When it comes to clinicals, be prepared. Read up on the patient's diagnosis, and treatment modalities including medications and be prepared to describe the patient, his symptoms, and his response to care.

You will be nervous and scared the first time you have to do anything. The first thing the patient is going to ask is if you've done this before. On a rare occasion you might have to fib a little, but in most cases, being honest and telling them you're trained and prepared and that your instructor or preceptor is right there just in case, will be just fine. Patients expect nurses to be honest and ethical. If you tell them what's going on, they're usually happy to cooperate. And if they're too scared to let you practice on them, then it's usually for the best if you don't. Be confident and mature. If you squeal and flinch, you're going to terrify the patient and your instructor won't be pleased!

Look for opportunities to observe and ask for a chance to perform and demonstrate your skills whenever possible. This is where you will learn. Understand if someone tells you no, particularly if your instructor is busy helping another student. Sometimes the nurses just don't have time to help you and sometimes you'll encounter a nurse who has forgotten what it's like to be a student. Some of the floor nurses love students, some tolerate them, and some absolutely hate students! The reasons why are not always important.

Not all clinical instructors are created equal either. Some are current with their skills and some haven't touched a patient in ten years. Occasionally you may encounter one who went straight for the Ph.D. and never has done any real nursing. Some will be demanding and others entirely too laid back.

Your education is going to depend a lot on you and how assertive you are. Review the clinical objectives of your course and make your own checklist of skills you're expected to learn for that rotation. Long before the end of the term, you should be reminding your instructor of anything you haven't at least seen being performed. If you fade into the woodwork and hope to never be called upon, don't be surprised if you find yourself moving from one rotation to another without amassing enough clinical skill to make you feel comfortable when you're out in the real world. Or if you have a professor who hides from the students and isn't around enough to help you obtain and refine your skills, you might be likewise ill prepared if you don't speak up.

Before you know it, you will be ready to graduate. You might even find yourself even more frightened than you were that first day of clinicals.