I will be working on at a hospital (Med Surg floor) come January through school. Any tips/advice for me? Have you ever been in a hospital and remember something awful or wonderful that a nurse did for you? Or do you work at a hospital and have tips for students coming in to help? Obviously I know the advice such as to be nice, polite, knowledgeable, use correct technique etc., I’m looking for something that I wouldn’t learn from the books/teachers at school. Thanks!!
Patient interaction is important, so dont forget those skills.
Med/surg is busy, you will need to be on top of what is going on with your patient. Know their medications, treatments, dressings and so on. BE PREPARED. Know all that you can about the medications so that you are prepared when the time comes to give it.
Look to your instructor and your preceptor nurses for advice and help when you need it.
Good Luck
I came round from having my tonsils out and they chucked me out of bed and told me to go home straight away. That was NOT nice. Didn’t even smile at me, just said to go home.
I didn’t even get ice cream or ANYTHING.
(That’s the NHS for you).
I’m curious….Will this be your first time in clinical?
Best advice I can give you is to triple check your meds before giving them. Second best advice would be check your patients often. Third best advice would be treat your patients like you would treat the people you respect most, even if they are hard to deal with.
Chris
ER Nurse