These 8 nursing clinical tips will help you advance your learning and make the most of your clinical rotations. Focus on being ready to learn, asking questions, engaging with patients, practicing as much as possible, making connections with coursework, being patient with yourself, admitting mistakes and asking for feedback.
Beginning clinical rotations in nursing school can be intimidating. How can you set yourself up for success and get the most out of your nursing school clinical experiences? There are quite a few tips for nursing clinicals that you can implement as you determine how to prepare for clinical rotations and optimize your learning experience.
Averett University’s Accelerated BSN program in Norfolk, Virginia, is committed to offering students a robust clinical education as they work towards earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as few as 16 months. You’ll complete mandatory clinical hours at some of the top healthcare facilities in the area, preparing you to enter your first nursing job with confidence.
Before reviewing the top tips for clinical rotations, you should first understand why they’re important. Then, consider how to succeed in clinical rotations throughout nursing school.
Why Clinical Rotations Matter in Nursing School
Nursing clinicals are an invaluable component of your nursing education. Clinical experiences develop your patient interaction and care skills, teach you to manage patients, and expose you to various nursing specialties.
Nursing clinicals require you to put everything you’ve learned into practice. You’ll learn how clinical environments operate, how nurses work as a team, and how to interact with patients professionally. As you progress through school, your clinical responsibilities will become increasingly more complex until you can provide direct patient care under supervision.
Tips for Your First Nursing Clinical
It’s helpful to cultivate a growth mindset before starting your first nursing clinical. A growth mindset involves embracing the potential for personal and professional growth through hard work and a willingness to learn.
Whether or not you’ve worked in a clinical environment before nursing school, you still need to learn how to navigate the environment as a registered nurse. You’ll need to develop a comprehensive set of skills in patient care, as this is what prepares you for a professional nursing career after graduation.
Always maintain a humble attitude and stay open to learning. Seek out opportunities to grow and improve upon your existing skills.
Along with a willingness to learn, it’s essential to stay organized. The night before your first clinical shift, pack a bag in advance with everything you need, such as clinical supplies and a notepad and pen for questions and notes.
How to Succeed in Clinical Rotations
To help you get the most out of your learning experience, try the following tips for nursing clinicals:
Ask Questions
Don’t feel embarrassed about asking questions. Nursing is complex and takes a lot of time and hard work to feel comfortable with the clinical responsibilities nurses face. When you’re in clinical rotations, ask questions whenever you need clarification. Your preceptor is available to guide you and provide answers. Asking questions also helps them determine how to teach you best.
How hard is accelerated nursing school? Learn what makes nursing school a challenge.
Engage With Patients
Clinical rotations are an excellent opportunity to meet patients and practice your patient interaction skills. Take advantage of this experience. The more you talk to patients, the better you’ll get at asking about their health concerns and offering emotional support. These are vital communication skills.
Patients often remember how a nurse treats them and makes them feel more than the actual care the nurse provides. Developing a comforting and reassuring demeanor with patients will help you be a more effective nurse. Good patient communication takes practice, so use your clinical rotations to hone your skills.
Practice as Much as Possible
Another way to succeed in nursing school clinicals is to never miss an opportunity to practice. Even if you’ve already placed an IV or nasogastric tube before, take every opportunity to practice it again, as skills are best refined through repeated practice.
Additionally, practicing your skills with different patients will refine your skills and diversify your experience. Placing an IV, for example, requires different strategies depending on whether you’re dealing with an elderly patient, a young adult, or a baby.
Ask for Feedback
Ask for regular feedback on your nursing techniques, skills and how you can improve from experienced professionals, such as your preceptor. You can also ask patients for feedback on certain things, as patients often offer useful perspectives.
For example, check in with your patients as you’re performing tasks to ensure they’re not in pain and, if they are, adjust your technique to improve their comfort. You can also ask your patients if you’re communicating well and helping them feel safe and supported.
Make Connections With Your Nursing Classes
Clinical rotations do not occur in a vacuum. As you progress through nursing school, you should make connections between what you learn in nursing coursework and labs and what you’re experiencing in clinicals.
The accelerated nursing curriculum at Averett consists of three components: online coursework, on-site nursing labs, and clinical rotations. Each of these learning environments helps develop your nursing competency in different ways, with all modules complementing each other to ensure you receive a comprehensive education.
How do online classes work? Learn more about the benefits of online learning.
Tips for Nursing Clinicals That Will Help You Excel
Making the most of your clinical experience also includes prioritizing your mental, social, and emotional well-being, despite the high expectations and long shifts. Make time for self-care throughout nursing school, including your clinical days.
Be Patient With Yourself
Give yourself grace. Be patient and give yourself time to learn. There is a lot you don’t know yet, and skills will develop with practice over time. You do not need to know everything in the first week. Expect to feel outside of your comfort zone, as all nursing students feel that way when they start. You will gain more confidence as you practice and are exposed to more situations.
Practice Self-Care
Despite your packed schedule, it’s important to take a little time for yourself. After a long clinical shift, do something that relaxes you. Spend some time with your loved ones and allow yourself to decompress.
Acknowledge Your Mistakes
Making mistakes is part of the learning process. During clinical rotations, it’s important to acknowledge your mistakes to ensure patient safety. No matter what the mistake is, inform your preceptor immediately.
Accountability is critical in healthcare, as patients’ well-being depends on high-quality care. Accountability also offers opportunities for personal and professional growth. Consider it a form of professional self-care that aligns with your values.
How long does it take to become a nurse? Learn how to become a nurse in as few as 16 months through the ABSN program.
Ready to Begin Your Nursing Journey?
If you’re interested in graduating with a BSN in as few as 16 months, the accelerated nursing program at Averett University can get you there. If you have at least 60 non-nursing college credits or a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, you might be eligible for the ABSN program.
Offering three start dates a year, in January, May, and August, the Averett’s ABSN program helps students begin their journey to nursing sooner and make the best use of their time. You’ll benefit from having an online and in-person curriculum, which allows you to study for exams when and where you want, while also offering you valuable in-person clinical experience.
Contact an admissions advisor today to learn more.