Starting clinicals this week and I'm TERRIFIED!

[MissCris]

I've read through a lot of "nervous about clinicals" posts here and there was a lot of good advice, but I feel like I have a good reason to be freaked out.

I've been in lab for 6 weeks and am starting on a medical floor at the hospital on Friday. My validations have ranged from okay to pretty bad. The instructors give us the validation sheet to look over while we practice, but no matter how much I memorize it and practice going through the motions, I inevitably forget something.

For example, last week we were tested on spiking and priming IV's. I realized I forgot to move the clamps up the tubing to put it in the pump, and without thinking I whipped them open and moved them having already hung the bag. Obviously this resulted in a huge air bubble and I had to let half of the solution out before I could resolve it. I think the only reason my instructors have passed me is because I knew what my mistakes were and verbalized how I would have done things differently. I failed my physical assessment competency because I was so nervous I forgot to bring my stethoscope into the room and didn't realize I didn't have it until I went to check the lung sounds. Talk about embarrassing. I felt so much more confident the second time around and passed it easily, but I can't stop feeling bad about the dumb mistakes I've made.

I know this is nerves and not a lack of knowledge, I just don't know how to correct it. It's probably worth mentioning that I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder and recently started taking meds to help with it. So far though I haven't figured out how to slow down, stop and think before I let my anxiety get the best of me. I am so afraid of looking like a bumbling idiot during clinicals or even worse, accidentally hurting a patient. It doesn't help that every day the instructors have a new "we had a student who [insert dumb error here] and is no longer in the program" story. I so badly do NOT want to be one of those stories!

I would love to hear some advice or words of encouragement from someone who has had a similar problem.

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

Take a deep breath. We are students and are there to learn. Yes, you will make dumb mistakes, but you will learn from those mistakes and become better. It's a learning process.

You will not get everything perfect. It's okay. Focus on keeping the patient safe and know that you are not expected to do everything in the exact right order. Keep your patient safe. The rest will come.

It will be okay.

[Kuriin, BSN, RN]

Just a FYI, you can get a good portion of the air bubbles out by strumming the IV lines. Wasting solution just happens to be the fast way to do it. Don't worry, though. Everything will fall into place in the months to come as you start to see the lab values, meds, etc. all the time.

[NightBloomCereus]

My clinical instructors were always telling me to take a deep breath and relax already, so I can somewhat relate to being nervous a lot. Looking back on nursing school, clinical was really not bad at all. You won't do procedures without your instructor or an experienced nurse, and they're there to teach you. Nobody is going to leave you on your own to do something you're not sure of, or put you in a position where you'll hurt someone. At least in my experience, it's very hard to fail clinical without doing something completely dumb and unsafe. I saw a couple people get clinical warnings and believe me, they were asking for it.

The lab and the actual hospital are very different, the clinical environment being much better. In clinical, it's not like you're being "tested" per se. You're there to get your feet wet and learn. My clinical instructors were some of the most supportive people in my nursing school experience (most of them, anyway). You may want to let your clinical instructor know you have an anxiety disorder, since it can be stressful sometimes and you don't need them making it worse.

The only part of clinical I came to dread was getting up early. Enjoy yourself, clinical is fun.

[EclecticGal]

Just the other day I was in a patient room doing an assessment and guess what, I forgot my stethoscope. Do you know what happened? I ran out to the desk and got it and finished up with my assessment. It may feel really embarrassing now but really it is O.K. I totally understand how nerve wracking it can feel when your nursing skills are being critiqued and graded and a mistake is made. Just realize that you are there to learn and you will make mistakes. We all do. The important thing to do is to learn from them. Practice your skills outside of clinical. Ask questions if you are unsure of anything. Stay focused on patient safety. It will be O.K. Good luck to you.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

You are not expected to be proficient yet. Last week was our first week and I went in to do an assessment and I forgot a ton. I literally just blanked. My instructor was completely understanding and helped me. We talked about it in post conference and this week was way better. I was much more comfortable. But we are learning. They won't put you somewhere where you can kill someone. That comes later!! Lol. Just relax and have fun. Soak up as much as you can.

[MissCris]

Just wanted to thank you all for your words of encouragement, they really helped to calm me down. My first day was great! I gave my first sub q injection and removed a med lock and it actually felt pretty natural. I really liked being on the floor and was surprised at how comfortable I was. My instructor is super helpful and approachable and is a great nurse so I'm excited to keep learning from her for the rest of the semester. My patient was resistant to bathing and assessments, so I'm a bit nervous for when I have to do those things next week alone without a "buddy" like I was paired up with today, but I know I'll get past it once I get into the swing of it.

[Charmiecharmo]

Keep moving forward! You're doing a great job. It is very stressful worrying about being ready for clinicals for the first time, but after a few times you get more comfortable. One of the most important rules I've learned is the importance of SAFETY. When doing a procedure or anything on the floor, just think to yourself "If I do this, will it be safe?" If you are unsure, make sure to clarify with your preceptor/instructor.