp?) and was extremely nervous about lifting. Alot of things that we did not cover in class is now being covered at such a fast pace. Plus one of the residents family was there that made me really nervous..she pointed out that i didnt put the strap over his colonstomy bag...

I feel everything was extremely fast pace(we had gotten there at 7 am and stayed until 3pm). I had a plan to do most if not all my skills(in the skills book for the state exam) on the residents but I just couldnt get to it! Not to mention, I found myself taking care of other residents who were not on my assignment(i think the CNA's loved the extra help...) By lunch, I was extremely burnt out. Things did not calm down until snack time.

Any advice for avoiding burnout. I definitely learned to have my supplies before I even disturb the resident...My last day is tommorrow and I will have approximately 4-5 patients all by myself(no partner this time).

And I have a question(i apologize if it sounds silly): When changing(like when they have an incontinent episode), where is the best place to change them if they are already in their wheelchair? Move them to the bed, bathroom, or just ask them to stand(get help if you need to) and just change them that way?

Thanks.

[Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN]

Reality: The real world is not at all like the classroom. I know you want to do things the right way--and up until you take your state exam, you SHOULD! Use this time to learn all those little tips and tricks. You are not yet certified and the CNA you are shadowing is ultimately responsible for your residents. If you have a question, ask her.

As for changing, I will put them on the toilet to see if they need to go anymore. Then take the old brief off and put on the new one. Or help them stand, use a walker if they have one (I recently learned how helpful walkers are!), pull the old brief off and put the new one on. Putting them to bed first is a big time sucker and harder because you will be rolling them back and forth over and over until you get everything put back on, then getting them back out of bed. There isn't anything wrong with that though, if you are more comfortable doing it that way.

[mamayogibear]

Hey there, I started clinicals this week too. We only had one day this week and all we did was take a tour of the ltc and learn how to use the different lifts and learn the staff names. We get to dive in on Monday and I am so nervous. We are doing teams of two students to one patient then two patients. I am really worried about doing well as I have a 4.0 in all my prereqs and this is the only think keeping me from starting nursing school. I am really worried about the smell and am for the first time happy to be getting a cold because I can't smell anythign right now. What do you do to cope with it?

Thanks and *hugs* you can make it through this!

[karamarie91]

Thanks for the comments.

@Dondie: I definitely see that the state exam is very different from what I have seen in clinicals.

My clinicals ended yesterday and it was much more better. I knew the routine and everything just went a whole lot smoother. I was even able to small breaks every now and then.

@mamayogibear-the smell of the nursing home can sometimes be downright unbearable, such when you are changing briefs or cleaning colonstomys.

I'm sure you will do great. Just dont get too nervous because that can make you scared to do even the simplest things such as moving the residents.

Let me know how it goes.

Best wishes

[yousoldtheworld]

A big thing with the smell is to remember that it comes from a HUMAN. It's not just a disgusting smell somewhere, it's coming from a human being who needs your help. For me, it helps keep that in perspective and helps to ignore it.