Practical Tips to Help You Excel During a Nursing Student Clinical Placement

Nursing school education not only entails classroom lectures but also hands-on experience in a clinical setting. The latter sector is often referred to as “clinicals.” Simply put, clinical placements are a massive opportunity to take your classroom skills and apply them in a hospital setting.

 Here is how to make the most of your clinicals.

Visit The Facility Beforehand

After finding out where your clinical placement is, figure out how to get there and calculate the travel time you will require. Get in touch with the department or the ward in advance. This will help you figure out where it is and have a feel of how things are handled in the facility. It also shows that you have a keen interest in nursing and may work in your favor in the long run.

Keep Time

It is important to arrive on time and also in the prescribed uniform. Remember that you are training for a professional job, so the image is everything. So, besides keeping time, ensure that you are neat and tidy.

Don’t Put Demands

There are times when you cannot avoid getting an inconvenient work shift. Talk to the ward about any particular commitment that you have, but remember that you won’t be writing your own work shifts. Be cautious with whatever you intend to ask to increase the chances of your request being granted.

Take A Tour Of The Place

Ask a member of staff to show you around the unit, ward or placement. For instance, find out where the fire exits are as well as the emergency call system. Additionally, ask about the kind of procedures they do undertake as well as who their patients are.

Show Interest

You can talk to staff to explain to you different procedures or even or advise you on something that you would want to observe happens. For instance, what procedure is the most common at that unit? Bear in mind that the greater the number of placements you do, the greater the confidence you will have in handling different procedures.  Request to see the procedures performed firsthand to get the needed experience.

Be Ready To Do Any Work

Do not shy away from getting involved in a task that appears too menial at face value like tidying or making a bed. This can be a wonderful chance to talk to staff or patients and it adds to your knowledge and learning.

Don’t Be Afraid To Say No

If you can’t do something, don’t be afraid to say it. If the procedure you are being asked to do is new to you or you don’t know how to do it, just say you can’t do it because you haven’t seen it done. A doctor may ask you to admit a new patient into the unit. This is normally done by the nurse in charge since they understand the capacity and staffing at the time. Feel free to say no, but be sure to explain why it’s inappropriate for you.

Clinicals are an important part of the education cycle of a nurse. This is where you will be applying your classroom knowledge. To get the most of your time in a clinical placement, however, you need to do a few things: make friends with the unit staff, ask about anything you don’t know or understand, and never shy away from saying no to something you cannot do.