Hannah Nicole Lucero — Clinicals
clinicals · week one

HannahNicoleLucero

Future sonographer. Six months of clinicals stand between you and the letters after your name — and I already know you're going to make them look easy.

Clinical Site
San Bernardino Imaging Center
Started
Monday ✦ Day One, Done
Time To Go
~6 Months
before you clock in

I've watched you study, second-guess yourself at 1am, and show up anyway. That's the part I'm proudest of.

You've spent months learning the difference between a hyperechoic mass and a hypoechoic one, memorizing sonographic windows, and quizzing yourself in the car on the way to places that have nothing to do with school. None of that was required of you — you just decided you wanted to be excellent, and then you did the work.

Clinicals are where it all starts to feel real. It's going to be a lot some days: new terminology, new equipment, new people watching you learn in real time. That's normal. Nobody walks into their first week already good at this — they walk in curious, and curious is exactly what you are.

I made you this instead of just texting "you got this," because you deserve something you can actually come back to on the mornings that feel heavy. So here it is: your checklist, your reminders, and the fact that I am unbelievably proud of you — in writing, so it doesn't go anywhere.

Go be brilliant at San Bernardino Imaging. I'll be here the whole six months. — with love

the checklist

Everything to check before the day starts

Pre-Clinical Scan
0 / 0 checked
Before You Walk Out
  • Water bottle, filled — clinic days are long and dry
  • Snack or lunch packed — you won't want to run on empty
  • Scrubs pressed, badge clipped on
  • Comfortable, closed-toe shoes — you'll be on your feet a lot
  • Phone charged, on silent once you're in
In Your Bag
  • Notepad + pen — write down every term you don't recognize
  • Hand lotion — gel + constant handwashing dries skin out fast
  • Backup hair tie tucked in a pocket
  • Small reference sheet of the terms you're still shaky on
  • Clinical paperwork / competency forms, if due this week
Mindset Going In
  • Ask the "obvious" question anyway — curiosity reads as strength
  • It's okay to not know it all on day one — that's why it's clinicals
  • Watch first, try it, then explain it back to yourself that night
  • Soak in as much as you can — even the boring parts matter later
  • Be as kind to yourself as you'd be to a classmate having a hard day
End of Day
  • Reread your notepad while it's fresh, even for 5 minutes
  • Name one thing you did better than yesterday
  • Actually rest — tired brains don't retain probe angles
  • Tell me about your day — I want to hear all of it
SITE: SAN BERNARDINO IMAGING CENTER · STATUS: IN PROGRESS
things worth remembering

A few reminders for the days that feel like a lot

"

Every sonographer you admire once held a probe for the first time and had no idea what they were looking at. You're exactly on schedule.

"

You don't have to be the fastest one in the room. You have to be the one who's still paying attention six hours in.

"

One day you'll be the person who finds a heartbeat someone was terrified they wouldn't see. That's what all of this is for.

Six months from now, someone's going to call you "Hannah, RDMS." I already can't wait.

Made with love — for Hannah Nicole Lucero