The student nurse

Nurses General Nursing

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How do you feel about working with a student nurse? How comfortable are you with the student nurse basically taking over your patients and paper work while you observe? If you are not comfortable with the student taking your patient load what do you like your student nurse to do while assigned to you and your patients.

When I was in school, the nurses (and nurse's aides) were always happy to have a student nurse take a couple of their patients as it actually resulted in less work for them. However, the way it worked with us was that the student nurse was responsible for all patient care for two patients including what both the nurse and nurse's aide would have been responsible for. The nurse did not have to lift a finger for these patients while we were there nor did the NA. The SN's were supervised and guided by the nursing clinical instructor. So, no work was added to the nurses workload, in fact quite the opposite. We even did all associated med administration, treatments and documentation, which was co-signed by the instructor. If we weren't sure how to do something or needed to be walked through a procedure we were doing for the first time, that would be the instructor's job. Occasionally, nurses would invite us to participate in a procedure that they thought would be interesting or especially educational for us, usually after we had proven ourselves to be a big help to them. I didn't realize it was done differently than this. There were a few nurses along the way who were less than welcoming, but they were few and far between and it seemed to be that they had issues with people in general anyway. We were all students once. I would be glad to help another nurse-to-be any way I could.

this - we have a co-assigned nurse (the nurse that is assigned to the specific patient we are taking care of) but if we need something or have to get checked on meds the instructor does it, co-signs our charts/flowsheets etc...

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
How do you feel about working with a student nurse?
I enjoy working with most students. There are a few who manifest attitudes which I don't care for but they are the exceptions rather than the rules. They can be helpful but generally create a net-drag on my day (more work, that is).
How comfortable are you with the student nurse basically taking over your patients and paper work while you observe?
Not at all... they're simply unable to do so safely.
If you are not comfortable with the student taking your patient load what do you like your student nurse to do while assigned to you and your patients.
I will allow them to do whatever they're able, and I find that that grows over the time that they're with me. I give them enough rope to learn but not enough to hang themselves (or my patient or me). It's important that students remember that the patient is *never* their patient, only *my* patient that is being shared with them. An adverse outcome will be on me.

What I like my students to do is (a) ask questions, (b) volunteer, © answer lights... all of them, (d) assist with ADLs, errands, etc, (e) pass meds, perform wound care, etc - if they're sufficiently knowledgeable.

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There is a difference here in experience that is important to note: there are the SNs who arrive in a group for clinical days and have an instructor guiding their experience. This is very touch-and-go. There is also the SN who is with you for an extended period of time on their practicum whose learning you are primarily responsible for.

Both have positives and negatives but it's imporatnt to differentiate because I think they provide drastically different interactions b/w SN/RN/patient

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Um what?

Two things here. One, you don't know a single nurse who hates student nurses? Well, your post was completely unnecessary and oozes resentment towards nursing students

Two, having a student nurse creates additional work for you? How so? Because you have to read over their documentation? How long does that take, an extra five minutes out of your day?

Ok...One, I really DON'T know a single nurse who hates student nurses. Weird that you would suggest that I would. As I've said any number of times, some students are more welcomed than others, but that's on the student. If I have ten students I'm happy to work with and one I am not, that one probably feels like I "hate students". But actually, it's her I don't like working with. MASSIVE difference. "Oozes resentment toward nursing students"?? LOL...I have had clinical instructors seek me out when students need to be assigned, but you wouldn't know that, because you're looking for a resentment that isn't there.

And Two, if you haven't realized what I meant by how students can create additional workloads, perhaps you should read the stack of other posts on this very thought. I don't think explaining it further (and again) will make a difference to you, so I'll skip it.

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER.
unquestionably, i'm totally comfortable and confident as a season nurse therefore, i wouldn't have any problem with this situation. in addition, i sincerely enjoy teaching and what better situation for the student to have someone to offer constructed guidance and support while performing pt. care. undoubtedly, i would be the one making sure that the student will deliver the highest caliber of nursing care to my patients, while he/she is adhering to the protocol of the facility where i work. having said that, i would teach the student the proper short cuts in order to deliver an efficient prompt total pt. care, it would be a win/win situation in this case for me and the student:d

that was the most pc response to a student nurse i've seen in a long time! :):bugeyes:

(now pardon me while i vomit)

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Nicely said!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

The OR is kind of unique for nursing students at my hospital- they can only observe and that's it. Nothing more whatsoever. I like having certain nursing students- the ones who ask appropriate questions at appropriate times (sorry, while I'm mixing meds is not a good time to ask questions). The ones who actually pay attention to what is happening. The ones who don't contaminate the field. It is more work, but for those students it's worth it. The worst student I ever had: claimed she was feeling faint when we sawed through the sternum. No big deal, happens all the time. We got someone to take her out of the room to the lounge for some water and crackers, and told her to come back when she was feeling better. Student never came back. Turned out she was curled up on the couch in the lounge fast asleep. Those types of students are the ones I can't stand- the ones who, when the instructor isn't around, don't have the self-initiative to do anything constructive for the day. And unfortunately, that experience is the one that sticks with me (and the rest of the OR, because word spread fast about someone sleeping on the couch, and the real story got around) more so than the good students.

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i used to get students all the time, in my first postgrad year in a pacu. i was actually astonished to have the head nurse ask me to take them, because i was definitely the new kid on the block; but they had hired three of use new grads all at once. one diploma, one adn, and me, the bsn. i would see these students shaking in their paper booties, and say, "ok, now. i know this place looks crazy and bright and noisy, but there's not a thing that we do here that you don't know something about already. really-- airway, breathing, circulation. we just do it more and faster than in most places." then i showed them how my right forearm was nearly an inch bigger in circumference from pumping up bp cuffs q15 minutes on 4-8 patients for eight hours at a time (true, but it made them laugh). then we looked at the or schedule so we could see what was coming, and more or less when, watched a new admission, heard the anesthesiologist give report to the nurse, translated it for them, and we sorta eased into doing them ourselves gently. we took people back to their rooms and gave report to the floor nurses. lather, rinse, repeat. they stopped being afraid and loved it.

when they came back the next day they were much more relaxed and ready to do more. one even applied to the pacu when she graduated, and she did fine.

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That was the most PC response to a student nurse I've seen in a long time! :):bugeyes:

(now pardon me while I vomit)

aww cmon now "PC" makes it sound insincere.

I believe Gitano means it from the bottom of his heart and actually I'm pretty much on the same page as him. When it goes smoothly it can truly be a delight. I think this thread is asking us to tease out those rare instances that having an SN was the opposite of fun so we can constructively discuss what went wrong.

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I am a student nurse in a Nigerian nursing school, the senior nurses here love to work with us and we appreciate being guided with love into this life saving call. My appeal to nurses worldwide is to allow us learn with love how to be good care givers, remember every nurse was once a student and every student will one day qualify, bear in mind that someone has to take over the mantle from you someday. God bless and encourage all nurses everywhere.

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@ Vespertinas (sorry if I've spelt it wrong)

Pepper ain't tough, she's Canadian. That's the way of Canadian nursing. Orientation is to learn the unit/hospital routine. New grads are expected to know how to be a nurse.

Pepper, like myself was required to show that we could manage a full patient load before we could graduate and write our exams.

As a new grad hire, my orientation consisted of a couple of days learning the in-house computer system, dealing with the HR paperwork for benefits, meeting my shop steward, etc. Then on the floor, I had three days orientation to day shift and two shifts of evenings because that was the rotation I was hired for. The next week I started to work, full patient load and told to ask any nurse on the floor if I needed assistance.

No prolonged orientation period, no "internship", no hand holding. I was a nurse and expected to get on with the job.

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After reading the whole 6 pages comments, it baffles me when someone comes here to share her experience and some people think because they are nurses or have been nurses for million yes, they can impose what they feel or think it is on others. Everyone here saying they are happy to have student nurses and willing to help,you can only speak for urself and not come out to state you find it strange that there is no nurse that will not turn down student nurses.

SOME PEOPLE HERE THINK THEY KNOW TOO MUCH AND THEY ARE ALWAYS RIGHT AND WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT. Yes caps, cos i am tired of such people on here.

Grown man can say whatever i want.

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