Pocket References For Clinical?

[MurseJJ]

So I'm in my first semester of nursing school, and we have our first full day of clinical (fundamentals) next week. We already went to the sites (I'm in a rehab facility) for orientation and a tour. In the first semester clinical, we don't administer any medications, but are expected to assist the patients with hygiene, mobility/activity, feeding, and practice assessments. I've worked as a PCA for years, so I'm comfortable with that aspect of clinical, but I'm wondering if anyone has any pocket references that they carry in clinical to help with remembering how to do various assessments and skills in the first semester, and beyond.

[RN403, BSN, RN]

Mosby's pocket guide to nursing skills and procedures.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

this is not helpful, but I can't wait for the day when pocket devices are encouraged for ALL health care students.

Sorry for the interruption!

[NuGuyNurse2b]

We're not allowed any pocket guides. we're expected to know our Fluids/Electrolytes values, etc by heart.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about assessment stuff per se, unless you're doing something very specific like NIHSS or MMSE screening. The primary reason for this being that you will do patient assessments fairly often so eventually it'll become second nature to you. One of the tools I normally used was a folding clipboard that had lots of info on it. This clipboard held my brain sheet, my patient care plans, and usually I taped frequently used numbers and floor-specific info to an open area of the clipboard. I also usually put the F&E norms for that hospital on there so that I'd more easily remember those values specifically for that facility.

Later I just put some reference cards behind my badge for quick reference... such as temp conversion or similar things as that or what labs I should know when giving certain meds.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

We're not allowed any pocket guides. we're expected to know our Fluids/Electrolytes values, etc by heart.

See, I am not a fan of this model. We should be focusing on critical thinking skills, piecing together information to form a full assessment. Yes, there are certain values that are useful, maybe even critical, to know by heart, but that is secondary. Each nursing specialty requires a different base of memorized facts, but critical thinking and accurate assessment skills are universal to nursing.

Sure, test nursing students on rote facts in the classroom. But in clinical, I think we should embrace "cheat sheets" and encourage students to practice the critical skill of looking up data and verifying information. It's more important to know HOW to find normal CBC values and the significance of abnormal findings, rather than putting the emphasis on committing lab values (or other data) to memory.

A big reason why I feel this is important is because one of the most important parts of safe nursing practice is double checking yourself, staying up to date with guidelines, and being fluent in evaluating research. Nursing students should be encouraged to use educational resources when they are on the floor! And we all know texts are out of date before they even hit the presses, hence my argument for encouraging, maybe even requiring, pocket devices for health care students.

I know tons of lab values, drug dosages, differential dx, USPTFS guidelines etc etc etc. I know them because I use them in clinical practice ALL the time. If my patient's lytes are off, I look them up. If my patient is on an unfamiliar medication, I look it up. If I am perplexed by a patient's presentation, I look to practice guidelines and consult my colleagues. Knowing how to do that, and recognizing the importance of NOT relying solely on your own knowledge base, is critical.

[meeep, BSN, RN]

We are REQUIRED to have a smartphone with nursing software loaded onto it for use during clinical. It has everything from labs to medications to NANDA diagnoses, a medical dictionary, and loads of other features. Sure, we could learn in clinical without it, but it has been a valuable educational tool. It's 2014, more schools should embrace this technology.

[ButterflyRN90, ASN, RN]

We are REQUIRED to have a smartphone with nursing software loaded onto it for use during clinical. It has everything from labs to medications to NANDA diagnoses, a medical dictionary, and loads of other features. Sure, we could learn in clinical without it, but it has been a valuable educational tool. It's 2014, more schools should embrace this technology.

Most hospitals don't allow this because of "selfies" with patients or procedures. You never really know if a student is texting or Facebooking. We do however carry "cheat sheets" attached to our IDs.