anyone have a clinical day

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where everything just seems to go bad. My first day back in the hospital after winter break, I'm a bit rusty on skills anyway, in a different hospital so I didn't know where everything was, and so on and so forth. My patient was ok, but she did not like student nurses. wish she would have said something when I first got on the floor so I could have been reassigned, but anywhoo...said pt would not let me help transfer her because she did not trust student nurses...said it to the RN....right in front of me. Later on after I had done my assessments and was gathering data from the computer my instructor told me my pt needed the dressing changed, the RN went in to ask her if I could(RN told me the pt was really rude and maybe if she asked pt I would be able to change the dressing) anyway the pt said no and she didn't want me in there anymore(the RN and instructor told me it was not anything i did...thank god) but I still felt kind of bad. I know the pt just had her own opinion but how are people supposed to learn. It was just a bad start to my second semester of clinical. I know I shouldnt let it get to me....it wasn't anything I had done wrong....but it still is a bad start.

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Don't let it bother you! We've all had days like those. I had a pt that refused a flu vaccine from me one day. Said to the nurse, "I don't want THAT girl doing it." Some people just think students are going to mess everything up I guess. They don't realize we have 5 thousand people watching our every move. Things will be better next time!

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

haha!

Just the other day I was supose to do a chest dressing change on a guy, so I gathered everything, gawned up, just to find out that he was unconfortable with a male rubing his chest (mind you he only said that after he saw my friend, she is really nice and good looking haha) he was hoping that i was going to send her to do it, well... i asked my other friend to do it, she is a big mama!!! and looks kinda scarry!!!

it was so funny to see his disappointment face! ah and big mama also got to put a folley in him as well

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haha!

Just the other day I was supose to do a chest dressing change on a guy, so I gathered everything, gawned up, just to find out that he was unconfortable with a male rubing his chest (mind you he only said that after he saw my friend, she is really nice and good looking haha) he was hoping that i was going to send her to do it, well... i asked my other friend to do it, she is a big mama!!! and looks kinda scarry!!!

it was so funny to see his disappointment face! ah and big mama also got to put a folley in him as well

HAHAHAHAHA

Onto the OP, it probably won't be the last time that you will come across a patient that doesn't want a student because they think we don't know what they're doing and it's perfectly human to think that, they don't understand that's the only way we can learn to become nurses I guess.

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I know the feeling about coming back from winter break feeling a bit rusty. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do about patients refusing student nurse care except not taking it personally. Any care, med administration, etc., can be refused as we all know. People are stressed and afraid frequently in a hospital setting and may act in ways that are unusual for them or reflect their true self. In any case, it's a variable that can't be predicted.

I wouldn't dwell on it.

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The way we pick patients for our clinicals is that we go to the hospital the day before and ask the charge nurse or a RN for a patient who is not going home for at least a day.

Then, I just check the chart quickly to see why he's in the hospital and what his name is. After which I go to the room and briefly introduce myself as a student nurse who will be helping to take care of him the next day.

This way, if they have a problem with me as a student nurse, a man, or whatever, they can tell me right then and there and save me the time of doing a care plan on him. So far, no complaints though.

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Haha I know how that feels.... My second day of clinicals at a hospital I had a patient think i was her personal waiter making me run back and forth for i want a pillow... okay here is another one.... ten minutes later... i want another pillow.... she accumalted 4 pillows by the end of it only to leave them on her bed and not even use the.... she then yelled at the other nursing students that I didnt know what i was doing because the thermometer was broke and wouldnt beep so i asked to double check her temp..... I later found out she didn't like me because I'm a Yankee ( i go to school in the south and from the north)... What can you do lol! Hey at least you get to learn to deal with diversity :D

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Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

we always had to ask pts right up front...."hi my name is locolorenzo and I'll be your student nurse today...do you have any concerns regarding this?" most were upfront, but some just didn't like students.....

My fiance and I were talking last night on a drive home...."oh, I wouldn't l et a student try to start my IV...." "why?" "well they don't know what they're doing..." "Honey, neither did I when I started." Well, I don't want a student. "ok, that's fine....but what if it's some good looking 25 year old who wants to massage your fundus?(knowing she had no idea what that was)" "well, I don't want him touching me there!" "you don't want him massaging your abdomen?" "NOOOO!" (realized it was time to end discussion and change topic)

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