Day in the OR

[colleen10]

A few weeks ago I posted a message asking for advice on my one day clinical experience in the OR.

Many people replied with excellent responses and wanted me to let them know how it all went afterward.

I just wanted those of you who were interested to know that my school cancelled our OR day at this particular hospital because the staff was abusive to the first couple students who showed up to shadow and the OR nurse would not even let them stay, she kicked them out of the unit.

I'm not mad at my school at all, in fact I am very glad and proud of the faculty for acknowledging that the staff was verbally abusive and it would not be a good learning experience. But I have not doubt that when I get my RN I will not look kindly at possibly working at that particular hosp.

It stinks because I was looking forward to the experience but I will have an opportunity to have more extensive clinical experience in OR later on in my academic career.

[Jen2]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I have also said that I will choose to work at the facility that treats me the best as a student nurse. Way to go for the faculty. It is nice to see that the instructors did not subject everyone to this abuse. We had a situation where a nurses aid did not do her 7:00a.m. acu checks, weights, bed baths, or pass out the breakfast trays to these clients that were assigned nursing students. Well we are to report to the clinical site at 7:00a.m., but have pre-conference until 8:00 and these clients suffered because she thought she was to have a student do all of this. One of the girls in my clinical group was absent due to strep and her assigned client never did get a bath, vitals, or breakfast tray. The aid finally realized at noon that none of this was done and started to blame the students. My instructor needless to say ripped her a new one. My instructor told her that we are not there to do her job, and that we are to be treated with the same respect as the RN's because at each level in our education , we are held accountable for our actions the same as an RN, which is why we have Liability Insurance as a student. Turns out this aid flunked out of nursing school the first semester in and is bitter to nurses and nursing students in general, even the staff nurses told us not to worry about her. I think that you will find this in any facility. I hope your next experience goes smoothly.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Colleen,

I'm sorry things went so poorly ... or actually, didn't go at all. I agree wholeheartedly with you and the other poster that an institution where students are treated poorly is NOT a place you want to work ...

So, I may be stepping out of bounds here, but since I'm also in the Pittsburgh area, could you possibly PM me with the name of the hospital? I'd truly want to know this before my job search begins next year.

Take care.

~Leigh

[Carolanne]

Good for your school for sticking up for the students, nice to hear for a change! Feels like sometimes we're thrown right into the lion's den and made to fend for ourselves, which always infuriates me when we are PAYING for this kind of treatment! Hopefully you'll have other opportunities to see operations, perhaps the school will make arrangements with another facility so you and your peers still get the experience.