Student Nurses

TXstudentRN · Oct 23, 2008

So that brings up a question I have: How do you react to that? What do you do or say if a nurse tells you something like that? Do you let it roll off your back and just find another nurse to help you? What if there isn't anyone else??

Please don't worry that much - these are definitely the extremes. The great majority of nurses are fantastic. But as to how to respond, this really depends on the situation - there have been varying responses. My absolute favorite was my friend who after the first thing her nurse said to her was "I hate students" she laughed - she truly thought she was joking! It was kind of awkward when the student realized she wasn't, but she just kind of had the mindset of "well you're stuck with me!" and went with it. The nurse grew on the student (and vice versa) as the day went on. Other times you just have to accept it - it's one thing to go find another nurse if you can, but most of the time you will have picked at least one patient the night before, making it so you have to find a way to work with the nurse because it's wayyy too much work to switch patients. The best thing then is to discretely talk to your instructor - s/he can often find a way to make it work, or the charge nurse can intervene some how. It's a tough situation no matter what, which makes me even more thankful when I DO have great nurses to work with.

I definitely agree about the lack of clinical instructors - many schools are at the maximum of 1:10. I also know some nurses are frustrated because they have students ALL THE TIME - I can understand how it would be nice to just have one day sans students, but the schools are so desperate for clinical sites that that's a rarity.

I'm glad to see that this is being acknowledged - it's kind of like when patients complain about having to see residents/med students. It makes me want to tell them to not go to a teaching hospital if they don't want to deal with it, but it all comes back to the fact that everyone has to learn somehow!

twistedpupchaser · Oct 23, 2008

As a newer Nurse I see students as both a blessing and a curse, (often at the same time) they can be a blessing as they are an extra set of eyes and hands, they are a blessing in that they make me know my stuff, I can't explain it if I don't know it. Students are also a blessing in that they organise things differently and know when a Gucci task needs doing, (talk about keen....I remember that)

Students as I said can be a curse, that 2 minute job taking 20 minutes....whats that old prayer? God please give me the patience...

I think like everything else if you don't have the right attitude to students you wont be any good at it, (teaching/precepting). Like all Nurses I had some great teachers and some not so great. Kudos to those great Nurse Teachers/Preceptors.

mama_d, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2008

I usually enjoy it when I have a student or two, but I'm one of those nerdly people who gets a real kick out of being able to share knowledge and experience with others. It seems like a waste to have all of this stuff in my head and keep it to myself! I also enjoy being able to talk with the students about what it's really like on the floor and give them whatever time management and research tips I can in the hopes that they may take something away that will eventually help them as they transition from student nurses to real nurses with their own teams.

I also wanted to point out that in my experience the nurses who are the worst to the students are the ones who have the least business having one; there are times when I come in to work nights and just cringe knowing that certain day nurses have had students b/c I know that they aren't quite up to speed themselves and are nowhere near ready to have the responsibility to be teaching others. I try to put in extra effort if I'm able to if that's the case, b/c I want those students to be able to actually learn during their clinicals. So sometimes it's a blessing in disguise when you get stuck with a new clinical assignment b/c the nurse refuses students. Honestly, I think that only staff who have had preceptorship training should be allowed to have student nurses with them; that would help eliminate alot of issues.

intensity_too · Oct 23, 2008

I love nurses like you madwife!

I had my first clinical experience this past weekend, and I had a nurse who really loved having students . . . which was good because she had three!!

She allowed me to do the things I was qualified to do, and pushed me to explain things and to know my stuff. When I was hesitant to do something, she gently guided me and never minded a question or a request for an explanation. Because of having such a great nurse to work under, that first clinical experience was awesome, and I got to do more things than most of my classmates.

When I become an RN, I'll treat students the same way this nurse treated me. I'll treat them with respect. I'll guide them gentle, and I won't be afraid to push them in the right direction if they need it!

psychonaut · Oct 23, 2008

I've been lucky and have had great nurses that want to teach - I've actually discovered that new(er) nurses are often more accepting, as they were in my place not too long ago.

I've done this as a new nurse, when I was on days. I'd see the student hovering next the sink, looking a bit out of place and ignored. I just go over grab them, and say (for example) "Have you ever seen a 25-week-old baby? Come take a look."

For me, it really is empathy from having been in that position not all too long ago.

MELYRN · Oct 23, 2008

Yes it's funny how these nurses forget that they too were students at one time. They obviously teach us how not to be.

bassandtea · Oct 23, 2008

I recently did my first placement and was lucky to have some of the most amazing RNs to work with, however not all of my classmates were so lucky.

The ward I was working on had a few recent graduates and a nurse educator. As a student I was taken along with the recent graduates whenever the nurse educator had an interesting patient or specialist skill to teach.

That said I did find the limits to my scope of practice as set out by my school frustrating. Part of it was because I have a different skill set from many of the other nursing students in my year, having worked with animals in the past. (For example I was taking out sutures, doing drug calculations, administering medications etc before even thinking about nursing school)

One thing I found appeared to make it easier for both myself and the RN I was working with was to take a minute at the beginning of the shift with a new RN to outline what my scope of practice was, anything specific I needed to do for assessment and if there was anything I felt uncomfortable doing.

I also found it made things easier if I was able to approach the nurse I was working with and say "I'm not comfortable with doing X task, can I please observe you doing it and then do it with your assistance"

Really on my placement I only seemed to have one problem... The nurses I worked with kept on forgetting I was on my first placement and when I was asked if I could carry a task out that was beyond my scope of practice was asked "you're a second/third year student, right?" Nope, first year, first prac...

I guess that's my long winded and kind of off track way of saying thanks to the nurses that made my first placement so easy and wonderful and to let those nurses out there that make other students placements so fantastic know we appreciate it!

SunnyAndrsn · Oct 23, 2008

During my clinical rotations I have encountered a few rude nurses, but the vast majority were fabulous, warm, welcoming, and great teachers.

By and large, it was the younger nurses and/or those who had been out of school for only a few years.

Those with 15, 20 or more years of experience were the negatives. During my OB rotation, I had introduced myself to the primary nurse, who was different from the day before, and but I had this mom/baby the day before. So I went in and did my assessment.

She had a fit: "Don't ever go into a room without me, and don't ever speak while in the room, if you have questions you can ask them outside of the room."

So we go back into the room, and the mom is chatting me up. I talked to her and answered her (directly to me) questions. Primary nurse was very angry with me. I told my instructor who came with me for future pt. contact and reported to mean nurse for me. My instructor was annoyed at that as well.

Second situation: Nurse was nice to my face, but also would not let my instructor (who also is a floor nurse on this unit) do an IV IG infusion. Okay, I can understand that...but she wanted me to do all of the assessments, including the frequent VS. No problem for me, until the end of the night when she told my instructor I had not reported off to her. Thankfully, I was able to state my case and had a little back up but I was quite peeved at that.

Same nurse, instead of saying she didn't want students assigned to her pts. told a classmate that the pt. hated students. Different classmate was assigned to her the next day without any issues. hmmmm....

My instructor is a smart woman, and knew that the issue was not with us, but with that nurse.

Me and a classmate had to work with her one last time, and she made a pretty big mistake, tried to cover it up, classmate told instructor b/c of our history with this nurse, who 'clarified' with her. It's hard to explain the whole situation...but after that she was nice to us.

I am one of the main mentors on my floor and spend a great deal of my time working with student nurses, and feel it is part of my role to educate and work with students. Yes it does slow me down on occasions and sometimes I may take over the hands on experience because there are situations you need to take control and then we will debrief.
My students always enjoy their experience with me because I do make them think I do make them work and I do debrief. My concern is however the way they are sometimes treated by other RN's who wont take students, who have abosolutly no time for them, Other RNs let the students follow them around but they are not allowed to touch, document, touch drugs and on and on.
I am interested to know how students are treated on other units and are there any protocols in place re education of these student.
I sometimes think that we forget how important these students are, as they are our future co-workers.

study2Bnurse · Nov 21, 2008

i've done this as a new nurse, when i was on days. i'd see the student hovering next the sink, looking a bit out of place and ignored. i just go over grab them, and say (for example) "have you ever seen a 25-week-old baby? come take a look."
for me, it really is empathy from having been in that position not all too long ago.

psychonaut,

you are the type of nurse that i had hoped to work with during clinicals.

unfortunately, in my area there don't seem to be many nurses that like to have students.

i will be finished in may as an associate degree rn and am very nervous about the fact that most of my clinical hours to this point have not included much interaction with my nurses. i guess in my mind i thought that the clinical experience would include seeing my primary nurse in action - so that i could learn techniques on the floor from my nurse.

someday, when i have more experience under my belt i will welcome students for the same reason you are empathetic to students. we have all been students at some point. it's easy to forget that sometimes.

:nurse: :heartbeat:nurse::heartbeat:nurse: