Student in first Clinicals - Geriatrics

[Medic_to_BSN, BSN, RN]

Hi, this is my first post, so I apologize in advance for any faux pas.

I am about to start my first full semester of an ABSN program (the summer is just about over - Patho, Nutrition for Nurses, and an introductory course - all have gone well), and my first Clinical assignment will be in geriatrics.

I'm looking for a few pearls of wisdom either from students who have recent experience or nurses who have the knowledge (especially if they've recently had student nurses). What kind of advice would you share for making my first clinicals successful? What special considerations should I have of the geriatric population that might not be obvious to me at my early stage of nursing school?

Brief background: I'm in my early 40s, medic in the Army for ~5 years and I have worked closely with nurses on quality improvement projects in hospitals for about a decade. This has been useful experience but does not mean that I, in any way, think I know what nursing school or the full nursing experience will be like.

I am both excited about the new journey and terrified (maybe too strong a word, but I'm certainly anxious about making mistakes and returning to direct patient care for the first time over 10 years).

Lastly, any tips on getting along with the nurses who will be precepting and working with me at the facility? What can I do to make it a good experience for them also?

Thanks for any guidance.

[RainbowSprinkles]

I'm in my first semester of nursing school, I'm wrapping up as we speak. I worked with geriatrics at a skilled facility, it was mostly bedbaths, vitals, enteral feeedings,head to toe assessment, changing adult diapers, inputs and output. I also got to assist in a stage 3 pressure ulcer wound care, which was pretty cool. They normal start you off easy, towards the end we gave meds.But the best advice out is to just stay out of the way, lol my group was pretty well behave but the nurses still seemed annoyed with us being there since its wasn't much space. If I wasn't active with a client, I would join the activity room and entertain the clients by coloring or playing a game with them. Be vocal to your clinical instructor that you want to learn and see new things if possible. I always thought I wanted to work geriatrics but personally it was really rough for me, so I was able to determine that its an area I wouldn't want to work in.

sorry my post is all over the place, have to go back to studying lol. Good luck!!

[Medic_to_BSN, BSN, RN]

I'm in my first semester of nursing school, I'm wrapping up as we speak. I worked with geriatrics at a skilled facility, it was mostly bedbaths, vitals, enteral feeedings,head to toe assessment, changing adult diapers, inputs and output. I also got to assist in a stage 3 pressure ulcer wound care, which was pretty cool. They normal start you off easy, towards the end we gave meds.But the best advice out is to just stay out of the way, lol my group was pretty well behave but the nurses still seemed annoyed with us being there since its wasn't much space. If I wasn't active with a client, I would join the activity room and entertain the clients by coloring or playing a game with them. Be vocal to your clinical instructor that you want to learn and see new things if possible. I always thought I wanted to work geriatrics but personally it was really rough for me, so I was able to determine that its an area I wouldn't want to work in.

sorry my post is all over the place, have to go back to studying lol. Good luck!!

Thank you for taking the time from your studying! Any and all information is helpful to me right now. :) And I will keep in mind about staying out of the way!

Good luck in your continued studies!

[TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN]

I'm going to give you some advice from the perspective of an aide who sees a lot of students: You're not going to break the old people. Don't be afraid to touch them and move them.

[Medic_to_BSN, BSN, RN]

I'm going to give you some advice from the perspective of an aide who sees a lot of students: You're not going to break the old people. Don't be afraid to touch them and move them.

Thank you for the advice! I have to be honest - this hadn't even crossed my mind yet, so I'm glad that your comment made me think of it in advance.