hi! I start my first clinical in the fall (fingers crossed) and its med surg. I was wondering if you had any tips for preparing for both the class and my first clinical?
Hi! That’s super exciting! I hope that they’re able to get you in with everything going on. I know I’m still waiting to hear on my summer clinical placement, I feel you.
For theory, I found it crazy helpful to do the readings twice. Once before class (like just reading, no notes or highlighting) so I’m familiar with the content before going in, and then once after class, using it to supplement my class notes anywhere I needed some extra information. I also found review sheets to be a super helpful way of summarizing my understanding leading up to studying for exams, you can see them here (the fourth picture), here, and here. I found that really nice too because if I knew I was working with a patient with diabetes, for example, I could put that sheet into a slipcover and bring it with me to clinical to review and relate to that patient’s care! On that note, relating things to clinical will be your best bet for memorization. If you’re studying a specific disorder and you happen to hear it is on your unit that day, ask to read that patient’s chart or talk with their nurse. It’ll help SO much in terms of memorizing the key pathophysiology of a lot of your disorders.
For clinical, I think the best thing you can do is be curious. Seriously. Always ask your primary nurse if they need help, or if there is something you can do for them. The more you offer to help, the more likely they will be to go out of their way to invite you to watch procedures, help with dressing changes, etc. They are super busy, and remembering that they aren’t being paid to help you, is super important. Also, being aware of what basic knowledge you need for your unit. No one is expecting you to know everything, but knowing the basics is important. Things like vital sign ranges, common side effects/adverse reactions. If you’re on a surgical floor, what do you need to do before and after surgery? And not being afraid to ask if you don’t know. I find most nurses respond better to “I don’t know” then a guess.
Anyway, that’s a lot of information overload, but I hope it helps! Just trust that you are meant to be there, and even on the rough days, know that every nurse has been there and you will get through it!
