Nursing Clinicals | What are Clinicals in Nursing School?



Clinicals: Overview and Definition

Nursing Clinicals: What are clinicals in nursing school? That’s a great question many nursing students have upon being accepted into nursing school.

You get clinical experience while you are in nursing school. Whether you are studying to be a LPN or RN, you have to go through nursing clinicals. At most nursing schools, the nursing program includes lecture classes and clinical work together. So while you are doing your clinicals you also have to attend classes during that same semester.

With many clinicals, they count as a grade and you have to test out of certain things before you can start clinicals. For example, one nursing school I know of makes you pass a dosage and calculations test along with a CCE exam. CCE exam is where you perform various nursing procedures, such as medication administration (shots, suppositories, enemas…..etc) , Foley catheter insertion, and sterile wound dressing changes in front of your instructor which you have to successfully complete everything before you move can on to clinicals.

However, your nursing school may be a little different. Once you are in clinicals, depending on what level you are at, you will be using these skills along with other ones you have learned.

What Are Clinicals Like?

What is so great about the nursing clinical experience is that you get to work in almost every setting available to nursing. You will get work in everything from hospitals, clinics, nursing homes to psych wards. In addition, you will able to work in various fields of nursing.

All of this is wonderful because as a beginning nurse you will be able to figure out which field you would like to go into before you get a job. During clinicals, pay attention to what part of it you liked best and this will help you find a job you.

During clinicals, you will likely be assigned to nurse in a local hospital, school, or other organization with a nursing staff position. The nurse will allow you to work alongside them, and will help you learn various nursing skills. Often times, you may be rotated or switched around to different clinical settings each semester.

Nurses often sharpen their skills on the floor, and get lots of practice giving I.V.s, checking blood pressure, giving injections, and other nursing skills.





Do You Get Paid for Clinicals?

Some people wonder if you get paid for clinicals. Unfortunately, the answer to that is no. However, if you are looking to do these thing and you want to get paid for it see if your local hospital has a nursing extern/intern program. These programs are great and depending on your hospital they might pay for your schooling.

Even though most clinical settings will not pay you, you can still gain wonderful experiences. For example, you can meet other nurses, develop friendships, and possibly even develop professional connections that may lead to employment opportunities after graduation.

Even though nursing school clinicals may seem intimidating, in reality, they are often a wonderful learning experience.