What would you do? Need Advice!!

holikow · Oct 8, 2005

Your instructor's nursing license is at risk due to this other student's disregard for the rules. In the state I went to school, yes, the student's practice under the license of the instructor! Your instructor needs to know, I agree, but you will be known as narc, tattle-tale and other student's won't trust you or keep you in the fold. You need your fellow student's for moral support in nursing school, you can't do it alone. My suggestion is to type an anonymous note, telling her of this student's actions of being on the floor without her knowledge, slide it under her door without being caught. I don't agree with confronting this student about telling on herself, she'll hate you and spread rumors, and make your student life miserable. so be aware. And... as for this floor nurse who allowed her to be there to help out with the admit, she is out of line also! Perhaps she wasn't aware that this student was there without representation, and in that aspect, this floor RN also had her license in jeopardy! So definately, the instructor needs to be alerted to this student's actions.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 8, 2005

you will be known as narc, tattle-tale and other student's won't trust you or keep you in the fold

The only way anyone is going to know you narc'd or tattle-taled on someone else is if the party reporting the problem or the instructor hearing the complaint talk about it to other people and name names. Both have an obligation to maintain confidentiality. A person who reports someone and then goes around telling her friends what she's done is just plain stupid and deserves whatever happens to her in the gossip mill. You report someone in the interest of the safety of the patients, not to feed your own ego as a do-gooder. If the reporter keeps her mouth shut, then any leak about what she did came by way of the person she reported it to. It's highly unlikely that a nursing instructor is going to gossip about another student to other students in her charge. However, I'm a realist and know there are instructors out there that sometimes do this (shame on them). This is just another reason why gossiping is so-o-o-o wrong! Yet, we all know what the punishment for it is, don't we? It will never get better unless we each police ourselves against idle chit chat that has the potential to turn ugly.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Oct 9, 2005

What do you mean she "helped" the staff nurse out? Did she do any type of nursing measures or was she present for the Q & A of the admission? I have had students come to me, frantic, because the patient they were assigned to and the one who's care plan they did, was discharged or transferred. They still had that bed assignment, and needed some type of info on the new patient, if I was doing the admission, I asked the patient if the student could be in the room, most of the time they agreed, the student got some idea why the patient was there and could present a overview of the new patient during preconference. I never allowed them to do any type of tx, they never asked any questions, they just listened and took notes. So how could the instructor's license be endangered? :confused:

Nurseinthemaking · Oct 9, 2005

I just graduated from Nursing School in August, and personally don't see a dilemma. If it were me and you cared enough about your instructor as I did and still do about mine, you would report her.

What are you going to do when you are a nurse and someone is doing something wrong then?

Yes, she probably will hang herself on her own, but why let your instructors license be on the line too?

If it were me, I would request to see the clinical instructor outside of anyone else knowing, you don't have to let anyone else know you are going to her, and be honest with her and tell her what is going on.

Nurseinthemaking · Oct 9, 2005

What do you mean she "helped" the staff nurse out? Did she do any type of nursing measures or was she present for the Q & A of the admission? I have had students come to me, frantic, because the patient they were assigned to and the one who's care plan they did, was discharged or transferred. They still had that bed assignment, and needed some type of info on the new patient, if I was doing the admission, I asked the patient if the student could be in the room, most of the time they agreed, the student got some idea why the patient was there and could present a overview of the new patient during preconference. I never allowed them to do any type of tx, they never asked any questions, they just listened and took notes. So how could the instructor's license be endangered?

As students, they are told to not be on the floor AT ALL without the clinical instructor being there. EVER EVER EVER!!!! If a student is going against the schools policy, they are going against all Student codes and can be dismissed. Students are to answer to instructors not nurses. This student is not following school policies and quite possibley against the contract the school has with the facility. That program could lose their contract if she keeps this up. All it takes is one bad bug.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Oct 9, 2005

Thanks for clearing up my question. We did not have a policy like that when we were in school, about not even being on the floor, we could not do any type of tx, but we were often on the floor without our instructor, using reference books, looking at charts, and other reports. I guess that is why this seems so odd to me. I would agree that if the school has that rule, she should not be on the floor and must take her "licks" for breaking the rule.

:nono:

truern · Oct 9, 2005

We're on the floor the day we get our assignment...looking at the charts, recording meds from the MARs, greeting the patients....all without our instructor. We get to clinical early before shift change to check for new orders, changes in condition, and to get report...all without our instructor. I really don't see a problem here unless she actually did a procedure, gave meds, etc without her CI's knowledge.

Btw...we complete full careplans using the information contained in the chart, notes, etc...before we actually give care. Again, not a problem.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Oct 10, 2005

I very respectfully disagree with some of the previous posters. Unless I misunderstood the situation. I would let this student hang herself. If she is not endangering a patient then leave it alone. The only exception would be in how you would define her "helping out" the admitting nurse. If she was performing skills that could harm the patient (including but not exclusively IV's, catheters, dressings) then by all means speak up and no need to be subtle about it either. If she was "helping out" by doing things like turning down a bed or procuring supplies then I would stay out of it. It may be against the technical rules of your school but . . . I don't know but I wouldn't get in the middle of that mess. Also keep in mind that she may have overinflated what she actually did in a misguided attempt to impress you. I agree with what some others wrote before that the instructor probably is well attuned to her true ability and this will sort itself out before you all graduate. Once more let me emphasize that I do believe what she did was wrong, but if it doesn't endanger the patient's safety then don't get involved. It's your instructor's responsibility to monitor her progress and protect her license.

LydiaNN · Oct 10, 2005

I wouldn't ever tell on anyone about something I didn't witness personally. I especially wouldn't have done so as a first semester nursing student. There is always more to a story than meets the eye, and when none of it has "met your eye", there's no way of telling the appropriate course of action. Long story short, whatever happens isn't your responsibility.