Clinicals!

As we all venture into our clinical sites next week, I thought I'd share some advice I found.

1) Ask tons of questions. If you are told by a nurse to do something on a patient and you are not familiar with it or are uncomfortable, ask for help. Don't let it bother you that she rolls her eyes at you, you have the right to learn, and your patients have the right to receive safe care.

2) Be prepared to feel lost. My first time doing everything (including putting a patient's sock on her foot), I was so scared I was shaking. It is normal to completely forget how to do everything (even the most simple tasks) when you are nervous. So don't let this make you feel stupid or inferior- it is NORMAL!!

3) Be prepared to laugh at yourself. If you fail to do this, you will be more stressed out than necessary. When you do something stupid, laugh. Don't be embarrassed, we all do dumb things. Also, allow your patients to laugh at you. One patient told me that watching me frantically search for my clipboard (the clipboard I was holding in my hand) and then laughing with me when I realized my mistake, was the highlight of her week.

Hopefully we're starting to feel a LITTLE more comfortable with our busy schedule, but the author also had a great suggestion for that too:

"Even though you are extremely busy, take one night off. This means do not do any school work whatsoever one night every week. Thursday night is my night off. I watch TV, catch up with friends, just do whatever I want. On Monday, when I really want to watch something on TV or feel unmotivated to work, I keep telling myself that I only have a few more days until Thursday."

(Source: http://lilk8tob.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!1pd_Ax_WxTbaCimxCusd2FlA!1357.entry)