My Clinical Day Nursing Essentials
Today's post is all about what I definitely must have in my nursing school clinical bag. So clinical days happen at least once or twice a week in nursing school, and it means that on these days you go to your chosen placement to gain practical hours that are required to graduate. Humber College actually offers the most clinical placement hours out of all of the Nursing Schools in the GTA. Which for me is a really good thing, because I thrive on getting the hands on knowledge, experience and practice. So throughout my last three years before this one, I have been placed in a longterm care facility placement, a maternity/labour and delivery hospital placement, a rehab hospital placement, a mental health placement at CAMH, a community nursing placement, and an acute placement on a neurology hospital unit. I think I got all of them lol! And so for this fourth and final year my current placement is Downtown Toronto at St. Michael's Hospital on the biggest unit in the hospital which is the general medicine unit. General meaning we get everything and anything. So as in all hospitals, there are specialty units like cardiac, respirology, neurology, rehabilitation, surgery, NICU, and so on; meaning the patients sent to these floors receive specific care, and the health care team on these floors tend to specialize in these given areas as well. So now that might have given you a sense of what a general medicine unit looks like. It is amazing because as a student nurse, and even for a new nurse fresh on the job these units allow us to see, learn and experience caring for clients with an array of different needs. On this unit we see respiratory, cardiac, neuro, GI, and even mini ICU challenges and disorders. They have a mini stroke unit within this unit as well so it is honestly like nursing school heaven, it really is. It is quite the jump from the placements and hospitals I have done previously. We are expected to know and do a lot more as fourth year students, which is understandable and also very exhilarating. So with that being said, there are some very important things that I must have with me in my clinical bag to ensure that I am fully equipped and ready to take on all of the learning as well as all of the care to be performed for the day. So here we go!
1. Stethoscope And Manual Blood Pressure Cuff
So of course we definitely must have our stethoscopes with us in order to perform head to toe assessments, and as we continue to use it to assess our clients accordingly. The manual BP cuff on the other hand is not necessary but I think if you have it then it is always good to bring it to clinical. I have had clinical instructors who have asked us to bring it to practice manual blood pressure assessments on each other, and on our clients at what ever facility we were at. I have also had instructors who didn't require that we bring it, so it really just depends but I still always have mine in my clinical bag with me just in case.
2. Notebook, two pens, a pencil and a highlighter
As a student nurse I am at clinical to learn, A LOT. So I have my dedicated notebook where I jot down anything that I learn and think is worth remembering. I am a writer naturally, so I write a lot while at clinical and I really do think that it helps in terms of when I need to reference back to some thing like a hospital's policy or what a medication is given for, and so much more. Okay so I also know that a lot of students and nurses really swear by bringing a bunch of pens on to the job with them but that is where I tend to pack light. Two good pens and a lead pencil have always seemed to be just fine for me. Sometimes I'll pack a highlighter, some times not.
3. Chapstick/Lipgloss
This one is pretty straight forward. A twelve hour shift is long. Your lips will get dry, and so chapstick and/or lipgloss is definitely a must for me to have in my scrubs pocket where I can easily access it whenever.
4. Water bottle
Drinking enough water/fluids throughout the day is a must for me as well. If and when I don't get to, I would start to feel light headed and of course dehydrated. It is so important that as we care for others, we care for our bodies too. It just makes for a better, more concentrated day!
5. Lunch
I have always been the type to pack a lot of my own food for pretty much all throughout the day. A typical packed lunch bag for me consists of, a boiled egg and some fruit with my morning tea, a main meal (either leftovers or something else) and just a whole bunch of snacks! I love to bring the kind granola bars, veggie sticks and hummus, trail mix and just a lot of easy things to eat that will provide me with great nutrients as well!
6. Personal Hygiene Pouch
So of course as women, we must always be prepared for when that time of the month decides to roll up on us. I also like to keep things like listerine, lotion, an extra deodorant and my own sanitizer and things like that on hand as well! Oh and I think I'll start to bring my peppermint essential oil with me as well, because I just heard that putting a drop on your mask in messy situations really helps to get rid of extreme odors which I am all for!
7. Compression Socks
So this one is exciting for me because although I have not yet tried out my new compression socks I know for sure that they are going to be great as a new addition to my clinical day must haves. For those of you who are not sure what I am talking about, compression socks are knee high socks that a lot of nurses wear while working. We wear them because when you have a job that requires you to be standing on your feet for so long the blood can start to pool and lead to the formation of varicose veins. These socks compress the legs so that the blood doesn't pool and adequate blood pressure is maintained in the legs. Thus preventing the development of varicose veins. I got mine through my insurance so they would be quite pricey to buy out of pocket. But I would suggest just going on Amazon if you do not have an insurance policy as yet, I'm pretty sure they have some on decent ones on there but please don't quote me. Also, I forgot to mention that they have a cushioned foot surface so that provides added comfort throughout the day as well!
8. Watch
As a student nurse you will need a watch for sure. I got my current white one from Joe Fresh, it was very affordable and I love it because it shows the date, the time in a digital format that includes seconds, has a stopwatch and an alarm. I think it was definitely worth the ten dollars I spent on it and I only use it for nursing school purposes. I know a lot of people and nurses are so tech savvy now with their apple watches or fitbits lol, so that would obviously work too!
9. ID Badge
A lot of my clinical instructors, including the one who just did my midterm review with me, say that I present myself very professionally already as a student nurse. They say that I show up, communicate and dress in a professional manner. This means a lot to me because yes nursing is a profession, my profession, and I take pride in not only showing up on time and looking the part but also being able to communicate with others within the health care team, as well as clients and their families in a very professional manner. So with that being said I always, since year one, would show up with my ID badge on front and center and ready to work. Once you look the part people take you more seriously as a student nurse and are most often able to see you for who you are; eager, smart and ready to work hard. It's something simple but very important!
10. Extra Phone Charger
I am terrible with directions, and a mom, and of course a wife, so quite simply I need my phone to be charged and on me at all times. Having an extra phone charger is a must!
11. Nursing Assessment And Care Plan Sheets
So these are usually mandatory for Humber student nurses, but I must admit I have had instructors who are not really worried about you completing these sheets. However, they are great for those who like to be well organized and ensure that they get everything done in terms of head to toe assessments, medication administration and nursing care plans. For this placement that I am now at, my instructor does require that we complete these sheets throughout the duration of our shift and hand them in at the end. I like them because I love to check off all of my to-do boxes and so this reminds me of what I still have to get done for my clients. Usually your school will have a template made for you, but if not you can get some free ones off of Pinterest or of course make your own!
Alright well there you have it, these are some of things that I think every student nurse should be equipped with for clinical days in order to truly be successful. As I grow as a nurse there will definitely be more things like nursing tools and probably a nursing pouch too, to add to this list of must haves. But for now these are the basics that will contribute toward your learning experience and help you to excel in all areas of your life as a student nurse on the job. Clinical days are my favourite because I have always been a hands-on learner. Practicing a skill over and over again is what truly allows me to get it, just reading about it in a textbook is simply not enough.
Some more simple advice for clinical that I can give you is to always go in to each clinical day with an open mind and the willingness to learn and DO as much as you can! Do not be afraid to ask questions or to ask to do things rather than just watch them being done. Seek out ways to gain more knowledge and on your downtime look up every and any term, disease, or protocol that you don't understand clearly. Use your clinical instructors as an opportunity to learn, and let them know what skills you would really like to be introduced to or continue to practice. Where ever you are, try to always remain professional and competent because only you can be accountable for your own actions as a student nurse.
I hope that this helped, and I wish you all the best throughout your nursing school journey!
See you soon,
S.S.