What Is An EMT Clinical?

An EMT is a health care specialist who is trained to respond to medical emergencies and provide hands-on care at the scene. Consequently it is necessary that they complete a large portion of clinical work during their training. This is mandatory and you will not be able to become an EMT if you do not complete the EMT clinical requirements.

A clinical will usually take place in a real-world healthcare setting under the supervision of a preceptor. Your preceptor may be one of the following:

• A nurse
• A paramedic
• Another EMT of a level higher than the level for which you are training

In cases where your training course is not being offered at a facility where you will have the opportunity to receive real-world training, you will be informed by your instructor of facilities that have policies in place allowing for trainee EMTs to work there in order to complete the clinical portion of their course. If you are at the basic level of training, you will complete approximately 24 hours of clinicals in the emergency department through which you have been told to complete your EMT clinical work and training. A sensible EMT trainee will take any opportunities offered to gain real-world experience.

Surviving EMT Clinicals

One of the biggest challenges for new EMTs is that the nurses or doctors who are in charge of their EMT clinical are far from happy to be there and are, at the very best, unhelpful. This is very difficult to cope with, especially as you are turning to those experts for guidance in your career. Although many trainee EMTs are matched with preceptors that are more than willing to give all help necessary, this is not the norm and you cannot assume that you will receive all of the guidance that you would like. Try to stay close to those nurses and paramedics that seem friendly and willing to help you. If you have a preceptor who repeatedly tells you to take your own initiative and just get involved, you must be careful. As a trainee there is a limit to what you are allowed to do in a health care setting. You have to be supervised, and you should raise any instances where you feel as though are given work that you are unprepared for or that you feel uncomfortable about doing. There are liability issues involved here. If you feel that you are not being challenged during your EMT clinical experience, or that you are not learning through the clinical, you should raise this worry with a supervisor or instructor.

Tips

You Are There To Learn

You are there to learn valuable skills for your career as an EMT, not to do all of the grunt work and function as a kind of slave for your preceptor or supervisor. If you feel that you are not learning anything or that your learning experience is being curtailed in some way, take it up with your course instructor. However this does not mean that you should get ideas above your station. If your supervisor or preceptor tells you to do some of the grunt work, do it with a good attitude, and bring it up later. You will, after all, need to know how to do the basic cleanup operations as well as how to provide primary care to your patient at the scene of a medical emergency. Only make an issue if grunt work forms the main part of your EMT clinical.

Offer Help

There are a number of reasons why you should offer to help your preceptors in your EMT clinical:

• It will make them remember you as a ‘good’ student

• It will provide you with opportunities to practice that the other EMT trainees may not have access to

Consequently two of the most important questions that you should ask during an EMT clinical are:

• “What can I do to help you?”
• “Can I help you with that?”

In addition, if your preceptor asks you to do something, you should automatically say yes (in most cases) and complete the task with a smile on your face. However, there are exceptions to this in cases where you asked opt do something that is outside the boundaries of what you are allowed to do as an EMT trainee.

No Guesses Allowed

If you are in a situation in your EMT clinical where you do not know what to do, or where you are not sure of how to proceed with a test or treatment, ask for help. Do not guess about what you should do next. This could lead to a fatal error. Do not make claims that are not true. If you claim to be able to perform a task as an EMT, but you are not in fact as skilled as you make out to be, you may end up jeopardizing the life of the patient. If you make a mistake do not lie about it and do not cover it up. You must start to think from the point of view of a real EMT, and that point of view always puts the patient first above your own needs and priorities.

Additional Tips

There are a number of additional tips which you can keep in mind:

• Remember that you are not there to watch, you are there to learn and practice your skills. After some initial watching you should try to get involved in the proceedings.

• Your preceptor is in charge, so you must do what he or she says, provided it is within the scope of what you are allowed to do.

• Sometimes your supervisor may try to test you in fairly subtle ways, so be on your feet. For example a preceptor may give you the opportunity to practice a skill on a patient that does not need that service performed. You should, in this case, point out that the patient does not need the skill, and decline the opportunity.

• During your training you must not do anything that is outside of your skill set. Even if you have learned some of the more advanced skills in your previous EMT clinical or theory training, do not perform those skills unless you are specifically instructed to do so by your preceptor.

• An important tip to keep in mind is that it is wise to use “three-way communication”: When the preceptor asks you to do something, repeat it back to the preceptor and wait for a yes/no response before proceeding. This will guarantee that you are all on the same page.

• If you have a weak spot, or aren’t confident in a specific skill, ask your preceptor to help you with it. They may have a different approach that makes it fall into place for you. They’re there to help you succeed, but they can’t help you if you won’t help yourself by telling them what you need. Your preceptor is there to help you and it is your responsibility to ask them for that help when the need arises.

• Even if you feel that you are an expert in a particular skill, don’t brag about it. It is better to show your abilities through actions rather than through words. This will go down much better with your preceptor.

• If there is nothing for you to do in your EMT clinical setting, you should take that opportunity to study some of your theory work – this will look good in the eyes of your instructors who will be evaluating you and will give you a chance to brush up on some of the skills that you may need.

• Last but not least you should look for opportunities to help at all times as this will allow you to gain practice and to stand out in the eyes of your preceptor.

You will, most likely, be rather nervous during your first EMT clinical, but it is important that you do your best to keep your focus and to do the work to the best of your ability. The tips mentioned above are just a starting point for you to refer to in order to make your clinical go a whole lot more smoothly than you expect it to, and many of the tips can be carried forward into your next clinicals as well.

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Your RN training course will be divided into two segments:

• Theory, and
• RN Clinical

Both of these segments are equally necessary to become a qualified RN. However, in some very specific ways, the clinical side of your training is more valuable in terms of your career as a registered nurse.

What Is An RN?

A registered nurse, or RN, is involved in the primary care of patients in a health care setting. To become an RN certain educational requirements must be met, such as a degree in nursing and an RN license. AN RN is eligible to perform the following tasks:

• Administer medications: Unlike other nurses RNs are allowed to administer certain medications to patients.
• Manage intravenous lines
• Observe and monitor patients’ conditions: This is an important aspect of care as a patient’s condition can change suddenly and unexpectedly.
• Maintain records
• Communicate with doctors and other members of the health care team in order to ensure that the patient receives the correct care as well as the best care possible for their condition
• Give direction and supervision to nurse aides and home health aides
• Provide emotional support to patients and patients’ family members.
• Educate patients and the general public on topics including disease management, special diet plans and medical conditions
• Help patients and their families understand how to manage their diseases or health issues
• Provide information on home care after their treatment
• Teach individuals how to self-administer medication or complete other self-care tasks

What Is An RN Clinical?

RN clinicals are the same as internships and residencies for doctors in that they prepare for an actual health care setting. The main purpose of an RN clinical is to ensure that you are ready for the real nursing world. They give you a chance to get an idea of what you will do in a real life nursing setting under supervision. In a real health care facility there will not be instructors to step in and help when you get confused or don’t remember what to do, making clinical training an important preparation tool for your career. In many RN training programs, your clinical is more than just a chance to get real life experience; it is also one of the mediums through which you are assessed in order to qualify as an RN and you will have to prove your ability to perform certain tasks along the way. Because you are rotated through a variety of different departments during your clinical training you can get an idea of the overall health care setting. You will also be given the opportunity to work with real healtt5h care professionals and doctors and therefore get an idea of you what you role as an RN will be.

Reasons For Doing RN Clinicals

Many nurses complain about doing their RN clinical experience section of their training course. They find that it is inconvenient to fit this clinical training into their schedule, especially if they are already employed as an LPN with set hours. However this is not the correct attitude to have towards this portion of your education. This is the most valuable information that you will learn throughout your RN training. In addition it is the most exciting part of your RN training because it allows you to get a sense of what exactly you will be doing once you have qualified. In fact the word “sense” is not very good because this internship will allow you to experience exactly what life as an RN will be like on a daily basis. Although you will be supervised at this point in your training, the tasks that you will perform under supervision are the same as the ones that you will be expected to perform on a daily basis as a nurse in an actual health care setting, but without the responsibility as your actions will be monitored by an expert who is responsible for any mistakes you may make.

Satisfy Program Requirements

Completing practical hands-on training in a health care facility is a course requirement for all RN diploma, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, and master’s degree programs. There are no genuine RN programs available that do not require you to complete an RN clinical course. In order to be nurse you have to prove that you have the practical ability to perform the tasks required as well as the theoretical knowledge required for the job. Clinicals fall into the following two categories:

• Some RN programs allow for students to complete their clinical training in conjunction with their theory training at the same time.

• Most RN programs, however, require nurses to complete first their theory training before they can begin the RN clinical work.

Nurses who look at their RN clinical work experience merely as a necessary requirement to get through their course need to adjust their outlook. The clinical portion of your studies is the most important as it will give the most valuable knowledge to carry forward into your career as an RN. Consequently it must be considered in a positive light.

Experience Different Work Environments

As an RN you will have the opportunity to specialize in a number of different areas, including:

• Critical care nursing
• Cardiac nursing
• Medical/surgical nursing
• Oncology nursing
• Orthopedic nursing
• Primary care nursing
• Psychiatric/mental health nursing
• Rehabilitation nursing
• Addiction nursing
• Perioperative nursing
• Correctional nursing
• Emergency nursing
• Geriatric nursing
• Occupational health nursing
• Hospice nursing
• Nephrology nursing
• Neonatal nursing
• Pediatric nursing
• Respiratory nursing
• School nursing

During your RN clinical training you will have the opportunity to work in many of these different fields. This will give you a fairly good idea of which fields you are most interested in, and which fields you feel that you could make the most difference in. This is another reason why nurses have to do clinical RN training when on their route to becoming a medical professional in the field of registered nursing. If you already have an idea from your time as an LPN as to which specialty you are interested in, you will often be given the chance to do your RN clinical in that area of nursing, thereby improving your chances of getting a job in that domain.

Gain Hands-On Experience

One thing that goes without saying in terms of training to be an RN is that the theory work that you learn in your degree program is insufficient to replace real world experience as a nurse. because a job like this is incredibly practical and hands-on, the main purpose of the RN clinical portion of your training is to adequately prepare you for the real life nursing situations that you will be faced with throughout your career. There is nothing more valuable for a job like this than gaining experience in a practical setting. Through this experience you will start to develop a clearer idea of what is expected of registered nurses in a health care environment as well as how to communicate with patients within the bounds of your job role as an RN. You will also be able to develop a working understanding of how the health care team works, which in turn will allow you to understand the hierarchy of the health care profession and where you, as a registered nurse, will fit into that hierarchy. The work etiquette and dress code is also something that you will develop an understanding of during your RN clinical training, another important preparation aspect.

How Can I Be Prepared For A Clinical Course?

Here are some tips for you to keep in mind for a clinical RN course:

• Always arrive for your course prepared. This means brining your drug book, care plan, stethoscope and a black pen, as well as a note book in which to take notes about what you see.

• It is important to always be on time. This means that you will not miss anything and that you will not feel flustered during the clinical training.

• Follow the dress code as it has been laid out for in every detail in order to avoid drawing negative attention to yourself.

• Do some reading the night before you first RN clinical on the skills that you will be expected to have and see if you can pick up any useful knowledge for your first day in an actual health care setting.

• Do not believe everything that you are told. Make sure that you receive your instructions from a supervisor directly and not passed on from another trainee. There are many things you are not allowed to do as an RN in training, and you can get into bog trouble if you do not follow basic scope of practice guidelines. DO not go beyond your scope of practice for any reason at all.

• Never allow yourself to look unprofessional at any point during your RN clinical training.

Where Can I Get My Clinical Experience?

There are a number of different locations where you will be able to get clinical hands-on training in order to receive your RN qualification.

Hands-On Hospital Nurse Training

Many actual hospitals offer hands-on training programs that result in diploma’s or associate’s degrees in nursing. These are the programs through which you will get the highest density of RN clinical training. An example of such a hospital is:

Ohio Valley General Hospital

School of Nursing

25 Heckel Road

McKees Rocks, PA 15138

412-777-6161

ohiovalleyhospital.org

Community College Nurse Training

If you attend a community college instead of an actual hospital in order to gain your experience you will need to complete your RN clinical training in a participating facility outside the college. An example of such a community college is:

Queensborogh Community College

The City University of New York

Nursing Department

222-05 56th Ave.

Bayside, NY 11364

718-631-6034

qcc.cuny.edu

College And University Nurse Training

These programs are highly theory intensive and long, with RN clinical training being completed in a participating facility outside the university. An example of such a university is:

University of Pittsburgh

School of Nursing

3500 Victoria St.

Victoria Building

Pittsburgh, PA 15261

412-624-15261

pitt.edu

The Problem With Online Training Schools

There are a number of schools available that offer RN training online. However there is clearly a big problem with schools such as these. This problem is that you will be unable to complete the invaluable and necessary clinical section of your course work if you study only online. If you come across an online RN program claiming to offer your entire qualification only online, treat it with suspicion as this is simply not possible.

However, online options do not need to be ruled out altogether. The theory side of your training can be completed online. The better online schools have affiliations with schools and health care settings where you can complete your clinical training once you have completed the online portion of the work. Other online schools will require you to source your own location for doing your RN clinical training. As long as you do your clinical training in an acceptable setting, there is no reason why you cannot complete your theoretical RN training online.

Instead of looking on the clinical side of your RN training as an annoyance or inconvenience, you can choose to look on it as something that will help you in terms of your future career as an RN. This is an essential aspect of your training. Not only will you find the theory exam easier to write if you have actually done the things you are writing about, but it will also provide you with the valuable experience that you need in order to be a successful registered nurse in an actual health care setting. Your RN clinical does not need to be a trial.

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When deciding to become a nurse there are two aspects to the training that you will undergo: an LPN theoretical training course, and an LPN clinical training course. Both are equally important for any nurse who wants to make a success of their nursing career right from the start of their training regime and can therefore not be ignored.

What Is An LPN?

An LPN, or licensed practical nurse (known as a licensed vocational nurse in some states such as California), is a nurse that works in a very practical, hands-on environment in a health care facility. Unlike RNs, who must train for about 4 years in order to become licensed as such, LPNs only need to train for around 2 years in order to receive licensing. LPNs are capable of performing many of a Registered Nurse’s duties, but there are limitations on their scope of practice. For example, they cannot give orders to most health care workers.

The hours for an LPN are strenuous. The job description officially claims that an LPN works an average of 40 hours a week.

HOWEVER:

• LPNs often have put in extra hours on night shifts and weekends
• Typically a skilled LPN may be required to work between 50 and 60 hours a week (which earns them base pay rate plus overtime)

The actual duties that LPNs perform can vary depending on who their employer is as well as on the level of education and experience they have attained thus far in their career.

What Is An LPN Clinical?

The job of an LPN is extremely hands-on and practical. This means that, in order to be sure that you are fully capable of doing this job, you need to do clinical or practical training during your studies. This will serve two purposes:

• It will give you exposure to real-world working environments
• It will allow your instructors to assess you and determine whether or not you can be said to have passed the course

The most important aspect of nursing that you will cover in an LPN clinical course is patient care. Initially you will be required to shadow a current and licensed LPN and observe the duties that they perform. As the practical course continues you will gradually begin to perform the clinical duties yourself under the supervision of a Licensed Practical Nurse or, usually, a Registered Nurse with many years of experience who can direct you on the right path. There is also a fairly heavy concentration of administrative work in the average LPN job, so you will also be trained during your clinical in the following subjects:

• Filling out paperwork
• Writing down medical histories
• Maintaining medical records
• Tracking inventory and supplies

Reasons For Doing LPN Clinicals

It should be self-evident that there are a number of very compelling reasons for completing an LPN clinical course. Apart from the fact that it is required as part of the course and licensure rules, it will also help you achieve a higher level of confidence once it becomes time for you to work as a licensed LPN in an actual hospital setting in the future. The more clinical experience that you are able to gain during the training stages of your LPN career, the greater your expertise in the field will be once you are a licensed practical or licensed vocational nurse, and the better your resume will look. In short you will be improving your employment opportunities in addition to improving your own knowledge and skill in the area of practical nursing. If you do not like the idea of hands-on experience you will need to find another career path as nursing is an extremely hands-on job. If you are not sure that you want to be a nurse, the LPN clinical training is the ideal way for you to get a feel for what you will do in a genuine hospital situation and help you make the decision regarding whether or not this line of work is for you.

Satisfy Program Requirements

The program that you will need to complete to be an LPN will require that you do an LPN clinical course in order to pass the program. This is a very important reason to do an LPN clinical, but it is not the most important. This is merely an administrative aspect of the Licensed Practical Nurse clinical. There are a number of practical reasons why you need to complete training in this regard in order to move forward with your nursing career as a skilled member of the health care profession and industry.

Experience Different Work Environments

Your LPN clinical course allows you to get a feel for different nursing environments and will make it easier for you to decide which of the following positions (after completing the necessary training) you may like to hold as an RN in the future:

• Ambulatory Care Nurse
• Camp Nurse
• Cardiac Care Nurse
• Case Management Nurse
• Certified Nurse Midwife
• Clinical Nurse Leader
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Correctional Facility Nurse
• Critical Care Nurse
• Dermatology Nurse
• Developmental Disability Nurse
• Diabetes Nurse
• Domestic Violence Nurse
• Emergency Nurse
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Flight/Transport Nurse
• Forensic Nurse
• Gastroenterology Nursing
• Genetics Nurse
• Geriatric Nurse
• Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
• Gynecology/Obstetrics Nurse
• Health Policy Nurse
• Hematology Nurse
• HIV/AIDS Care Nurse
• Home Health Care Nurse
• Hospice Nurse
• Independent Nurse Contractor
• Infection Control Nurse
• Informatics Nurse
• Infusion Nurse
• International Nurse
• Labor and Delivery Nurse
• Lactation Consultant
• Legal Nurse Consultant
• Licensed Practical Nurse
• Long-Term Care Nurse
• Managed Care Nurse
• Military Nurse
• Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse
• Nephrology Nurse
• Neuroscience Nurse
• Nurse Advocate
• Nurse Anesthetist
• Nurse Attorney
• Nurse Educator
• Nurse Entrepreneur
• Nurse Manager
• Nurse Practitioner
• Nurse Researcher
• Nursing Quality Improvement
• Occupational Health Nurse
• Oncology Nurse
• Parish Nurse
• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
• Perianesthesia Nurse
• Perinatal Nurse
• Perioperative Nurse
• Poison Information Specialist
• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
• Public Health Nurse
• Pulmonary Care Nurse
• Radiology Nurse
• Rehabilitation Nurse
• Reproductive Nurse
• Rheumatology Nurse
• Rural Nurse
• School Nurse
• Substance Abuse Nurse
• Surgical Nurse
• Toxicology Nurse
• Transplant Nurse
• Trauma Nurse
• Travel Nursing
• Urologic Nurse
• Wound and Ostomy Nurse

Gain Hands-On Experience

This is clearly the most important aspect of any nursing training course. It has been mentioned several times that you need to gain hands-on experience in order to be a successful and effective licensed practical nurse in the field. This hands-on experience can be gained in a number of different settings allowing you to develop a feel for what your options in the realm of nursing are. This is also the best way for your instructors to determine whether or not you are ready for a real life experience: if you show that you are competent during the LPN clinical training and that you can handle all of the demands of the job, they will be able to pass you and you will be one step closer to being a fully licensed LPN. The idea is that you have some concept of what you will need to do before you are thrown into a real nursing situation. There is no way that you can read a few textbooks and then expect to walk straight into a health care facility and know exactly what you need to do.

How Can I Be Prepared For A Clinical Course?

There are a few things that you can do before attending your very first LPN clinical day in order to make the whole experience easier and less daunting:

• Firstly you need to be prepared. This means having all of the equipment with you that you may need on the first day, like a stethoscope. In addition it is a good idea to bring something to take notes with. The information that your instructor gives you during these clinical sessions may prove invaluable later on. Being prepared also means reading up on the basic skills that you may be asked to demonstrate on the first day and considering whether or not you will be able to perform those skills.

• It is essential that you are always punctual, on your first day of clinical practice, and every other day after that. In addition punctuality is extremely important throughout a nursing career in general and therefore needs to be learned early on.

• There will be a dress code for trainees at the particular facility where you do your Licensed Practical Nurse clinical. You should make sure that you know what you are expected to wear and adhere to it carefully.

Where Can I Get My Clinical Experience?

There are a number of different locations where you will be able to get your LPN clinical experience:

• Hospitals
• Your school
• Hospices

Apart from the above there are other options, but these are the most common. Usually the school where you do your theoretical study will have facilities for practical work. These facilities will either be part of the school itself, or the school will have an agreement with a nearby health care facility that accepts trainee nurses and allows them to do their practical training in that setting. Some hospices offer similar internships. Usually these LPN clinicals are unpaid. If you choose to do your theory work online it will often be your responsibility to find a facility where you will be allowed to complete your clinical training. Essentially you can complete your LPN clinical training at any facility that offers internships to trainee nurses and where you will get hands-on experience in a practical patient care and administrative setting. Choosing facilities that have a better reputation and where you get more exposure to a wider variety of different nursing fields will be best as this will not only reflect well on your resume but will also provide you with more advanced opportunities.

The Problem With Online Training Schools

It should be obvious that online schools, although convenient and flexible, do come with one problem: they cannot provide LPN clinical training as there is no way in which you can complete such training online. It has to be done in a hands-on clinical setting where you will have actual exposure to actual patients. This is the situation where you may have to organize your own clinical internship, although the better online schools will provide you with a list of possibilities for completing your LPN clinical. Some schools that are not accredited will claim to offer a complete LPN training course online. This is however not possible for the aforementioned reasons, and such schools should be treated with deep suspicion and perhaps even struck form your list of consideration altogether. Without clinical training your degree will count for nothing and you will not be eligible to receive licensure through your state board of nursing until such time that you have completed a completely different LPN program from scratch including the appropriate clinical work.  You do not have remove online schools from consideration, but you do have to practice additional caution when considering these schools as a training option.

Consequently it is very important that you not only do your best when it comes to your LPN clinical training, but also that you think carefully about what training you would like to specialize in as well as the quality of the school or facility at which you receive your clinical training. There is no way for you to avoid this section of your studies. In fact, an attitude of avoidance or unhappiness in relation to LPN clinical training will not stand you in good stead and will be a burden to you during your LPN career.

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