What was your first clinical like?

centralFLnurse2be · Oct 10, 2009

It's not nearly as bad as what you think it will be like. I've had 4 days of clinicals, and I haven't done a single bed bath. I've helped the CNAs a good bit, and I have done an assessment on a patient.

At least at my school, they seem like they're not trying to scare us off :up:

Bobbkat · Oct 10, 2009

Wow, I really giggle when I think of how nervous I was the night before my first clinical. Everyone in my group was, it's completely normal when you are going into the 'unknown'. Now I'm getting ready to graduate in a few weeks.....that seems like SSSOOOO long ago. Before you know it, you will also be looking back at how nervous you were and will shake your head in wonderment.

I'm sure you'll do absolutely fine. For our first clinicals we had one patient assigned to us. We were required to give a bed bath and do a linen change, and really I don't remember what else. Don't worry, you aren't going to hurt anyone, or 'mess up' a bed bath. Help with what they need help with, and let them do the rest.

Besides that we probably helped the PCA's with call lights. That might have been about it. As the semester progressed we took vitals, gave meds, and all that jazz, but the first day it was pretty much everyone getting over the terror, taking a deep breath, and walking into a patients room.

HTH

ZoeZ · Oct 10, 2009

You'll be fine! I know it's hard imagine right now. I just had my first clinical last Tuesday and I was so nervous...I kept thinking, ummm do they REALLY think I'm qualified to take care of patients?! I also have a rotation at a LTC and from what I've heard from my classmates, it's actually a great experience. They told me all they did was feed them, helped with a bath, helped them dress, and then took them to a pre planned activity. Your patient will be thrilled to have you giving them so much one on one time :) They also said compared to regular clinicals it was relaxing in a way.

As for clinical, all I did were vital signs basically lol My patient was very self-sufficient and was discharged by 11 am. I spent the rest of the day (till 6pm....) doing paperwork. Anyway, the point is, they don't expect you to do anything you haven't done in your campus lab. They know you are brand new and VERY nervous :) Once you start your day, you'll realize it's not as bad as you thought and it's actually fun. It's exciting because we're on our way to becoming Nurses!!! You'll be really nervous when you're going into meet your patient for the first time but just bluff it. Just go in, introduce yourself, tell them you're a student nurse with whatever school and that you will be assisting in their care. You can also ask them if they would like assistance with anything in particular. This is good, especially if you meet your patient the day before, because then you get a heads up on what to expect and can brush up on any skills you feel iffy about.

Best of luck to you! Everything will be fine just keep your cool and go with the flow of things!

shannahan · Oct 10, 2009

You are lucky you get to do beginning clinicals at a LTF. We were thrown right into a hospital with basically no skills. So a lot of standing around and watching. Awkward! I am at the end of block 1 and am just now getting comfortable (mainly because I have more skills now and more I can do). At a LTF the advantage you have is the patients are happy to have you, from what I've heard and there is opportunity to do a lot more CNA skills.

Someone once told me they hated clinicals in block 1 but if you can just hold on and get through it, block 2 gets really fun because you can do so much more.

BellasMommyOBRN · Oct 10, 2009

it's not nearly as bad as what you think it will be like. i've had 4 days of clinicals, and i haven't done a single bed bath. i've helped the cnas a good bit, and i have done an assessment on a patient.
at least at my school, they seem like they're not trying to scare us off

wow! must be nice, my school threw us right in. they expected us to do those things the very first day of clinical, and by ourselves.

every program is different but, the point is that it does get easier. i remember feeling like a total idiot the first day but have much more confidence now that i have done it a couple of times. instead of thinking to myself, "oh god, please let this be over!", i think, "i hope i have done everything i possibly could!" :loveya:

you'll do great. just do the best you can to prepare the night before.

D.R.A. · Oct 10, 2009

I'm doing my CNA training this semester, I start Nursing 101 in January. We have clinicals coming up in about a month. Like you, we are going to be at a nursing home. From what our instructor has told us, we will be assigned to CNA's whom we will 'assist'. I hear some CNA's prefer to just do it themselves, while others have no problem delegating tasks to students......good luck either way! (0:

Kringe38 · Oct 10, 2009

wow! must be nice, my school threw us right in. they expected us to do those things the very first day of clinical, and by ourselves.

every program is different but, the point is that it does get easier. i remember feeling like a total idiot the first day but have much more confidence now that i have done it a couple of times. instead of thinking to myself, "oh god, please let this be over!", i think, "i hope i have done everything i possibly could!" :loveya:

you'll do great. just do the best you can to prepare the night before.

eeek, scary! i don't think i will be very smooth with those things. giving someone a bath is so private! i don't want to be too intrusive for what they can do themselves but also don't want to worry that i haven't gotten them clean enough. don't want to leave them sitting in moisture and bacteria.

i'm really hoping there'll be some nice cna or nurse who will give me some tips or something, but at the same i feel sorry for whoever "gets" me! :coollook:

craziechiq, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2009

I've been going to clinical for four weeks and we always have objectives we have to accomplish by the end of the day. Right now it's easy because it usually is bed bath, change linen, ambulate. So every time i go to clinical i give someone a bath. The very first one i gave was with my classmate and it's a lot better to have two people than by yourself, but you get used to it. I've given a couple by myself and just ask them what can they do, always keep them covered, and just tell them what you're doing. All my patients have ended up loving the bath. They feel pampered. You'll be fine, you just get a routine down.

brokenroads27 · Oct 10, 2009

this is my first semester as well and we're on the med-surg floor of the hospital. we do everything the cna's usually do-bed baths, bed making, oral care, bed pans....all of that. its not half as bad as i thought it would be. im exhausted once i get home but i have fun when im there. im at a community college so they progress us faster than at a 4 year school. we get thrown in with little practice lol

Kringe38 · Oct 10, 2009

this is my first semester as well and we're on the med-surg floor of the hospital. we do everything the cna's usually do-bed baths, bed making, oral care, bed pans....all of that. its not half as bad as i thought it would be. im exhausted once i get home but i have fun when im there. im at a community college so they progress us faster than at a 4 year school. we get thrown in with little practice lol

I'm at a community college too, a 2-year ADN program.

dscrn · Oct 10, 2009

Especially these days, most pts love the students...none of the nurses have so much time to spend with only one pt! You will be fine.