I am wondering anyone's thoughts/experiences on this issue. Before I start, I just want to say that I am totally for education and totally open to helping anyone learn. I am a new grad myself ..just four months now out in the real world of nursing and will never forget my roots as a student.
However I was shocked by something that happened today. After morning report I find out that a senior BSN student is working w/ one of my patients. That's fine....I have no problem with this whatsoever. I let the student know that we need to talk over a plan of action as far as who is doing what. This patient is sick, vented, etc etc. Anyhow, the student looks at me and says, oh we do everything. Everything...let's clarify this. I am just off orientation and I know nothing close to everything....ha. Then I find out that there is no teacher around to clarify with me who does what, who is responsible, who is cosigning notes and assessments. I asked other nurses on the unit and they said that this is a totally new thing for the school and that they just do it all together. I let the student know that I want to go through the assessment and documentation together. We did and for the most part everything went smoothly. Then at the end of the shift the student's professor finally comes strolling in, does not even ask who the RN responsible is, takes a peek at the student;s note and then leaves.
I just am wondering about the legality/responsibility of this. Who is responsible? Is this student practicing under my license? It seems as though it should be made a little clearer as to what is going on with this. I was schooled in a program that even our senior year we had a prof with us, we checked the meds with the prof, we talked about plan of care with the prof, we okayed notes with the professor, the prof was always there.
I also was schooled in the belief that your time in school was to develop fundamental skills. We observed a day in CCU, MICU, SICU, and ED but we didn't come close to taking on a patient like an assignment. We spent it in med-surg and then of course, OB, Peds, Psych, homecare. I had heard of many other programs allowing students to do ICU classes or specialty programs, however my university was adament that even our senior semesters of a BSN we spend it brushing up on skills. Not ICU skills. The rationale was that you should have the broad basics and then if you want to move onto a specialty that is fine as a GN but the workplace when you graduate or as a job as a PCT while in school is where you get that. I firmly believe in that. It is hard as a new grad with a great orientation process to be there in CCU nevermind as a student taking on assigments.
I know that I am new so maybe it is just my newness making me nervous if you will. And Ihave no problem answering questions. But I feel like I was doing the job of the absent professor. Any one agree?
I was thinking about mentioning it to my manager but wanted some insight from you all. Thanks