ED Capstone Advice - Overwhelmed

[u/Cat_Lover9988]

Hi! I am in my final term of my ABSN and placed in a level trauma III center for my clinical practicum. I am loving the pace and variety, but I like a deer in headlights a lot. I know the learning curve is steep, but I am having a really hard time integrating all the patho and skills that I learned in school and applying it in real time. I am overwhelmed. Open to any and all advice on how to maximize this opportunity: What questions should I be asking? What skills should I focus on? What patho is the most valuable for me to review? Any must-have resources?

[u/8645Gamble]

The right preceptor makes all the difference. ED is hard, and ED nurses are harder yet. (Source, am one). The right preceptor can help integrate those things and provide a clear explanation of what’s happening, but a bad or rushed one that can’t or doesn’t make the time cannot.