Nursing students gain experience, knowledge through clinical practice "In preparation for our clinicals, we get up early Wednesday morning and drive to the hospital in Little Rock. When we get there, we review the patients ' charts and choose the two patientswithwhom we will work," junior nursing student Amy Simmons said, and paused before relating the rest of her clinical schedule: "We do a thorough physical assessment, take a history of the patients and review their charts. Then, we come home and write care plans - two for each patient - and research and memorize their medications. The next day, we leave for Little Rock at 11:45 a.m. When we get there, we meet with our classmates and our instructor for an hour ofpre-conference. Part of pre-conference is spent listening to a clinical presentation by a classmate on his assigned research topic. "From 2:30 to 10:00 p.m., we give total patient care to our two patients and assist with the care of the other patients on our units . From 10:00 to 10:30 p.m. , we have post-conference,where we discuss our observations and our plans for the next day. When we get home, we usually spend about an hour reevaluating and updating our care plans. "The next day, Friday, we go from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. for preconference,where we have another clinical presentation. From 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., we do patient care. At 6:30 p.m. we have postconference for about half an hour before we go home. That night, we have to evaluate our care plans, putting the finishing touches on them, and turn them in by noon on Saturday. Then we 're finished until the next week. " Nursing students, depending on their schedules , either have clinicals at night or during the day. Night clinicals are a fairly new addition to the program. The students ' clinicals are long and time consuming. "You would not believe the mountain of paper work," senior Julia Biggert said. Nursing students spend their sophomore year learning the basics of nursing care. Some of the skills that they learn are how to put in I.V. 's, check blood pressure and other vitals signs, and bathe patients. In their junior year, nursing students start doing clinicals. Their clinical coursework counts as a five-hour class - part class, part actual clinical work. The class teaches them the theory that they will apply in the hospital. Nursing students take 10 clinicals throughout their study. During their junior year, they take medical surgery, which consists of a semester of both chronic and acute nursing. They also take a half semester of psychiatric nursSandy Berryman, B.S.N., Lecturer Jeanie Burt, M.A., Assistant Professor ing and three weeks each ofgeriatrics and concepts and issues. In their senior year, they take a half semester each of pediatric, community and obstetrics nursing. Also, they take three weeks of critical care and leadership nursing. Before students can begin their clinical work in hospitals, they must pass validations of required nursing skills. Harding's nursing department sets up the clinical work with area hospitals for the students. Students work under their teacher 's license since they do not yet have their own. Due to this arrangement, the instructor for the course always stays at the hospital with the students. The instructors for the different clinicals must have actual hospital experience in the area in which they are teaching. This is especially helpful to the students, because they know their teachers are speaking from first-hand knowledge. Students work in many different hospitals during their clinicals, obtaining an overview of the many ways that hospitals operate, including filing and other important detailswithwhich they will work. As each nursing class graduates, they head into the working world with both practical knowledge and previous experience, important assets in today 's society. - Alyne Hoover Elizabeth Dominski, B.S.N., Lecturer, Clinical Intructor David Dominski, M.S., Resource Coordinater Lela Hurd, B.S.N., Lecturer Johnnetta Kelly, M.N.S.C., Assistant Professor Karen Kelley, B.S.N., Lecturer Helen Lambert, Ed.D. , Associate Dean, Professor Cheryl Lee, M.S.N., Assistant Professor Janice Linck, M.S.N. , Assistant Professor Tod Martin, B.B.A. , Assistant to Dean Jerry Myhan, M.S.N., Associate Professor Nancy O'Brien, M.S., Associate Professor
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