Nurses Eating Nursing Students

[Cisabel]

It was our first day stepping foot on the floor.

We were lost.

We were scared.

We've all been there. If you haven't yet, you will. Some of us were sweating. Some of us were shaking. Some of us were quiet. The one thing that we did have in common is that we were all scared. Here we are, stepping on a floor, full of patients that we needed to take care of but we knew NOTHING. "Go find your nurse" is what our instructor told us. Slowly, we strolled to the different pods and introduced ourselves.

As I approached the nurse that I was to shadow the entire day, I became increasingly relaxed. She was an older nurse that looked mothering and I believed that I was going to learn a lot that day. "Ms. Martha? Hi. I'm Charlotte. I'll be your student nurse today" I widened my eyes and mustered the best smile possible, considering it is 6:30am. I was greeted with a blank stare, followed with an up and down glance that could make a dead man's veins run cold. She finally said, "Hmmmm. I already have a student nurse that is in her last semester. I need to focus on her and help her graduate. Where's your clinical instructor? Can you just be with her? If you have questions, you can ask. I just need to focus on my other student."

Let's fast forward this day. My patient went to dialysis, meaning I will not have anything to do for 4-6 hours of my 10 hour day. Because my patient was gone, I volunteered my services for her other patients. I volunteered to empty foley bags, change bedsheets or whatever other tasks or errands that needed to be done. I asked questions. After the attempts of basically begging her to let me help her were denied, I even asked if I could just watch her and shadow her without even being acknowledged. (Mind you this was my first day. I know I sounded like a sad puppy but I had no idea of what else to do). Unsurprisingly, she shot those requests down as well. This is only a small insight to how my first day went.

This is living proof that the advice that some nurses give about why nurses eat their young and all of things to do to avoid it is all FALSE!! "Make yourself available". Did that. "Ask questions and act interested". Did that. "Make sure to not come off as a know it all". Did that. "Sometimes, nurses are very busy and teaching a student will disrupt them blah blah blah!"

If you are a nurse and do not want a nursing student, JUST SAY IT! It is very unfortunate that there are some nurses out there that do not want to teach. The cornerstone of nursing is teaching. You must teach the family and patient constantly during their visit. Also, "each one, teach one" should be taken to heart. Think about when you first became a nurse. You were frightened and scared.

Fellow nursing comrades, if this has happened to you or if this ever happens to in the future, take it with stride. It is difficult to work with and hard to not take it personally. Just remember that day and vow to never EVER treat someone that is willing to learn and help with disgrace.

[NurseLauraM]

Except it's completely clear that the OP DID take it personally. I know when someone has made it through a difficult situation similar to mine the only way it makes me feel better is when they tell me "yeah it totally sucks but you are going to be okay". It's like when women tell first time pregnant women their delivery horror stories. I've seen this happen at endless baby showers. Seriously why do people do that? I'm pretty sure those terrified new moms-to-be aren't thinking "yay, so glad she told me that so I know someone else got through it. I'm so relieved now" It's the exact same thing!

Yeah, I definitely see your point with that analogy! I will never forget watching the Miracle of Life in high school and immediately turning to a friend and saying "I think I'll just stay a virgin forever instead." Alternatively, I do think it is helpful for expectant mothers to have a sense of what goes down during labor and delivery. For example, I had NO idea so many women defecated during labor until nursing school. I can't imagine how embarrassed a first-time mother would feel if she didn't know it was normal. Although this is probably more common knowledge now. Anyway, I digress...

I agree with you that the OP's post does not provide any comfort. It came off as pretty over-the-top and negative. On the other hand, I wanted to give the OP the benefit of the doubt and ask her to clarify because maybe she just worded it poorly or didn't present herself in the way she intended. Unlikely, but who knows.

On another note, I do find it quite odd that she posted about this event that occurred so far in her past. You think she would have calmed down and maybe seen it from another perspective (like the nurse's) by now.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Yeah, I definitely see your point with that analogy! I will never forget watching the Miracle of Life in high school and immediately turning to a friend and saying "I think I'll just stay a virgin forever instead." Alternatively, I do think it is helpful for expectant mothers to have a sense of what goes down during labor and delivery. For example, I had NO idea so many women defecated during labor until nursing school. I can't imagine how embarrassed a first-time mother would feel if she didn't know it was normal. Although this is probably more common knowledge now. Anyway, I digress...

.

Off Topic - Yeah, that's why they used to give women in early labor an enema when first admitted. I got one with my first kiddo 33 years ago plus a full shave!! Ouch, that hurt growing back.

22 months later in another town and another hospital, that didn't happen.

As a L&D nurse later in life, I finally figured out why I got an enema all those many years ago.

[Wuzzie]

I agree with you that the OP's post does not provide any comfort. It came off as pretty over-the-top and negative. On the other hand, I wanted to give the OP the benefit of the doubt and ask her to clarify because maybe she just worded it poorly or didn't present herself in the way she intended. Unlikely, but who knows.

Perhaps we all would have given her the benefit of the doubt if she hadn't pretty much torpedoed that with her subsequent posts.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Perhaps we all would have given her the benefit of the doubt if she hadn't pretty much torpedoed that with her subsequent posts.

The whole thing stuck me as yet another attempt to offer irrefutable proof that nurses do indeed eat their young. Needless to say, it fell a bit short.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

if i am reading this all correctly, i believe what this "new grad" is trying to tell students is to 1). not take it personally if something like this ever happens to you and 2). don't worry and move on you will survive. Nursing school is hard. It tests not only your book knowledge and skills but your character. But this is what you signed up for. RIGHT? While i understand the multitude of posts from others pointing out how this one individual does seem to be a bit focused on herself and playing a bit of the victim, AND it is legitimate to help ALL future nurses understand that as a licensed nurse you will have to protect yourself, your time but more importantly your patients, but geez, let's give her a break. She's just trying to share some of her experiences so that the next student who encounters this type of scenario will not panic knowing she is not the first to go through this. FAIR?

Not only was her first post self-centered, so were the rest of her posts. Also, she was extremely rude to any poster she replied to. So no, I can't give her a break. There is no reason to attack the nurse at her clinical location or any of us.

How is she calming other other students down with this post? She is creating more anxiety if anything.

In your profile you state you are a nursing student. If that is true you cannot have the title BSN following your name. That is against the TOS.

[wannabeny]

I haven't experienced nurses eating their young. I've experienced nurses who don't get any extra for having a student (that can sometimes just get in the way).

I've had nurses who have 6 tough patients and barely have time to look at you much less get their assignments done before lunch.

I take care of my patient, report as necessary, make sure they know I'm available to help as long as I have the time, and seek out others on the floor to make sure they know the same thing.

Have there been times where I've had downtime? Yes. I used that time to look up unfamiliar medications, see if my fellow students needed any help check call lights. Help restock linen carts.

Your clinical instructor should provide as best of an atmosphere for you to learn as possible, but these are people we are caring for & working with, not robots.

Make the best of it no matter what. There's always something to learn.

One of my favorite days was when my clinical instructor sternly informed us "someone from my other group was nasty to a PCT. Unacceptable. Half of you will act like PCT's today, and then rotate."

I loved that day. I got to really practice making occupied beds, get through a ton of vitals, glucose checks, run specimens to the lab, and navigate perineal care/changing diapers on immobile patients. I learned ALOT of tricks. I bow down to the PCT's humbly.

[Wuzzie]

I haven't experienced nurses eating their young. I've experienced nurses who don't get any extra for having a student (that can sometimes just get in the way).

I've had nurses who have 6 tough patients and barely have time to look at you much less get their assignments done before lunch.

I take care of my patient, report as necessary, make sure they know I'm available to help as long as I have the time, and seek out others on the floor to make sure they know the same thing.

Have there been times where I've had downtime? Yes. I used that time to look up unfamiliar medications, see if my fellow students needed any help check call lights. Help restock linen carts.

Your clinical instructor should provide as best of an atmosphere for you to learn as possible, but these are people we are caring for & working with, not robots.

Make the best of it no matter what. There's always something to learn.

One of my favorite days was when my clinical instructor sternly informed us "someone from my other group was nasty to a PCT. Unacceptable. Half of you will act like PCT's today, and then rotate."

I loved that day. I got to really practice making occupied beds, get through a ton of vitals, glucose checks, run specimens to the lab, and navigate perineal care/changing diapers on immobile patients. I learned ALOT of tricks. I bow down to the PCT's humbly.

Can I please, please, please precept you?!!!!!!

[kelleyaburton]

I can feel your pain. I dealt with some nurses with personality problems as a phlebotomist and then as a student. We had one nurse at a particular hospital basically tell us how horrible her job was and yet she was only doing it for the money. Luckily our instructor knew about her and none of us were ever assigned to her.

In my freshman year, we had a teacher that loved to yell at her students in front of other staff and other patients. Not only that, she was a horrible classroom teacher! The students who had her went to the dean with numerous complaints. She even went so far as to assign one student who dared stand up to her the WORST patients every single week. The final nail in her coffin was that staff nurses from a hospital that my school has had a contract with since the program began started calling the school to complain about this woman. Needless to say, that woman is no longer teaching!

I think you showed great initiative to try and do small tasks to help that nurse out. Bottom line, if you have a staff member who is giving you hell, go to your instructor first. If that won't help, go to the charge nurse. If that won't work, go to the dean of your program. Write down the facts, keep emotions out of it. Paper trails stand up in court if necessary! Your clinical experience should be a positive one that helps you learn. I feel like you, that senior nurses sometimes forget what it was like when they were starting out. I'm a new grad myself but as a phlebotomist (eleven years experience) I took students with me all the time. I loved having students and giving them the benefit of my experience. I wasn't paid extra for this and I didn't care. I did it because I like to teach. Some of them were afraid but I always greets them with a warm smile and enthusiasm. Some people are great teachers and some just, well, they suck!

Hope your schooling gets better! Don't give up! Hang in there! You can do it!!

[doodlebuttRN]

(QUOTE from kellyaburton):

In my freshman year, we had a teacher that loved to yell at her students in front of other staff and other patients. Not only that, she was a horrible classroom teacher! The students who had her went to the dean with numerous complaints. She even went so far as to assign one student who dared stand up to her the WORST patients every single week. The final nail in her coffin was that staff nurses from a hospital that my school has had a contract with since the program began started calling the school to complain about this woman. Needless to say, that woman is no longer teaching!

Excuse me, kellyaburton, what exactly is the "WORST patient"? I am really flabbergasted and confused by this. Especially because you say that "every week" she gave this horrible patient to any student who dared stand up to her? The most acute, challenging patient with the most diagnoses, meds, treatments, etc? When I was a student, these were the patients I always wanted because there is so much to learn. I am really confused by your attitude to the OPs post and her refusal to accept any responsibility for her own education and behavior.

But I really really want to know what the "WORST patient every week" means??

[Semper_Gumby]

Excuse me, kellyaburton, what exactly is the "WORST patient"? I am really flabbergasted and confused by this. Especially because you say that "every week" she gave this horrible patient to any student who dared stand up to her? The most acute, challenging patient with the most diagnoses, meds, treatments, etc? When I was a student, these were the patients I always wanted because there is so much to learn. I am really confused by your attitude to the OPs post and her refusal to accept any responsibility for her own education and behavior.

But I really really want to know what the "WORST patient every week" means??

Lol those were the patients I got almost every week, not because my instructors had it out for me, but it was pretty much the luck of the draw. My very first patient had hx of lung cancer, HTN, diabetes, DVT, and so much more going on. They actually made him a DNR that day. I remember watching/helping the nurse change the dressings on his arms (I think I just helped hold the arm so she could wrap it) and the skin was pretty much sloughing off, and I'd spent the entire night researching his various conditions and meds (remember, this was early in Fundamentals!). He and his wife were so sweet and it was such a privilege to help take care of them. But boy, was it stressful!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Moved to the Nurse Colleague / Patient Relations forum.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I can feel your pain. I dealt with some nurses with personality problems as a phlebotomist and then as a student. We had one nurse at a particular hospital basically tell us how horrible her job was and yet she was only doing it for the money. Luckily our instructor knew about her and none of us were ever assigned to her.

In my freshman year, we had a teacher that loved to yell at her students in front of other staff and other patients. Not only that, she was a horrible classroom teacher! The students who had her went to the dean with numerous complaints. She even went so far as to assign one student who dared stand up to her the WORST patients every single week. The final nail in her coffin was that staff nurses from a hospital that my school has had a contract with since the program began started calling the school to complain about this woman. Needless to say, that woman is no longer teaching!

I think you showed great initiative to try and do small tasks to help that nurse out. Bottom line, if you have a staff member who is giving you hell, go to your instructor first. If that won't help, go to the charge nurse. If that won't work, go to the dean of your program. Write down the facts, keep emotions out of it. Paper trails stand up in court if necessary! Your clinical experience should be a positive one that helps you learn. I feel like you, that senior nurses sometimes forget what it was like when they were starting out. I'm a new grad myself but as a phlebotomist (eleven years experience) I took students with me all the time. I loved having students and giving them the benefit of my experience. I wasn't paid extra for this and I didn't care. I did it because I like to teach. Some of them were afraid but I always greets them with a warm smile and enthusiasm. Some people are great teachers and some just, well, they suck!

Hope your schooling gets better! Don't give up! Hang in there! You can do it!!

That's right! Remember, everyone is there to please you. If anyone doesn't show you the proper respect, make sure to start a paper trail and take it all the way up the chain of command if necessary. These people are all waiting to hear from you. The bonus? When you apply anywhere for a job, they'll already know your name.

The rest of us can't feel your pain. That's because all our instructors and preceptors were happy to see us and pave our way. None of us ever had to deal with a poor instructor or a harried preceptor. If any one of them had looked at us sideways (or up and down) we'd have let them have it. And so should you.