Ten placement tips for nursing students

Emily

Faculty: Health, Medicine and Social Care
School: School of Nursing
Course: BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing
Category: Nursing and midwifery

22 November 2019

As I approach the first placement of my third year (I know, it is as petrifying as it seems!) I look back to my first placement. What do I wish I'd known beforehand? Here are my hints and tips.

My first placement was on a care for the elderly ward. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was great for me as prior to beginning my nursing degree I had no care experience.

I remember the night before my first day on placement. Who will I be with? What’s my mentor like? Will I get there on time? Will I have everything on me? Yes, the questions can go on for hours!

I would like to share with you a few tips I could have used on my first day.

  • You only need two pens… not ten! The second pen is if the first runs out. Something I and a few of my fellow students find useful is getting a pen with more colours on it so that you can draw attention to different things on your handover sheet in different colours. Or take a highlighter along with you.
  • Take a little notebook that fits in your pocket. This has been helpful to me as when I hear things I don’t know about, like diagnoses or drugs in a drug round, I can jot them down and keep them with me. I think I’ve got through five in my two years so far.
  • Drink plenty of water: there are places on the ward you can fill your bottle up but stay hydrated!
  • Take plenty of food that is high in energy, like pasta for lunch so that your energy is released throughout the day, along with fruit and cereal bars.
  • When you get on the ward, pop a spare pair of gloves in your pocket. You don’t know when you may need them throughout the day.
  • Ensure you have your nurse watch and badge with the correct epaulettes.
  • Refrain from using a lanyard for your ID badges as some trusts don’t like them due to infection control. Get yourself a retractable clip to keep on your pocket.
  • Make sure your shoes are black, leather and most importantly, very comfortable! Leather is so important as if there is a spillage of any liquid it can easily be wiped off.
  • Hand cream is vital. As I wash my hands a lot during the day, my hands get quite dry and cracked so hand cream is a definite for me.
  • Have a read-up of things surrounding the ward, when you know where you are going. For example, if you're going to a cardiac ward, have another look at your bioscience around the cardiac system and commonly used drugs in the field.

I hope this was helpful when approaching your first day on nursing placement. Good luck!




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