Start clinicals on thursday!

z's playa · Feb 27, 2005

Good luck! We start off in LTC. I only wish we were in a hospital!

twarlik · Feb 27, 2005

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do fine!

stressgal, RN · Feb 27, 2005

Have fun! I love clinicals. I have been very fortunate to have some great instructors. It is a time for you to experience skills and one on one client interaction. Of course you are unsure, that is part of the process. Utilize your instructor's knowledge.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

S.N. Visit, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2005

Good luck! We start off in LTC. I only wish we were in a hospital!

Ditto :coollook:

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Feb 28, 2005

Its like a right of passage, and you will probably still be nervous entering into your second semester of clinicals as well so don't worry about it. Just go with the flow. If you don't think you got the BP the first time, try the other arm or wair a few minutes and try again. Just pray that you don't get the patient who beats you up in LTC (my first pt tryed to punch me a couple of times :chuckle )

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Feb 28, 2005

Heck! I starty my practicum Friday and I'M nervous! Good luck to you! You'll do fine!

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2005

Awwww ((((((((hugs))))))), you'll do just fine!! And it's completely normal to be scared to death of clinicals at first. I'm in my last semester, I actually have my last clinicals on Thurs. and Fri. of this week. Even in my last semester I still get a tad nervous. But it does get better. When I first started clinicals I was freaked out, I had never worked in a hospital either, I had NO idea what to expect!

But they won't just throw you in there and expect you to know everything. Your instructor will be there helping you through it all and usually there are some great nurses on the floors that will take you under their wings, show you stuff, and teach you as you go.

This is something we all have to go through during nursing school and if someone ever said they weren't even a tad bit nervous during their first clinical experiences, they were probably lying. With each clinical the nervousness gets replaced with excitement! It'll come in time. I wish you the very best this Thursday. Please let us know how it goes. Good luck :)

mariedoreen · Mar 1, 2005

...if someone ever said they weren't even a tad bit nervous during their first clinical experiences, they were probably lying.

Our instructors actually said that they were afraid of the students who were NOT afraid to go to clinical :) Kind of like when one student in post-conference one day said "What's the big deal about IV pushes? It seems like they'd be easy -- You just push them in!" The instructor smiled and said, "And that's why you're not doing them."

Anxiety about clinical is so normal. When you get to clinical that day look around at every student and remind yourself that each and every one of them is nervous. You're not alone at all.