Most college students have just had their first cup of coffee at 9 a.m. while nursing students in their clinicals have already placed IV’s and catheters, given medication, changed bandages and much more.
Caitlin Watson, a sophomore nursing student, finished her first semester of clinicals in the fall.
“It was great getting to complete hands-on work while following around and assisting the nurses at the hospital,” Watson said. “The nurses and our clinical instructors are great teachers while we are there. They give us a ton of tips and tricks while on the job to prepare us for our future careers in nursing.”
Watson works at the University of Louisville hospital this semester. “UofL Hospital definitely keeps us on our toes. We never know what type of patients will be coming in and what injuries they will have due to the area the hospital is located in,” Watson said.
Watson said she is unsure what type of nurse she wants to be but said she is leaning toward becoming an intensive care unit or emergency room nurse.
Watson said, “Being at UofL Hospital has shown me how exciting it is to work in a fast-paced and high-demand environment surrounded by all types of injuries and people who need my help.”
Julia Dailey, a senior nursing student, is taking part in her last clinical for her final semester at Bellarmine. Dailey said she has wanted to be a nurse since she was young.
“A lot of my family members have been in the healthcare field throughout my life,” Dailey said. “When I was younger a vet and a marine biologist are other jobs I found interesting, but nursing just felt like it was for me.”
“Once I started nursing school, I was overwhelmed with the workload but in hard times when I considered changing my major, I knew that in the future I wouldn’t be happy in other line of work.”
Dailey said she plans to be a pediatric nurse after graduation.
Hannah Brown is a junior nursing and is working at Baptist Hospital in the mother-baby unit. “Working in the mother-baby unit is an awesome experience,” Brown said. “We get to do and see a lot. I have gotten to hold and bathe newborns, and I even got to witness a C-section.”
She said her time at the mother-baby unit has made a big impact on her career plans. “I was back and forth on what type of nurse I wanted to be but after seeing a live birth, I knew I wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse,” Brown said.
“Being a nursing major is a lot of work,” she said. “It was intimidating and stressful at first, especially once you start clinicals but your professors and clinicals instructors are so much help and really guide and encourage you through school.”
Lori Wilson is a graduate student at Bellarmine working toward her master’s degree in nursing while also being a clinical instructor at Baptist Hospital in the mother-baby unit.
“I really do love being a clinical instructor,” Wilson said. “While I was in nursing school, I felt like the clinical instructors had a huge impact on my learning. I truly believe the reason I became a labor and delivery nurse was because of how amazing my clinical site was and how awesome my instructor was. She made sure I had great experiences.”
Wilson said she loves having Bellarmine nursing students at the hospital with her. “I try and pull them into any interesting case or delivery,” Wilson said, “I also assist them with nursing tasks like starting IVs, drawing blood, placing urethral catheters, etc. My main goal for each student is that they each see a vaginal delivery, a cesarean section, IV attempt, and catheter placement.”
Wilson said she understands hospitals can be a stressful and scary workplace and tries to put her students at ease.
“I always remind myself that each nurse started off in the same shoes, and we all have experienced our firsts,” Wilson said, “Personally, I always try and walk through the process with them before going into the patient’s room. I also reassure them that I will be by their side the entire time. It is also important to remind them that it is okay to be nervous and that as an experienced nurse I still get nervous sometimes.”
Wilson said encouragement and reassurance are big parts of being an instructor.
“The last thing is to instill confidence by telling them they did a great job,” she said. “Even if they don’t have successful IV start, I like to tell them they did a great job and that it will get easier” Wilson said, “Then I give them tips to help them for the next time.”
Wilson said the most important thing she can tell her students is that she knows they are going to be great nurses and that everything becomes easier with time and practice.
“Hopefully the students know that they have a confidant, who has been in their shoes, who is always there to talk to them and who is also striving to make them great future nurses,” Wilson said.
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