Hey,
For placement, make sure you know your scope of practice. Most of that is what you will be assessed on (you work with a 'buddy' and the facilitator will pop in for a while just to observe. If there is something specific she/he wants to watch you do, they will tract that down and have you do it while they observe). The first placement in first year is almost always aged care. You won't really be doing an RN role. You will be doing an AIN role- ADL's. If you are lucky, your facilitator will organise a time they will come up during a meds round and they will get you to do it; or one of the RN's may take pity on you and invite you to do it while they watch.
If you are lucky to have skipped first year, then you will be buddied with an RN and doing the role of a nurse- but keep within the scope of practice.
Keep up the hand hygiene, because the facilitator will be watching for it. If you are dispensing medications, don't forget the 5 (6) rights. Don't touch meds given by a route that isn't in your scope, even if the RN says it's okay; you are being tested for your ethics too and the AIN/RN that you work with report back to the facilitator all you did that day.
Ask questions; that is part of the CAT assessment. Show you understand why things are done the way they are, in general converstations. Use reasoning for why things are done, if you don't know why they are. Build rapport with the patients/residents. Communicate with staff. Justify why you are or aren't gloving for procedures. If you are unsure of how to do something, that is perfectly okay. Observe it done the first time, assist the next few times and then do it on your own after that (as long as you have your buddy or facilitator observing).
The first prac was mainly showering, toileting, feeding, bed making and obs. I'm on my 2nd placement at the moment, in a cardiac medical ward. While the ADL's, BGLs, obs and nursing assessments had to be observed in first prac, we can now do them on our own this prac; so each prac not only does your scope of practice broaden but you get that little more independance to work on your own.
If you hate first prac (many did) just keep holding on. It's frustrating wanting to do nurse things but not being able to. The next prac is amazing. You can do injections, IV's, NGT's, ECG's, bladder scans, you get your own pt load where the RN stands back and you are the patients nurse the whole day (I had a 12 pt load on my very first day and was buggered once finished). You get called nurse by the RN's...it really is a taste of what nursing is and is amazing. It also reinforces why you are doing a nursing degree. It's easy to lose motivation and think 'this isn't for me' with all the theory.