8 Best Clinical Placement Tips for Nursing Students

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Are you nervous about starting clinical placement? I wrote down 8 useful clinical placement tips for all nursing students. Clinical can be stressful and challenging whether you’re about to start or about to finish. Every day on the unit is different, with many days being unpredictable. Nursing is hard work and you’ll get the chance to experience it as a student. Most of what you learn is on the floor, not just from your textbooks. Through the ups and downs, clinical is an integral part of your journey to becoming a licensed nurse. I hope I can help you make the best of it!

I remember the night before my first placement, I was super nervous and felt I wasn’t prepared enough. After completing the semester, I gained more confidence in myself and the skills I’ve performed. Clinical is a crucial time where we learn and evolve as a nurse. It is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.

Below, I’ve gathered the best pointers to help you and your nursing buddies succeed in placement! 🙂

1. Be on Time or Early

Being early or on time sounds obvious right? Well, every placement I’ve had, there have always been those students in the group who were late because of traffic. Trust me, you don’t want to be that student who’s late on the first day or any day of clinical placement. It’s better to be early than late. So plan out your time accordingly by adding extra time in your commute. My mother always told me to expect the worse of traffic and always leave early. If you’ve got kids make sure you have someone trustworthy to look after them before you leave. Need a cup of coffee in the morning? add in extra time by leaving early. You never know how long that Starbucks line could be.

Arriving on time is very important, not just for yourself but for others as well. On your first day, your arrival time sets the first impression of everyone. Being late is not a good impression. Your peers may have to wait for all members to be present to move forward and any lateness would be wasting valuable time. Multiple late days do not look good on your feedback report either. Instructors look at attendance as a good quality. Chances are employers look for new grads who are always on time. If you ever need references, your clinical instructor will most likely say something about your attendance.

2. Be Prepared

Have everything ready in your bag the night before clinical. Need help on what to bring? check here for my list of clinical must haves.

In addition, make sure your scrubs are ironed/steamed. Do not show up to clinical with wrinkly scrubs. A few creases are fine but avoid wearing crinkled scrubs!

You can also prepare breakfast and lunch in advance (meal prep). Try to have everything laid out for you the night before so you’re not scrambling around in the morning.

3. Do your Research

Before the start of your clinical placement do your research on the unit you will be placed in. You can look up common procedures, diagnoses, treatments, etc. Most hospitals or units will have a “most common medications” list. Be familiar with that list and create your drug cards in advance for unfamiliar drugs. Nursing instructors will always test us on our medications before administration. You must know the indications, pathophysiology, common side effects and the nursing interventions, etc. If you can explain the drug without looking at your cards, you clearly know it well. This type of skill will impress your instructor and he/she will be more confident to let you administer without his/her supervision.

4. Stay Engaged and Keep Yourself Busy

Some days your shifts will be slow or your assigned patients are stable for the time being. Do not take this time to chit chat about random stuff with your buddies. If your instructor sees you chatting with your friends, he/she will not be impressed. Take this downtime to seek opportunities. Ask another nurse if she/he would like any help. You can also ask your instructor to help you seek opportunities within the unit.

Try to keep yourself busy efficiently. If your break is scheduled at 10:30 and you finished your main duties with 15 minutes left to spare, try these to keep you occupied:

Chat with your patients. Patients love to talk and want someone to talk to. You can strengthen your nurse-client relationship this way.
Start your nursing care plan. Chances are you have to complete care plans as homework, so get a head start and write down some nursing diagnoses that related to your patient.
Check your patient’s chart. Look at admission history and lab values. Get an understanding of the values that are out of range and ask questions.

5. Show Initiative

This one is similar to the one above. When you seek opportunities for yourself, you are showing initiative. Another way of showing initiative is by being prepared in advance. If permitted, you can measure the vital signs and document it for all your patients before the shift change. Notifying your buddy nurse or the next nurse on shift you’ve completed this shows initiative.

Do not take initiative by delegating tasks that require two people. This applies to certain medications and mobility transfers. You can prepare the equipment but do not proceed without supervision and/or approval.

6. Be Honest

Honesty is truly the best policy. Nursing is the most trusted profession, so even as students, we have to uphold that. Whether you forgot to give your patient a bed bath or you documented on the wrong patient chart. Let your instructor know first. If your patient asks you a question and you don’t have the answer, don’t guess or pretend without fact checking. Instead, you can say, “I don’t know, but I can find out for you”, and then come back when you have the answer.

Avoid clicking “recall values” in your charting. This option will recall the values the previous nurse documented in his/her shift. Please complete your own head to toe assessments on your assigned patients. You may notice something new on your patient that the previous nurse ignored. At the end of the shift, you were responsible for that patient and the MD may ask you detailed questions. My instructor would always say to us, to assume= makes an ‘ass‘ out of ‘u‘ and ‘me‘. So don’t assume anything the previous nurse documented without checking for yourself.

7. Be Confident

Show up to clinical with a positive attitude and mindset. Even if you’re not happy with the unit you’re placed in, any experience you get is valuable and transferable. Sometimes you have to “fake it until you make it”.

You should also review your nursing skills from the lab before and at the start of placement. This is your chance to apply them to real patients. Your instructor will be monitoring you and will want to see confidence when you perform them.

8. Ask Questions

Clinical is a place where you are allowed to make mistakes. If you’re unsure of something, ask your peers and instructor. Nurses aren’t expected to know everything and you don’t have to either. Always ask yourself “why?” when delegating a task or reading abnormal lab values. A common question I ask myself, “Why am I administering this medication?”. This is a great way to become familiar with your medications. If you ever stumble upon a question you don’t have an answer to, ask your instructor or buddy nurse. Asking yourself why questions also connects with critical thinking. As a nurse, you are using knowledge, skill, and judgment to critically think every day.

You can also ask for feedback from your CI and buddy nurse. Asking for help, feedback, or questions is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. Clinical instructors and nurses love when students ask questions. It’s how you will learn and understand.

Final Words

Lastly, have fun! Enjoy the experience and the people you connect with. These are the memories that you will cherish along your journey. Some will be taken as lessons, while others as accomplishments.

Apply these 8 tips and you will benefit in the long run.

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