Rude students

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I don't mean to talk out of school....but I'm getting irritated with some of my fellow students. Our first clinical assignments were to do total patient care, and for the first two week, as far as I was concerned it was all good.(then again, as a newby to all of this I was so engrossed with learning everything I didn't pay attention to any of the others in clinicals.) When we all had to switch patients, most of us made a concientious effort to learn their likes and dislikes and to give the care that was required of us. Perhaps I expected to much from my replacement, but my pt. was a coherent parkinson's patient that had parkinson freezes but was able to enjoy conversations and mobility. He was in the feeder room at the LTC facility we were at, and all he needed was set up assist and he was fine unless he had a freeze. well, the first day we switched and I was in another room, I walked by and he was in a freeze and they were ignoring him, and when I mentioned something they said they couldn't get him to respond, it took all of thrity seconds to say his name, hold his hand and talk to him for him to respond.....okay, well....later on, the nursing student explained that she wasn't there to do the cna's job and so she didn't have to change him, toilet him or do anything for him, that was the cna's job and she was just going to go in and do the assessment sheet the teacher gave us. The next day, she sat in the conference room and said let the cna deal with him (even tho he was her assigned patient for the day) and was left for breakfast and lunch sitting at the table with no bib or food, until someone else went to go get it for him. The nurse on duty asked her to feed two patients, one after another, and she gave attitude. True, she has to write an apology letter for them when we go in tomorrow, but she is saying she shouldn't have to write because she is saying it wasn't her responsiblity to feed all the patients!. Yet she gets a sat for her clinical experience in the professors eyes? Do all nursing students realize that we are dealing with real people, with real emotions that are trapped there and just looking for help and compassion? I was already made fun of for bringing batteries to that pt. b/c he was into electronics and had tons of gadgets, and he used an electric toothbrush that was always out of batteries, as well as the DaVinci Code book, because he's written tons of his own that have been published and seems to be hungry for some kind of stimulation. Thanks for allowing me my free flowing vent. next time I promise to have more structure : )

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

Try not to let it bother you. It's sad when that happens, but trust me people with attitudes like that do not last long in a program. I say kudos to you for the batteries. You are looking out for you patients and willing to go the extra mile to help them and make them happy. Sounds like the makings of great nurse to me. :)

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Try not to let it bother you. It's sad when that happens, but trust me people with attitudes like that do not last long in a program. I say kudos to you for the batteries. You are looking out for you patients and willing to go the extra mile to help them and make them happy. Sounds like the makings of great nurse to me. :)

Thank you for those words....it still just hurts me to know that basic kindness is not a class....that and that there are people like that that are in RN programs when I can't even sell my first born to get into the prereq Anatomy and Physiology programs...but that's why I'm in the LPN program so I can get my foot in the door as a nurse somehow. Okay, enough of the "glass is half empty" now for the "glass is half full" while I continue education the facility offered me a CNA job and told everyone else they were fully staffed : )

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
the nursing student explained that she wasn't there to do the cna's job and so she didn't have to change him, toilet him or do anything for him, that was the cna's job and she was just going to go in and do the assessment sheet the teacher gave us.

People who think like this are the least likely to to make it. If they have the attitude that someone ELSE should do it, then they're usually the first in line for a charge of neglect. And hopefully she'll be weeded out long before that's ever a risk

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Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.

Hi, fellow tarheel :)

It always amazes me when students think they're somehow "above" the toileting, feeding, etc. Nurses should be concerned about the total care of their patient...besides what if they want to work the unit where there ARE NO cnas??

As the nurse, if they're in the patient's room giving meds and he/she has to toilet "right now!!", is the nurse going to call for the CNA??

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Specializes in Operating Room.

That is sad, and I feel sorry for any CNA's that work under that future nurse...if she makes it that far.

People have to work together. Yes, nurses aren't suppose to do all the CNA's work, but it won't hurt to help if they are not busy. ...AND as a student, WE ARE NOT EVEN NURSES YET to make that call!!! I guess it all depends on what you are told to do by your instructor, but it seems to me that if that student nurse keeps that up, too many complaints will come in leading to a failed clincal class. (& ya know what that means!!)

:yelclap: Thank you for going above & beyond. I'm sure you will make a great nurse! Good luck on your new job, should you decide to take it, getting your LPN, and going farther if you decide to later on! :)

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I don't mean to talk out of school....but I'm getting irritated with some of my fellow students. Our first clinical assignments were to do total patient care, and for the first two week, as far as I was concerned it was all good.(then again, as a newby to all of this I was so engrossed with learning everything I didn't pay attention to any of the others in clinicals.) When we all had to switch patients, most of us made a concientious effort to learn their likes and dislikes and to give the care that was required of us. Perhaps I expected to much from my replacement, but my pt. was a coherent parkinson's patient that had parkinson freezes but was able to enjoy conversations and mobility. He was in the feeder room at the LTC facility we were at, and all he needed was set up assist and he was fine unless he had a freeze. well, the first day we switched and I was in another room, I walked by and he was in a freeze and they were ignoring him, and when I mentioned something they said they couldn't get him to respond, it took all of thrity seconds to say his name, hold his hand and talk to him for him to respond.....okay, well....later on, the nursing student explained that she wasn't there to do the cna's job and so she didn't have to change him, toilet him or do anything for him, that was the cna's job and she was just going to go in and do the assessment sheet the teacher gave us. The next day, she sat in the conference room and said let the cna deal with him (even tho he was her assigned patient for the day) and was left for breakfast and lunch sitting at the table with no bib or food, until someone else went to go get it for him. The nurse on duty asked her to feed two patients, one after another, and she gave attitude. True, she has to write an apology letter for them when we go in tomorrow, but she is saying she shouldn't have to write because she is saying it wasn't her responsiblity to feed all the patients!. Yet she gets a sat for her clinical experience in the professors eyes? Do all nursing students realize that we are dealing with real people, with real emotions that are trapped there and just looking for help and compassion? I was already made fun of for bringing batteries to that pt. b/c he was into electronics and had tons of gadgets, and he used an electric toothbrush that was always out of batteries, as well as the DaVinci Code book, because he's written tons of his own that have been published and seems to be hungry for some kind of stimulation. Thanks for allowing me my free flowing vent. next time I promise to have more structure : )

Keep advocating for the patients. I saw so much of that when my mother was ill it provoked me into nursing school! We need compassion out there so don't let 'em get to you, let 'em inspire you.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I don't even call it "CNA work." It's "patient/resident care" to me.

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Specializes in OBGYN, Neonatal.

Congrats to you for doing all that you can with these patients, that is a true spirit of a nurse to me. The other person has issues and will probably have them all through school with that attitude. You know why I say that? We in our nursing school do the same things the cna's do, in fact we do it for them when we are on clinicals because we are supposed to have that full experience. I don't particularly want to always be doing that but I know that it is my job as a learning student and that as a nurse I can never be too big to say I can't do that its not my job...if a patient is in need of something and I'm the person able to give it to them (within my license, of course) then I intend to do it, regardless of whether I'm a cna, rn or lpn.

Hats off to you for going the extra mile. I almost cried about the batteries and book - that was very thoughtful!

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

...when I worked a non-nurse position at a nh and got to know one of the pts who couldn't uncap her toothpaste due to ms, I got her the kind that flips up. It was also a Barbie toothpaste...and I told her she was pretty as Barbie (she a blonde). She cried and said no one helps her with brushing and this would help. I talked to her nurse and was assured someone would help her with a.m and p.m care.

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Do all nursing students realize that we are dealing with real people, with real emotions that are trapped there and just looking for help and compassion?

Thank you Eka69 for this comment. While waiting to get into nursing school I'm working as a volunteer in a 15-bed hospice unit. When a patient rings the call bell do you think they care what titles are behind someone's name? More often than not they need someone to fetch something or toilet. And, they don't differentiate between me, the CNA, or quite often the nurse. I

feel quite fortunate that I am able to volunteer b/c I do have the time to just sit at the bedside and be with people, whether they are in a coma or just want some company.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Do all nursing students realize that we are dealing with real people, with real emotions that are trapped there and just looking for help and compassion? . . .I was already made fun of for bringing batteries to that pt. b/c he was into electronics and had tons of gadgets, and he used an electric toothbrush that was always out of batteries, as well as the DaVinci Code book, because he's written tons of his own that have been published and seems to be hungry for some kind of stimulation.

No, not all nursing students realize that they are dealing with real people. There are some nursing students who are very judgmental of their fellow students and others. Doing good deeds for patients are not trophies to be displayed and expect praise for. That's arrogance.

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