Sophomore students in the Egan School of Nursing are preparing for their clinical rounds, which begin next semester and give them the opportunity to start working with real patients. Though students have begun getting ready with a ceremony occurring over Alumni and Family Weekend, which marked the commencement of the clinical chapter of their education, plenty is still ahead of them.
Sophomore Kristin Bilich is “both excited and nervous” as she looks ahead to next semester. “Clinicals and working with patients are things that I have been looking forward to for many years since I first knew I wanted to be a nurse. Therefore, I am thrilled to finally interact with patients and get a better idea of what my future profession will be like on a day-to-day basis,” she said.
Despite her nerves, Bilich is feeling prepared as she gets ready for clinical rotations next semester. “ I feel that my classes have prepared me well for this new journey and I am excited to apply everything I have learned in the classroom to a clinical setting. Right now, I am taking a course in Pathopharmacology, where we learn about medication, how these medications interact with the body, routes of administration and side effects. It will be interesting to see these medications being administered to the patients in my clinical rotations and how these medications will help them,” she adds.
Sophomore Rebecca Quintana seemed to agree with Bilich’s feelings as she also prepares for her clinical rotations next semester. “I feel a bit anxious,” she said.
Still, she credits one of her classes with getting her better prepared. “I am taking Introduction to Nursing this semester, [which] is very helpful when it comes to medical terminology,” Quintana said.
At the clinical ceremony, 154 students were initiated into clinical rotations, and each of them also received a fob watch, which will allow them to keep track of time without their hands when they start working with patients next semester.
Sophomore Sam Giuricich credits the ceremony as something that helped her feel more ready for next semester. “The clinical ceremony was good and got me excited for the future,” she shared.
Bilich added, “The ceremony was a great reminder that this hard work will pay off and we are getting closer to reaching our goal of becoming nurses. It was nice to celebrate how far we have come and formally be initiated into starting clinical rotations.”
Both she and Bilich have been placed in the mental health rotation, which is one of the seven rotations they will complete as part of their 546 clinical hours for their nursing degree. Quintana is still waiting for placement, but said, “I’m currently aiming for a Friday clinical, and the hours will be 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.”
Junior Paige Fulton, also a nursing major, had some advice to offer sophomores as they get ready for their clinical experience. “Each clinical is a new learning opportunity, so don’t be scared to ask a lot of questions on things you don’t know. No one expects you to know everything.”
Fulton also added some recommendations for working with patients: “When helping people, keep in mind how you would want to be treated if you were in their shoes.”
Finally, she shared that connecting with the students in her clinical group before the rotation began was what helped her feel most prepared going into the experience.
Senior nursing major Erica Adams echoed Fulton’s advice to ask questions. She also said, “The things that helped me feel most prepared was getting in my lab practice time and focusing on my health assessment lab taks. My biggest advice is to get comfortable being uncomfortable and realize that you are your toughest critic.”
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