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Clinical placements are a vital part of any healthcare study program. In fact, in nursing, this on-the-job experience may well feature throughout the entire career. As nurses advance in the nursing profession, clinical placements are often used to help evaluate their existing knowledge and skills and to enable them to practice and perfect new abilities.
That is just one reason nursing students need to make the most of their first clinical placement opportunities in preparation for starting their nursing careers. Getting accustomed to the spotlight and the opportunities and challenges it brings is an essential step.
Clinical placements
Clinical placements during studies are required for anyone looking to qualify as a Registered Nurse (RN). They will also give students their first sample of the realities of being a nurse. This can reaffirm their choice to study to be an RN and make them even more excited for their post-graduate careers.
During clinical placements, students also receive practical experience in different healthcare settings. This may well help them shape their plans and ambitions, as there are many types of nurses and many categories of healthcare employers that they could eventually work for. The more these students see ‘firsthan’,’ the greater clarity they’ll have when applying for jobs post-degree.
Clinical placements are vital in preparing students to do nursing tasks confidently, competently, and, most importantly, safely. So, what can students do to make the most of their clinical placements during their nursing degree studies in preparation for their careers?
Be ready to be fully involved.
The best clinical work experience programs for anyone studying to become an RN are strategically planned and delivered. Each student is provided with measured and well-managed tasks, which could increase in complexity and urgency as the clinical placement advances.
This is designed to build and underpin the skills and knowledge students learn while studying medical information, techniques, and technology. The first thing students can do to prepare well is to put maximum effort into their studies and fully understand the requirements to become a Registered Nurse.
The University of Indianapolis’ Second-Degree Accelerated Bachelor of Science Indianapolis’BSN) is ideal for students who already have a career and are transitioning into nursing. The university prides itself on delivering an innovative learning experience with online lessons and assistance in finding a local clinical placement site for each student.
Once students are ‘in the field’ and doing hands-on nursing experience, it is important that each nurse fully integrates with that team. They should also invest time and effort into building a great relationship with their mentor or preceptor. This is the person supervising their clinical placement and ensuring they do things safely and to the right standards.
Research and reinforce
The expectations and learning goals of the degree should not be the only area that research students cover to make the most of each clinical experience opportunity they are offered.
They should research the particular healthcare provider and department they will be placed in to ensure they are ready for this clinical placement. If they know their remit for the following day’s hands-on experience, they can take some time to revise the day’s procedures and protocols the night before.
Then, after enjoying an especially productive and enlightening day on their clinical placement, they can go home to make notes and go over what they did. This will reinforce the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
Equally, if an individual has a day as a nursing student that was ‘challenging’ and less than satisfactory, they shouldn’t knock t them too far backward. Instead, they shouldn’t ask for feedback from colleagues or a mentor and should take time to work out how things could have been done more effectively. In other words, even the bad days can be an important part of the learning process when working towards a career in nursing.
Taking time to reflect on their days and review the outcomes of their clinical experience can be an essential element of building self-awareness, confidence, and competence for nursing students. It will also help them plot out tasks that they need to do to further enhance those attributes.
Evaluation and questions
The best clinical placement opportunities within degree programs will include a series of assessments and a strong flow of feedback from a supervisor, mentor, or preceptor.
Students should also constantly have opportunities to ask questions and receive answers from senior staff. The whole process is designed to improve learning, clinical intuition, and critical thinking abilities, so back-and-forth questions are crucial.
To optimize clinical placement, students should not hesitate to keep those questions coming. However, they may have to choose their moments. When a patient’s health is at risk in high-pressure situations, students may have to stow them away for some post-event evaluation and discussion with their supervisor or tutor. Patient care always comes first.
Be open to additional opportunities.
Integration into a team during clinical placement will make the process far more enjoyable and successful for students. This includes being aware of all the staff they come into contact with and making a good connection with them.
These connections that students make could well give them more chances to learn what daily life is really like as a nursing professional. Colleagues—even temporary ones—could be more than happy to share their experiences and insights with students in quiet moments or lunch breaks.
Students may also have a chance to get involved in the hospital, clinic, or other healthcare setting beyond the preset clinical placement schedule. Getting as much experience as possible has nothing to be lost and everything to be gained.
If students find opportunities to network with colleagues and other healthcare professionals, they should grab them with both hands. Not only does this help potential future employers become familiar with students, but it also gives students even more chances to ask questions and build up their understanding of the realities of modern healthcare provision.
It would help if students could learn to express their needs to their mentor or tutor, as they may be able to enlist their support in finding extra learning and networking opportunities. Students shouldn’t hesitate to admit to knowledge gaps and areas of confusion that shouldn’t be cleared up with practical experience or a new chance for one-on-one time with a seasoned professional.
Knowing when to do more than asked
Learning nursing skills in a contextual setting is part of a tried and trusted clinical practice system for students. A great deal goes into creating genuine value placements for future RNs to achieve the required learning outcomes. However, there is also an intense focus on meeting the statutory and regulatory requirements placed on nursing professionals, especially students’ pre-qualification.
This greatly limits the amount of ‘freewheeling’ students can do during their clinical placement and the opportunities to show initiative and willingness. However, volunteering to do tasks and asking for additional responsibilities does not harm.
This could involve proactively volunteering for tasks appropriate to the student’s level of practice and competency, with involvement from their mentor or student. Students could also be requested to help auxiliaries and other personnel when they have spare, quiet moments to show they are committed to being of value and part of the team.
If a nursing student does end up with a few extra duties, they could gain even more insights into the job roles of other staff in the healthcare environment. The best medical help and support comes from teamwork, not just the brilliance of one person.
There are also safe and ‘protected’ tasks that nursing students can do to keep busy and learn continuously during clinical placements. For example, a student could ask to try out some of the commonly used medical devices on themselves or explore other technologies used in clinical settings. Gaining familiarity with the ‘tools of the trade’ is never a bad idea.
Managing energy and health
There are many advantages to studying to be an RN online. One is that it provides students with a beneficial level of flexibility to learn at their own pace and fit studies around existing job and family commitments.
However, when it comes to clinical placement to prepare students for a career in nursing, they will need to switch to giving 100% of their energy and concentration to the task at hand. In the initial periods of hands-on nursing experience, one may feel particularly under pressure and overwhelmed at times.
To get through this, students should make sure they do plenty of self-care and be ready to ask for help and advice from tutors, mentors, or peers. They should also ask their partner or a family member to pick up some of their normal daily tasks so students can focus on optimizing their vital clinical placement without distractions or other activities that drain their energy levels.
Picking up tips on navigating health management throughout their studies to become an RN is also important. This ensures students don’t find their physical or mental health suffering during exams. This applies to students studying on campus or studying online.
Having the right attitude
In summary, maximizing the learning potential of clinical placements is largely about students’ attitudes and investing their time, energy, and mental capacity into every opportunity they get. Students try; this can be supported by a few small steps that create the right frame of mind and give students the best chance of making a good impression during their nursing work experience.
For example, students must check the dress code for the placement and be smartly dressed and neat in their uniform or appropriate clothing. Naturally, they must also be punctual, respectful, and alert to what is happening around them.
In addition, having the right attitude involves students being aware that there may be times when their mentor or colleagues are busy and focused elsewhere in a fast-moving healthcare setting. Students should be patient and not take that personally, just as they should receive any less favorable feedback as a constructive learning experience rather than an insult.
The student’s first clinical placement and any future ones that put them out of their comfort zone could be a personal discovery. Students could find that placements expose their limitations and insecurities. From this, they may focus on personal soft skills that are of value in nursing, such as improved communication, assertiveness, and organization.
Lastly, in their efforts to optimize their clinical placement and learn as much as possible from temporary colleagues and supervisors, students should ensure they don’t lose sight of the most important thing—the patients!
Wholesome training
Clinical placements during degree programs are the perfect time for students to enjoy and enhance the interpersonal aspects of nursing as a profession. It may be their first exposure to working directly with people who need help and support. The first connections they make, with patients expressing gratitude and rewarding them with smiles, can be tremendously uplifting and inspiring. Students may have chances to grow their emotional intelligence, develop even more empathy and compassion, and address some of their latent fears. One thing is for sure: clinical placement experiences are integral to nursing education, and all qualified RNs are undoubtedly better suited for this role.
