NO MORE CRYING AFTER CLINICAL : PREP FOR YOUR DAY By Abby Berryman , Jordyn Biscoe , Danielle Emert , Mia McCloskey , Anna Sutherland , Abby Watlington , Rachel Whitaker and McKenzie Willis
Nursing school includes years of being intimidated with exams , National Council Licensure Examination ( NCLEX ) predictor tests , studying , care plans , and possibly the most overwhelming of all , clinicals . Your first clinical semester can make you feel like you will never be able to learn all that will be expected of you as a nurse . We are writing this paper in the hope that we can calm your fears and offer encouragement . While the advice we have to offer is not fool-proof and we are not claiming that every one of our clinical days have gone smoothly , these are practices that have proven to give us peace of mind and confidence as we walked into the nursing world as students . Clinical days can either be an anxiety-inducing ordeal paired with frantic early mornings or they can be a fulfilling learning experience that increases your confidence with each passing day . We hope these tips will help you experience the latter .
Meal Prep : Early mornings and long hours spent at the hospital will make for a very hungry student . Plan to make easy , healthy meals to bring with you to your clinical location . Buying nutritious food and prepping meals for multiple days can save you time and energy , which are extremely valuable to a nursing student . Eating healthy and meal prepping instead of eating take-out every shift will save you from feeling bogged down while working and will save you money . In the morning , a sustaining breakfast with protein , fats , carbohydrates , and fiber will help keep you full longer and maintain balanced blood sugar . You do not want to be the nursing student that passes out , so hydrate every chance you get and eat a snack when you need to . Listen to your body . If it ’ s telling you that you need something , don ’ t ignore it .
Stay Organized : A key part of staying organized is having your supplies together the night before clinical so you do not forget them in the morning .
Always bring paper for notetaking , a pen , your stethoscope , a watch with a second hand , and any paperwork you may need to complete for your classes . Pay attention to the organizational styles of nurses in the clinical area . Some nurses take notes of everything they do on a post-it so they can refer to it when they chart later in their shift . Others make notes on their shift report papers . It is likely that you will not find your perfect system on the first try , but nursing school is the perfect time to experiment — with minimal repercussions — to find the organization system that is most successful for you .
Do Not Be Afraid to Feel : Sometimes , it ’ s easy for us to shut off our feelings towards patients so we can focus on our work . However , that can easily turn into viewing patients as tasks or numbers rather than people . Instead of shutting off your emotions , learn the practice of compartmentalizing them . Allow yourself to feel or grieve with a patient when appropriate , while staying strong and focusing on your work when emotions could get in the way of proper patient care . A helpful tip : check in with your feelings as you travel home . Take that time to process your shift and feel what you did not have space to feel before .
Do Not Be Afraid to Ask Questions : When you are a nursing student and enter a new clinical area for the first time , even the basics of how a floor operates can be daunting to learn . The fear of asking a question that may seem “ dumb ” or “ obvious ” to the nurse could prevent you from learning vital information . So , ask away ! Remember , you are there to learn . Walking with confidence and a willingness to expand your skills will make you a better nurse and ease the anxiety of an unfamiliar environment . Most often , nurses want to answer any questions you might have to help you grow . Even if you have to ask a nurse to repeat an explanation multiple times , do not hesitate to confirm the tasks you
38 NSNA IMPRINT • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022 • www . nsna . org