I May Not Be There Yet, But I am Closer Than I Was Yesterday.
Greetings once again.
I hope all is well. This is my final post in my nursing series. I somewhat feel sad about that as this is my second series ever and my first with little surprises.
I hope you guys have been enjoying it, but do not worry, I will still be posting more nursing and studying content.
For this post I would like to talk about Clinicals. I had a love-hate relationship with cilincals. I loved the experience, the small moments when I felt like a nurse, and I really enjoyed most of the environments.
Hands down my favourite was labour and delivery, but I had many other environments that I loved and would enjoy revisiting.
However, I do remember how nerve racking it could be, especially for the first few days when I was getting used to my surroundings, so I thought I would share a few tips.
N.B: Things may be different if you have a virtual clinical this semester, but hopefully, you will still find this post useful.
1.
Prep the Night Before. It’s easy to forget things, and rushing in the morning or at night for clincal is not a scenario I would wish for anyone.
I had a separate clincal bag and folder that I used so that I could leave my clinical things in it.
Doing this decreased the need to wonder where things were.
See my nursing essentials for ideas on what you may need for clinical.
2.
Ask Questions and Get Involved. I am a shy person, but when I did speak up and put myself out there, I usually loved the rewards. I gained both knowledge and experience, and built new bridges with patients, nurses, and others.
At first, it weird and awkward, but after a while, I made new acquaintances especially if I was on that unit for a while. Additionally, those nurses or doctors may ask that you work with them for the day or reach out to have you observe a procedure.
If you are shy or introverted, I know the pressure that is placed on you, but you never know what could happen until you try.
What If I Fall? Oh, But What If You FLY!
3.
Bring Your Food. Lunch and dinner times may be short especially if you had a busy shift.
There have been times when we could not eat until the end of our shift, during our debriefing sessions.
I would advise you to bring your food so that you can be refueled at the appointed time.
Additionally, there have been times when the kitchen in the facility closed early or their options are not palatable.
4.
What to Have on Your Person. There are a few things I tried to always have on me, as there are times when I was not able to visit the break room as often or I was transferred from the unit.
a. The essentials: My stethoscope, a mini calculator, pens, highlighters, markers, my badge
b. Lotion and a small container of hand sanitizer
c. Flush- these have been lifesavers
d. Gloves- There have been times when we have stepped into rooms and no gloves.
e. Clip board- I like the foldable ones; great for fitting into your pocket
f. A small notepad/scrap paper
g. Alcohol packs- those small ones for cleaning a site or wiping off a gadget in emergency situations.
If you can think of something else, let me know.
5.
Take your time. Whether this is your first clinical or the last clinical of your degree, you are human, and you will need time to adjust.
Until then, be kind to yourself; give yourself space to grow, learn, and make a few mistakes (hopefully none too big).
Review your materials, take notes, and ask questions to grow your confidence.
Take time for yourself. Allow yourself to rest and internalize your day. If you need to, take a break to get some water, use the bathroom, and/or eat a snack. Listen to your body.
Journal about your experience. This will help you to internalize your day, catch things you missed, and connect the dots. Also, a semester or a year from now, you can look back to see how far you have come.
Those are my tips for now. When writing this post, I stumbled on another blog about preparing for clinical by Downtoearthnurse. I have never seen her blog nor this post before, but I found it helpful and thought I would share. Check here to read on.
I also created another template: A Clinical Checklist. Click here to download and if you end up using it, tag me on Instagram @simplyannareece.
I left two dots so that you could hand write your own needs.
Also, if you are doing virtual clinicals, please let me know about your experience.
That is it for now. I hope you have a productive and safe semester.
Until next time, peace be.
POSTS FROM NURSING SERIES 2020
~Simply Anna Reece.
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