Your Complete Guide to Nursing Clinicals

In nursing school, your coursework teaches you how the human body works, how medications affect health, and which symptoms are caused by certain medical conditions. As important as these classes are, however, they can’t teach you everything you need to know to become a competent nurse. For that, you’ll need hands-on learning experiences to practice skills like inserting nasogastric tubes, providing wound care, and interacting with patients. In addition to labs, nursing students practice in nursing clinicals to gain experience.

What are clinicals in nursing school? Clinical rotations are a way for you to practice providing direct patient care under supervision before landing your first nursing job. In Concordia University Irvine’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, you’ll complete clinicals in a variety of nursing specialties, including maternal/newborn care and medical-surgical nursing. To prepare to tackle the nursing school curriculum, you should understand the importance of clinicals, what to expect, and how to succeed.

What Are Clinicals in Nursing School?

Nursing school is comprised of three main components: classes, labs, and clinical rotations. During clinicals, you are placed in a healthcare setting to work a series of shifts and gain nursing experience. You will be under the supervision of nursing instructors and RN preceptors, who provide guidance and feedback along the way to help you develop your nursing skills and clinical judgement. It’s similar to an unpaid internship.

Nursing students complete multiple clinical rotations before graduation. Each clinical occurs in a different unit or healthcare setting, allowing students to become familiar with a variety of nursing specialties, tasks, and patient populations.

Why Are Clinicals Important for Nursing Students?

Although instructional classes teach you key nursing concepts, you still need hands-on experience to gain important nursing skills, like interacting with patients and starting IVs. Clinicals are essential because they bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world practice. You’ll be able to practice and refine the skills you’ve been taught in labs.

Key Benefits of Clinical Rotations

There are so many benefits of nursing clinicals, including the following:

• Skill development: Practicing nursing skills on a medical manikin in a lab is a great way to learn, but to truly master your nursing skills, you’ll need to work with real patients in a clinical environment.
• Confidence: You might be quite nervous on your first day of clinicals, but by the time you graduate, you will have gained confidence in your skills.
• Clinical decision-making: Clinical rotations provide the opportunity to work alongside registered nurses (RNs). You’ll be able to see how they respond to various patient care scenarios and, in turn, refine your clinical decision-making skills.
• Professional networking: It’s not unheard of for nursing students to receive job offers from the same healthcare facilities where they completed clinicals. Even if you end up working elsewhere, you’ll benefit from the opportunity to develop your professional network.

Clinicals also offer an inside look at various nursing specialties, which can help you decide how to shape your nursing career.

What to Expect from Clinical Rotations

Many nursing students feel nervous as they arrive for their first shift. This is perfectly normal, but remember that you won’t be alone. You’ll have your cohort members for support and your nursing instructor and preceptor there to guide you.

In addition, you won’t be expected to perform complex nursing tasks on day one. At first, you’ll perform simple tasks, like taking vital signs. As you gain experience, you’ll be entrusted with more responsibility.

What to Expect on Your First Day

What are clinicals in nursing school like on the first day? On your first day, you’ll participate in an orientation. You will tour the unit and facility and meet some of your new colleagues. You’ll see where equipment and supplies are kept and where the procedure rooms and emergency exits are. Your tour guide might also explain the facility’s policies and procedures. Then, you’ll get to work on your floor.

Clinical Pre-Conference and Post-Conference Meetings

Each shift starts with a clinical pre-conference meeting and ends with a post-conference meeting. During the pre-conference meeting, your nursing instructor will discuss what to expect on that shift, give out the patient assignments, and answer any questions. You might also get a refresher on the coursework that relates to relevant clinical situations.

During post-conference meetings, you’ll review the patients you cared for. Your nursing instructor might ask you to analyze how you performed care, offer feedback, and answer any lingering questions that popped up during the shift.

Common Patient Care Tasks

At first, you’ll be doing simple tasks, like making beds or bathing patients. Later, you’ll be able to tackle more responsibilities. During clinicals, you may do any of the following:

• Administer medications
• Assist patients with the activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Perform procedures
• Perform assessments
• Record vital signs
• Take medical histories

Nursing Specialty Areas

Nursing students complete multiple clinical rotations across different specialty areas. At Concordia, you will complete rotations in areas like:

• Adult medical-surgical nursing
• Behavioral health
• Community health nursing
• Maternity and newborn health
• Pediatrics

How to Succeed During Nursing Clinicals

Nursing clinicals are an integral component of your nursing education. Doing well in them is essential to stay on track toward your graduation date, refine your skills, provide high-quality patient care, and make a good impression at a healthcare facility where you might end up applying for a job.

Prioritize Punctuality

One of the most important steps to making a good impression during clinicals is to arrive early for every shift. Prior to your first shift, you may want to drive to the healthcare facility to see how long it takes you. Do so at the same time that you’ll make your actual commute, as traffic patterns can vary throughout the day.

Bring Everything You Need

Gather everything you need ahead of your first shift so you won’t forget anything important when rushing out the door. You’ll need your name badge from Concordia and your facility-specific identification badge.

You’ll also need:

• A refillable water bottle and allergen-free snacks
• Notepad and pens
• Nursing report sheets
• Penlight
• Stethoscope 

Cultivate a Professional Appearance and Demeanor

Professionalism is important for nursing students and nurses alike. You should wear a clean, wrinkle-free uniform in your school’s color and comfortable, closed-toe shoes. You might also want to wear compression socks to help you get through long shifts on your feet. Your hair should be neatly pulled back.

Professionalism is about more than appearance. Arrive for each shift with a positive attitude. Be the first to volunteer for tasks and cultivate a mindset that is receptive to feedback.

Pay Attention to Details to Avoid Mistakes

Attention to detail is one of the most important characteristics of an effective nurse. Always pay attention to what you’re doing. For example, double- and triple-check medication names and dosages to ensure you don’t inadvertently administer the wrong drug or dosage. If you’re ever unsure of something, ask your nursing instructor.

Report Any Errors Promptly

It’s always best to avoid mistakes in nursing practice. If you do make one, report it promptly. Failure to do so can lead to serious consequences for the patient, not to mention that it’s unethical and unprofessional.

Take Advantage of Learning Opportunities and Solicit Feedback

Remember that you’re there to learn. Each shift will offer learning opportunities. Actively solicit feedback, take notes, and ask questions.

Earn Your BSN at Concordia University Irvine

Concordia’s ABSN program offers students invaluable practice to enhance their learning through multiple nursing clinicals. Our curriculum incorporates Christian values and ethics in order to graduate highly competent, caring, and compassionate nurses.

Contact our admissions counselors today to learn if you could be eligible to earn your BSN in as few as 15 months.