3 minutes in and I’m laughing so hard! I was definitely clutching a clipboard last semester during my med-surg clinical. I’ll try not to do that anymore lol. Happy New Year, Liz! You’re great.
I’m going into my last semester, but I still have so much to learn so this is such a good refresher and confidence booster! The confidence thing is SO true. I saw a huge change in how patients and the nurses I worked with saw me. I was scared my first semester, and it showed. Last semester was completely different in the best way possible. I said yes even when I was afraid, and asked for the chance to do things that I hadn’t done before. Some nurses refused to let me perform skills that I really wanted to try for whatever reason, but I was glad that I took the step to at least put myself out there. I’m so nervous, but excited to be so close to the finish line (at least for now)!
@@deergreentea2847 I can identify with you and the anxiety, but I say be scared and do it. That's my plan. I started two weeks ago on the first step of the journey.
Great tip for code. I am a scrub tech in the OR seen my share so helping the call lights is an awesome tip. I'm 48 and I got accepted into the nursing program starting this fall. I feel like I know nothing lol thank you so much for your tips
Beth Maciaszek I Beth I am 43 and about to start my nursing this September. I feel supper conscious about my age and worried if I will keep up with the younger students. Any tips
@@aletiahamilton7686 I have a ton of young nurses that told me do not worry about age it is so mixed now. I have been watching registered nurse RN and any videos relating to starting the nursing program. I am most terrified of pharmacology as my entire class was open book she stayed because in the real world you have access to computers, books, other nurses. I taught myself dosage calculations and still feel lost.
Thank you so much for your tips and positivity. I had a clinical instructor tell me today that she didn't believe I was cut out to be a nurse b/c I cried after my first clinical day in the NICU. It is one of the rudest and most discouraging judgements I've received. I can only chalk it up to her deflecting her own issues or inadequacies. Your video definitely helped to perk my spirits and work around those negative nurses.
You got this!! A couple years ago I was working in the UK as a health care assistant on a hospital ward. They threw me in the deep end and were given no training or education. The first day I was in tears. 3 weeks later I quit not wanting to go into nursing. But here I am starting nursing school in the fall. I didn't want to give up my dream.
Clipboards can be too much...my classmates and I used a small pocket notebook to make notes on our residents, data on vitals, medications etc. Clipboards pick up germs, so ditch it, lol. Scrub pants with multiple pockets are a must. Have a water bottle to sip on when you take a bathroom break as well. Oh, in addition to making sure patient/resident isn’t NPO, if they can receive liquids read their chart to find out if they are at risk for aspiration. You don’t want to give someone thin liquids if there chart says thickened! Good stuff Nurse Liz 👩🏻⚕️!
Just a different perspective: some nurses really need to fix their attitude about nursing students. We are paying to be there and learn RN skills. We are not your CNA. We are not an annoying child. We are adult learners who are invested in being there. I cannot tell you how many nurses at the hospitals we are at were immediately rude as soon as they saw students coming. Unacceptable. Do better, nurses.
I’ve actually started using some of these tips as a CNA while working at the hospital, like asking questions, and offering to help with procedures or asking to observe if I know it’s outside my scope of practice and the nurses love it! They always ask if I’m a student and ask how much time I have left til I graduate and they’re always shocked when I say I’m still doing pre reqs! I’ve started to have nurses remember me and find me when they want to do a procedures!! It’s a wonderful feeling. Although my best learning experiences have been at skilled nursing facilities because the nurses really do need every ounce of help they could get since they were almost always short staffed. I even once had a nurse (probably one of my top faves I’ve ever met who used to be a teacher) teach me how to identify internal bleeding vs bruising, how to insert foleys correctly, and how to identify mottling on patients close to death. Another nurse from the same place taught me how to chart really well (he had gone through a law suit where the family or hospital tried to blame him for the death since he was the only one charting on the condition), and since there was an elderly woman who refused to take any medications from men (on nights there was usually two males for majority of the week), allowed me to pass the med while he stood in the hall. I’m so thankful for all the wonderful nurses I have met.
Hi Liz. I'm so glad I found you. I start my pre recs next week. I'm a mom of 4 boys ages 10-3 and crazy nervous about going back to school. I have a Master's degree in education but I did that before having kids. Life is now moving me on to nursing. Long story short it is so amazing for me to hear you say that I can do this. Thank you for your faith in me. There will be days when that is what I cling to for sure. How can I be so terrified and excited at the same time. Thank you for putting me on the right track 😘😘😘
This little black notebook has been my best friend throughout all of undergrad thus far! I am so glad that you suggest it, because I was already planning on bringing it with me everywhere. lol I start nursing school in October this year! I'm so excited.
Hey Liz I was wondering when I do a full head-to-toe assessment for every patient I see I am very thorough and check PERRLA, pulses, all lung fields etc. but I never see nurses using the pen light or doing a full assessment. I am just wondering how much of this is necessary as a nurse? I don't expect to have time for 8 min assessments for 4-5 patients every shift but of course we are expected to as students and it is good to have a baseline but sometimes I am like is this realistic? Do you just make time for it even if you are busy or how does this work in real life? lol
I didn’t do full head to toe’s, just focused! Sometimes in school they have you practice full ones so you know how to do all the parts. But in reality you’ll only do focused assessments based on the problems at hand!
LIES!! I loved my foldy clipboard. It fit in my pants pocket, kept all my sticky notes organized and the sheets I had to fill out for turn-in to my instructor after the shift. I'm also the derp that wears a tiny fanny-pack under my clothes.
My school requires a tablet. REQUIRES A TABLET!! Can I just say that I don't feel that I should have to lug around a tablet. I need help understanding this lol.
Thank you so much for this video, as well as all of your other helpful Nursing Student videos! Your overall attitude and kindness is so refreshing and so comforting for this soon-to-begin Nursing School student!
This is so amazing! I start my first clinical next week and I just felt so under-prepared. I wasn't sure what was expected of me or how to run through the day but you just reassured me and made me feel a bit more comfortable. Thank you Liz!
Was it hard to get into the pediatric specialty. I got a job on a tele floor and when I tell others I want pediatric, they say that it’s oversaturated and I’ll never find an opening. Was that your experience?
I was unable to get one straight of of nursing school because they were pretty competitive. So I took a job in the health system associated with the children's hospital, but my job was on an adult med surg floor. I worked there until I had enough seniority to get a job at the peds hospital! Hang in there, you'll get there!
It makes a lot more sense for a med student to have one! They spend most of the day Rounding and raking notes! I’d have one if I were a med student. Nursing students are doing a lot more hands on things all day so it’s a bit different!
@@peacebc6582 If you like them then go for it! I found them unnecessary because If I had a few pieces of paper and they were folded it was sturdy enough to write on and It was one less thing to have to sorry about carrying!
Happy New Year Liz!!! You just saved me from buying a clipboard cos I was wondering how i am going to function by Fall this year my first semester in nursing school. Question: I heard it’s better to be a cna before going into nursing school, will that affect me as I am not one? I’ve been hearing a lot of things so I’m confused and trying to get the best ones before I start in August.
I wasn't a CNA and I was able to get a job just fine! I think it definitely can give you some awesome experience, but other jobs can as well. I was a waitress and that was actually what my hiring manager hired me for!
When I started nursing school, I was not working as a CNA. We were required to take the CNA class but not required to take the certification. When I started clinical, I quickly found out that I wish I had the experience. If you can take an optional part time position (4 shifts per month) as a CNA it’s going to help you get used to working with patients and if you are strategic about it, you can position yourself in a department that you would like to work as a nurse upon graduation. I was able to do this cardiology/cardio thoracic and it helped greatly.
Is it normal that I'm in Med Surg II and every clinical instructor that I've had up until this point told me and the students not to follow our nurse around/ask them anything?
Yes my clinical instructor is like that. We are only allowed to ask her questions we aren't to bug the nurse with questions. I guess it also depends on the school as well. I wish they would of let us follow a nurse or cna at first as I had no prior CNA experience and she just threw us to the wolves
Thank you for saying the perfume thing! I’m in nursing school but I also have a Mast Cell Disorder and it is beyond frustrating when I’m in the middle of an allergic reaction and a nurse/ doctor comes in drenched in perfume that makes my allergic reaction 10 times worse!
I graduated as a midwife here in Belgium back in 2017, looking at this video now I wish I had seen this before my internships because sooooo many of the tips you gave sounds so familiar. And I unfortunately had to learnt hem along the way on my own, making it so that I wasted quite a lot of time sometimes.
1. My first few days of clinical, I had my clipboard, but only to hold papers my clinical instructor handed out, different charting papers, and a list of NANDA nursing Dx. 2. I wish I could say telling my instructor what I was comfortable with worked. She had students tell what they do not like or would they don’t want to do and made them do that. 3. I’ve had patient’s tell me they don’t want to work with a student nurse. I had to switch patients 3 times in one day. One nurse saw me in the room taking vitals on her patients and disappeared. Never saw her again until the end of clinical day. 4. I was the one that could never keep still and went to all the nursing asking if I could do this, If I could do that. I was able to change a tracheal tube and change dressing on a stage 4 decubitus ulcer.
If you love that clipboard life go for it! haha. Sorry your instructors weren't the best. Hope they improve! So glad you were able to see some cool stuff!
@@NurseLiz Oh no. I had the clipboard for the 1st 3 clinical days for handouts. Afterwards, I kept it at the nurses station or conference room. Our instructor helped me build my confidence and encouraged us to not use the pre-made patient profess/assessment sheet. I began using the little note pad the size of your palm. btw, your previous video on how to use "your nose brain", was a great refresher.
I am starting my first clinical this semester and this video was so helpful! I will definitely be setting goals for myself to get the most out of my clinical hours.
Thank you, so much, for the love and attention you put into providing resources for us trailblazing the profession. I’m beginning nursing school this fall, and watching your videos has encouraged me, grounded me, and given me realistic expectations for school. Your upbeat attitude and genuine encouragement is seriously THE BEST! I can tell you love what you do, and love being able to pay it forward with your experience to help us newbies get the most out of our school and nursing journeys. You are my favorite nurse RU-vidr to watch and I’m excited to laugh and cry alongside these videos as I go through school! Haha. Thanks for what you do, Liz!
Hi Liz! I just recently started watching your videos and I love them! Thanks so much for all of the advice. I just got accepted into nursing school and start clinicals this semester. I’m really nervous but your videos help build some confidence!
Happy 2019 new year Liz. Does these advice also apply to FNP clinicals? I am starting clinicals in March and I do not know what to expect and I am super nervous. Any advice for us FNP students? Maybe a video? Have an awesome day.
I am always terrified I am going to get a nurse that hates nursing students ... I've had a few... and don't you just love it when they fight over you... (sarcasm)
I'm starting on-site clinicals tomorrow and this video took my anxiety all the way down. 😭You made it way less intimidating than it seems so I'm going to try and stay positive and confident throughout this process. Thank you so much for this!
very helpful!!! like you said, i dont feel prepared for clinincal and although thats fine on a certain level, I get scared because i know i'm being evaluated. I'll try me best to keep the attitude ur encouraging and giving advice on in here :) thank youuuu!!
Hey Liz I'm not yet into the nursing program at my school yet but finishing pre rec any books or studying to get me a head start you could recommend it would be greatly appreciated!!
Just narrow down how you study and what methods are effective! I wouldnt stress about starting to learn stuff until you have the materials in school! You'll be fine!
It's like you've been with me at clinical and made a video on what I shouldn't do anymore lol. Except for the clipboard, that I can pride myself on not having.
I think this last semester of my senior year I’m going to study terminology and practice with small note books. Work on note taking and understanding. I feel like I will be comfortable with administering oral meds, vitals, and POSSIBLY shots. Blood work and IV’s may be what I will want to observe and learn. I want to be more comfortable with them.
Well be starting a Nurse Auxiliary soon. Doing some research and thank you for the info. I am naturally helpful and boy do I love asking questions ....ahhh (relieving exhale). It's true mean nurses melt with kindness especially if you make them talk about themselves (hint* hint*) me as a patient.
Happy new year, this was such an awesome video! I have had some of those grumpy nurses in my clinical experiences and the kill them with kindness definitely works. The goal setting for each clinical day and writing down goals/ competencies is such a great idea and I will absolutely be implementing them this semester.
I’m not sure the notebook thing would work best for me. The reason I like my clipboard was so I could have different papers in my clipboard. I could have a notes page, a head-to-toe assessment layout... etc. with a notebook it would all be stuffed into a tiny little book that I would probably not be able to keep organized. Any tips for that? Sticky notes or bookmark type things?
I would put each patient on a different sheet of paper then fold the papers all together and put them in your leg pocket! That’s what I did for my patients and it worked super well!
As a nurse wannabe but also someone who has many health issues, all of this is overwhelming. I’m hoping that someday I can live out of my dream of being a nurse. Especially in the NICU.
Nurse Liz, your information and delivery is absolutely top shelf. I'm starting my pre recs for nursing school but it's still a couple of months away before my classes begin. It's probably due to the over excitement, but I've been seeing so many advertisements for Lecturio so I went ahead and scoped out the website. The second I saw your face on the site, I signed up for a membership. You're amazing and I look forward to the rest of your content and your own future. Thank you!
CNA here. In my facility, CNAs are responsible for taking vitals every shift, as well as recording intake and BMs. For some reason, I seem to be the only one who carries a notebook. The others use the folded paper to record vitals, and somehow just remember who ate and drank how much until they can find a computer. Personally, I think keeping an actual record as things happen is much superior.
Hi! Thank you so much for this video!! I am so nervous about my first clinical day tomorrow and this genuinely eased my mind. Early morning but now I am excited. Really appreciate all the tips (I have a clipboard but I promise I won’t be clutching it or taking it everyone :) )
This should be required viewing for nursing students! I wish I had watched it prior to my first clinical! Even finishing up my third semester, I'm not great at several of these things, but I'll definitely be applying as much as I can from your tips going forward!
You are so refreshing! There are too many adorable little nursing students buying all the nonsense, telling me I should too; whereas you are REAL and provide advice base on actual experience. THANK YOU!!! You are my favorite authentic RU-vidr/Nurse ♡♡♡
you are such a great, inspiring role model. thank you so much for these informational vids. im a senior in hs and am interested in nusing school! your videos have influenced me so much!!
Super helpful thank you so much!! Also a question: what are your thoughts on greeting patients with a handshake in COVID times? I’m starting my first clinical in two days and want to be prepared with at least a nice greeting! 😅
Such great tips Liz! Going into my last semester of nursing school I really wish I would have been a bit more confident during my 1st semester simply because now my clinical days are numbered and we learn so much during clincials that I might say one day that I will miss them! Haha again such great tips! Look forward to more videos
@@NurseLiz one more question, I’m trying to finishing up my AA then nursing school then maybe take the bridge to BSN. How long does it take to become RN actually? I thought 4 years but now it more like 6😥😥
Ok but the foldable clipboards (one that fits in your pocket!) are good! I love your videos btw. Are you from Minnesota? Or somewhere in the Midwest? I’m from Minnesota and your voice kind of sounds Midwest!
re: Clipboard. I just feel more confident with my clipboard. My memory is not very good and I try to organize things there otherwise I get overwhelmed and confused and forget stuff. Which, in turn, does wonders to hammer your confidence into the ground even more. Yay learned helplessness.
Any nurses have any advice for me, I want to be a nurse but I feel like my brain is not good enough to retain all that information. My husband puts me to shame on how he remembers everything about everything about school. Math, history, biology. Everything. We graduated back in 2014 . I did okay in school and pretty good when I studied and actually tried, but now I don’t remember all those details like he does. And I feel like nurses are like super humans who just have so much knowledge on the whole body. How am I supposed to remember all of that, help ):
I think you can do whatever you set your mind to and out the effort toward! Nurses aren’t necessarily smarter, they just worked hard to get their knowledge!
Oh my gosh!! The ulcer thing. 🤢🤮😖 That is the # 1 thing that freaks me out about nursing. The gross things that I will come in contact with. I am so sensitive to smell and things like what you said. I could watch a gruesome surgery or babies being born. Even see a mutilated limb. BUT...throw a nasty like that out and ugh!!!!! I would LOVE some tips on how to get through the down right gross things. I haven’t started nursing school yet. But weighs on me. Sometimes I question why the heck I want to be in medicine.
Yaaay! I just got accepted into Nursing School today! Hopefully will be a RN in two years!! Your channel is AMAZING and I’m obsessed! Thank you so much and PLEEEAASE keep the videos coming!!!
