Written by Jenivy Sewak, UTS Bachelor of Nursing student
Clinical placements are a valuable part of our degree – it’s a chance to put what we’ve learned in class into practice. Now that I’m in my final year, I’ve developed some useful habits that helped me gain confidence each time I begin a placement.
1. Check the AED trolley
Checking the AED Trolley before we start our placement shift is a great way to get familiar with emergency care equipment and make sure everything is in order and available on the ward if a MET call does get called!
Did you know that a defibrillator works by shocking the heart to stop so it can contract normally again?
2. Can I take your obs?
‘Can I take your obs?’ is a question every nurse knows all too well.
Observing and documenting vital signs regularly is the most tried and true method for finding out if a patient is deteriorating.
The 6 vital signs are Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Respiratory Rate, Oxygen Saturation, Temperature and Pain!
3. Medication administration
For me, medication administration is one of the most intimidating skills to learn as a nursing student.
But it’s made easy to know if an order is legal and valid through the 5 Rights method. Is it the right drug, right dose, right route, right time and right patient?
Check these three times over and you build confidence in administering all kinds of drugs.
Find out more about Nursing at UTS
Read more: Tips for your first clinical placement
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