Clinical Survival Guide

I WAS handed a badge with my name on it, and it said "nursing student." After that, it was my responsibility to show up at my assigned hospital at the crack of dawn and "play" nurse. I was handed a vital sign machine, and I had to go into an actual patient room and *gulp* TAKE CARE OF THEM! I suddenly forgot everything I learned up to then...

   If you are a nursing student, I am going to give you 6 tips to make your clinical experience your best experience:

1. Be Proactive: Depending on where your clinical site is, it may depend on how proactive you are. Some hospitals are great and allow you to perform many tasks, and some...not so much. However, it is important that you seek to be proactive no matter what. Whether it is assisting another nurse or nurse tech, or keeping an eye on specific patients, try your best to be as proactive as you can.

2. Be assertive: I say this with caution because respect always comes first. However, sometimes in clinicals, you could find yourself not being as productive as you want to be. In this case, you want to be assertive and respectful when asking another nurse or your clinical instructor if you want to do certain tasks. Most the time, it looks good when you actually want to help out with patients. Just as long as you keep a respectful tone, there is nothing wrong with asking other nurses if you want to help with something.

3. Do NOT be complacent: One thing I struggled with in my first clinical rotation is that I was so caught up in administering my medications correctly or taking my vital signs correctly that sometimes I forgot to ask if my patient was okay, or if they need anything. It is a common struggle because you are balancing between "textbook" nursing and "real-life" nursing. Always remember to prioritize patient safety and patient comfort. It is easy as students to forget about the small things because we are trying to get the big things correct and out the way. But remember, you can administer that SQ insulin shot correctly, but did you ask if their blood glucose was taken before? Or where their last shot location was so you don't stick them in the same place multiple times? Or check to see they ate before, or have food in the room so that their blood sugar don't crash? The little things also influence the big things!

4. Always be on time: If your clinical instructor have not emphasized punctuality, then let me explain: It is important to be on time. For most nursing students, clinicals start as early as 6:30am. It is beneficial to be on time so you can calmly get your patient information and plan out your day accordingly.

5. Have fun: Fun? In nursing school? Yes, it is possible to do your tasks, but also do them with a passion. One thing I love about nursing school is that you can step away from the traditional classroom setting and actually going into a hospital and practice skills as a nursing student. It makes school worth while because you are not glued to a chair all day! Make each clinical day worth it!

6. Keep a record of what you do each day: I kept a journal where I recorded all the tasks that I did at each clinical. Besides the patient's actual name or personal information, I only recorded the medical diagnosis and medications that I administered to research afterwards, and also keep a repertoire of the tasks of have performed thus far. Invest into a journal and do this. You could also look back to skills you have done in the past, and note skills that you want to practice!

-futurenursehappiness