Question

Exemplar/Essay: In one-to-two pages, tell the story of a clinical situation that was especially meaningful to you as a student nurse and that has helped you shape your practice today.

Answer 1

Clinicals make sure that nursing students are ready to deal with real healthcare situations on real patients.

The short answer is that they shadow a nurse. The long answer is that they put into practice everything they've learned online and in the nursing simulation lab.

Here’s a helpful list of things which became useless in clinicals:

• Be on time. Treat this clinical rotation like you would any other job.
• Be professional. Even though you’re a student, this is a work environment, and basic workplace etiquette still applies to you.
• Know the dress code. And stick to it!
• Eat a good meal beforehand. Your brain will thank you when you’re trying to recall information.
• Stay positive. We all need to vent from time to time, but do it away from the hospital and on your own time.
• Be prepared. Study your patients’ charts so you’re prepared if you’re called on by your preceptor to answer questions about one of them.
• But don’t fake it. If you don’t know an answer to a question, be honest with your preceptor.
• Stay engaged. Stay alert. You never know when an opportunity to learn something new will strike.