Proving Skills in Lab/Clinicals?

[AmyRNin06]

I'm sure this will sound dumb, but what the heck. My biggest fear in beginning clinicals is proving my skills to the instructor. I do pretty well on tests, I remember things well and I think my critical thinking is decent (and I know it will improve throughout the program), but I totally freeze up when faced with questions from an instructor! For example, I renewed my CPR certification the other day and was expected to prove my skills to the instructor. She pushed the dummy at me and just said "what are you going to do?". I KNEW what to do, I've been CPR certified for years, I aced the written test, but for some reason I just kneeled there like an idiot and blabbed, "uhhh, I'll uhhhh,....then uhhh...."

For those of you who have begun clinicals or graduated, how did your instructors "grade" you in lab and clinicals? My nightmare is a teacher in my face expecting me to spit out answers and me standing there like this: :imbar or

I'm terrified of flunking out of nursing school now that I'm finally in, and I think that has a LOT to do with it. Any advice? Will I survive?

Amy

[shortsteph12]

One of the older students told me not to get nervous about "failing" a lab procedure. That is doesn't count against you and we could just reschedule. Everybody gets nervous. Our school does a "mystery" where you pull from a fishbowl and have to show you know to do a skill. Then after we pass that skill then we get checked off. The first one I pulled was demostrating putting in a cathetor. Well I was so nervous I failed but came back in an hour and passed. So far the clinical instructors have been very nice and understanding but I am starting my second year of the ADN program so I think that the expectations are higher. So we'll see what happens. Just try to be prepared and take a deep breath. I am nervous about doing IV's and getting them in the vein. I think about going back next year and hope that I will have what it takes to pass.