Last week during (and after) one of my clinical days, two of my nursing students cried. One cried because she didn’t get as good of a grade as she was hoping for, and another thinks she might fail one of her didactic classes.
I’m always sympathetic when a student tells me they’re frustrated or worried or nervous. I think of my days as a student and how anxious I felt. But I also wonder how to handle the crying. To lighten the mood, I sometimes talk too much. I repeat myself, which I’m not sure is all that helpful.
I also try to listen and offer my support. Unfortunately, there is only so much I can do about a student who prepares poorly for clinical or another who is failing academically.
So what do I do? I keep telling them to try, to work hard, and to cut themselves some slack. I hope that helps.