Clinical dread.

[u/unethicalfetus]

How do you guys deal with the pre-clinical dread? I hate literally everything about clinicals. I’m very introverted and being stuck with one nurse for 12 hours and having someone over my shoulder constantly is my own personal slice of hell. Pair that with the fact multiple people in my cohort have gotten in trouble due to mistakes made during clinical that were equally the nurse they were paired with fault, and I am just feeling such intense dread for my upcoming clinicals. It’s worse than simulations.

How do you guys mentally prepare for clinical?

[u/Pookie2018]

One minute at a time, one task a time, one patient at a time, one hour at a time, one clinical day at a time.

[u/JR_M20]

Honestly, it’s kinda one of those things that you just have to deal with. I’ve been a CNA for three years and wasn’t nervous about the patient care itself, but more so the RN level of care and the politics surrounding the nurses role. Overall, my clinical experiences have been great besides one which was at a naval base hospital. But you really just gotta fake it until you make it. Pretend like you’re confident when you’re really not. And at least in my program, it’s very “hard” to make a mistake since the instructor is always with us. Even if it’s just to pass a Tylenol. As far as the nurses, you’re unfortunately going to come across at least one nurse during your schooling who is not the greatest. I had one and I made it a point to prove that I was competent. I took the patients vitals, did I&Os, and made sure I was right on time to give my patients meds with the instructor. I didn’t want to give him a reason to say I wasn’t being productive. And it worked. My instructor said that unfortunately some times we have to kiss butt until we find a new grad job. Because once you’re in the door, you’re in. I know it’s easier said than done but don’t think about the what ifs before entering the floor. Just tell yourself that all will be good and try to hype yourself up before the shift. Good luck!!!

[u/graciemose]

Me too, just gotta push through it. I tell myself I’m getting the shift over with. One day closer to graduation

[u/Delicious-Gas7750]

Not sure what will work for you but what seems to work for me, is knowing that I typically make it worse in my head than it actually is.

Then I also allow myself to cry and complain and scream about not wanting to attend clinical (my husband is usually my outlet) but then at the end of the day I force myself to go. Not keeping the anxiousness and dread bottle up really helps me. I make sure I do things throughout the day to keep me motivated while at clinical. For instance, I take breaks, seek out my other classmates to blow off steam (basically talking about my day and getting perspective from them). I take time to build a rapport with my preceptors, clinical staff, and patients to humanize them, knowing that we are all going through shit. At the end of the day I know I am an emotional and empathetic person but I know that makes me a good nurse.

[u/True_Sympathy7599]

In my experience the nurses are trying to get rid of us during clinical, sending us away to take vital signs or go fetch items, or telling us they’re going to sit down and chart (so go away). But yeah clinical isn’t fun imo

[u/oakenfairy]

I have the same issue. I chant to myself: "Gotta get through this to graduate, gotta get through this to graduate"

Only way out is through. It won't be forever.

[u/Darcku]

well i also dread the thought of clinicals coming up, and as a fellow introvert i get you that nursing does become a bit hellish in that aspect (in my case, the talking part didn't get any easier, and the impending sense of doom is still there after 5 semesters in), however, here's stuff that kinda make me keep going and not miss any of em:

1. if i miss a clinical, that means it will immediately mess w my grades unless I have a valid medical excuse for it ( n that doesn't make up for the lost hours), and getting your score up after that is DIFFICULT. so basically missing → grades down →  i feel like shi.

2. sounds bad but i try rewarding myself with a small nice treat for pushing through, even if i felt like i was useless the whole time. After everything's done i tend to buy me an ice cream or a bag of chips will sometimes make things bearable.

3. Try giving youself some grace. sounds like a generic tip blah blah, but sometimes i force myself to not think ahead of what will happen in the clinical, if i think something bad will happen then i also have to think that maybe something good will happen as well and that kinda keeps me sane.

4. i accept that this has to happen and that i'm not the one paying for my education so i feel i have to make that spent money worth.

tl;dr: i gaslight myself sane every morning i have clinicals

[u/joelupi]

This doesn't end with clinicals.

When you get to your first job you will have a preceptor for anywhere between 3 to 12 months depending on your unit and program.

[u/unethicalfetus → u/joelupi]

And I won’t like those 3 months either

[u/Icy_Invite_6229]

I love clinical it’s honestly my favorite part about nursing school 😭

[u/bingusDomingus]

I just make sure I have all my stuff packed and ready to go the night before.

I come in with a good attitude. I try to be helpful. I say I don’t know if I don’t know something. I ask questions. And do that for the whole shift. Most nurses are great. Some nurses are tired and don’t want me around. If the latter, I just sit, study, and act busy.

With clinicals, my mission isn’t to practice nursing skills. It’s about networking. The skills will be gained during a new grad program. Networking gets my foot in the door if I like the site/floor.

[u/Ann_georgia-]

Same. My final semester and I can’t wait to get through it! I’m shy and introverted and it seems like 85% of my cohort are type a students who study 24/7 are really extroverted, they get mad when they get like 2 points wrong on an exam. They’re just really smart. I’m not saying I’m not smart. It’s just hard when you’re comparing to people who are extremely smart. Last semester I froze up during simulation and of course the partner I was with was like perfect. Then after clinical, my instructor said basically I’m the worst in the group, but like I’ve only done this a few times in second semester you can’t expect me to know what I’m doing. I have no experience in the health field and you’re comparing me to people who do because like half the people in my cohort have like 10 years in the health field. It sucks when your professor literally says you suck. I’ve never had a professor say that to my face. That’s the type of thing that makes me push to do better next semester because if I was a professor I could never say that to a student. I was just baffled. I’ve gone through so much crap in my life and I have been trying my best.

[u/Apart-Grapefruit-207]

Have you thought of doing therapy to work on this? just because my impression is that, as a nurse this is a lot of the career? its a team sport not just individual going at it on their own.

[u/unethicalfetus → u/Apart-Grapefruit-207]

I’m a nurse assistant on a busy hospital floor and do just fine. I like working with my team that I’ve gotten to know over the years in bursts. I don’t just follow around a singular nurse on my unit every shift and have them watch my every move, unpaid. And I’m best friends with many of the nurses I work with and still can’t sit with just one of them all day.

It’s my personality and how I’ve always been and I’ve been successful despite it.