Clinicals Tips
You've made it through all your prerequisites and have finally been officially accepted into clinicals. Congratulations! Nursing school provides a unique opportunity to see first hand the day-to-day responsibilities of a nurse. Whether you are placed in the ER, a clinic, or a med-surg floor, your clinical experience is an invaluable part of your nursing training. So, how can you take full advantage of your time in clinicals?1. Be prepared
Several days before your clinical rotation, take time to read through any paperwork your teacher has given you. Some sites will have different requirements for what to bring, what time to arrive, etc. Make sure you know ahead of time what you need. For suggestions of what to bring for clinicals, check out my post here!
Lay out your clothes the night before. Don't forget your badge! Wake up early--set several alarms if necessary. Eat a good breakfast with some protein and take a deep breath. You are ready to enter the hospital as a student nurse!
2. Ask questions
When you get to the floor, find the nurse you are assigned to and introduce yourself. Tell them what skills you have been checked off on and what you will be able to do during the shift. Don't be afraid to ask questions. It is always better to clarify something then to guess and be wrong. Remember, you are working under your teacher and nurse's licenses, so they need to know what skills you are doing. If you are unsure about something, ask.
You will probably be intimidated and feel like hiding in the linen cart sometimes. That's ok! (The feeling, not the hiding 😉) But work through your fears and remember you are there to learn, so it's ok that you don't know everything yet! (Spoiler alert, nurses don't know everything either. A good nurse is always learning and growing).
Take time to look up medications and procedures that you are unfamiliar with, or ask your teacher or nurse to walk you through a skill. The more you review, the more you will retain!
3. Volunteer to help
Your nurse is busy. And having a student adds to her already overflowing plate. So be a help! If a patient needs water, go get it (but make sure they can have some first 😊). If a patient needs to be fed, cleanup, etc., jump in and help. Follow your nurse around and let them know that you want to be a part of their work as much as possible.
4. Take initiative
You are there to learn. Don't sit around waiting for learning opportunities to find you--go find them! If you hear about a procedure happening on your floor, see if you can go watch it. If you are learning how to insert IV's, let the nurses know, and try as many as you possibly can!
5. Talk to your patient
Never forget in the business of a day that your patient is a person. Get in the habit of asking them questions and showing you care about them as an individual. Be sensitive to their needs and comfort. Along with this, remember the family members' needs as well.
6. Keep your eyes and ears open
Always be dialed in to what you are doing. Your time is valuable so spend it wisely. Don't be on your phone on the hospital floor. Don't. Be. On. Your. Phone. It is unprofessional and takes away from your experience if you are distracted. Plus, every opportunity on a floor is a potential for a future job. You don't want nursing staff remembering you as "the student who was always on their phone"
7. Reflect
After your clinical day, you will be tired. Take some time to refuel and reflect on the day. What did you do well? What do you want to work on next time? What did you see that you didn't understand?
Clinicals can be an exciting and overwhelming experience. You want to make the most of it and continue to grow as a nursing student. Enjoy this time, and look forward to the time when you will be the nurse on the floor!
Cheering you on,
Laura, RN
If I can help you with anything in your nursing journey, feel free to reach out!
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