Awful Clinical Experience

[caligurl1]

Hi,

This morning was my last mental health clinical (thank goodness). My partner and I walked onto our unit and did not see any staff because they were in the morning report. We saw an agitated patient, kicking her legs up and mumbling to herself. My partner and I walked around her, giving her space. Once we passed her, she turned to follow us and spit on me. Her spit landed in my hair and in my mouth. I was disgusted. I immediately went to the bathroom, then told 2 staff members (literally 10 minutes after she spat). I asked for mouthwash. They stated "she spits all the time and we do not have mouthwash." I told my clinical instructor, who sought help from the unit manager. They tested her for Hep B and C and HIV. The staff made it seem like it was my fault! I was so upset and tried to keep my composure. They told me I should of yelled for the staff (which they would not of heard me) and that I should of washed my hair off in the infectious control sink (which we were never shown where that was). The director of nursing told me I have to "be more careful." The staff was awful and rude.

I am not sure what to do at this point. I emailed my instructor. I want to contact the head of the nursing dept or the manager to let them know their staff handled this situation poorly. I feel since I am paying for this clinical experience, I should get the best out of it. But I also want to protect myself and not have this situation influence any future experiences at school. I am getting so tired of being treated like dirt at clinicals.

Any advice?

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Horrible. I agree that you should report to the DON or head of that facility. You were a visitor there (regardless of student status). No one, including staff, ought to be subjected to that treatment.

[caligurl1]

Thank you sooo much for your reply!! It is nice to have support :)

[SydneyJo1]

I totally agree--it needs to be reported to the DON. And I SO know how you feel about being treated like dirt at clinicals--what is up with that??? It is shocking to me how some nurses (MANY nurses) treat students who are on the floor for clinical! I'm finishing up a clinical from hell myself, so I feel for you.

[caligurl1]

Thanks! I am sorry to hear you are having a similar experience. It is so frustrating. I agree with you about how some of the nurses treat students. When I have a "good" experience with a floor nurse, it is very rare. I see great nurses and can understand their stress; however, we are humans too and do not deserve to be treated poorly. It is a hard position to be in. I hope your clinical experience gets better. Hang in there, hopefully you will graduate soon!

[Pegasus65]

My clinical experiences were nothing short of hellish also. One nurse darn near smacked me in the face with she turned away from me, put her hand straight straight up (like the "talk to the hand" gesture) and flat told me "didn't need my report because she already knew all of it". I was like um okay lol.

At the next place I was kicked in the stomach and my classmate punched in the face. We were sent in to change a patient who had filled himself with meth and decided to jump out in front of a pickup truck, which resulted in half of his head being gone. Some of the nurses later stated that "we didn't know how to talk to him". Interesting.... since I noted that SIX of THEM went in to hold him down to administer a shot. It would have been nice had they prepared us a little better. I told my clinical instructor that I didn't mind doing anything or wiping anyone's hiney, but I drew the line at getting the crap beat out of me in clinicals lol.

While I did find a couple of really cool nurses for the most part they were horribly rude. I promised myself that if I am ever in the position to have a student present I won't forget my experiences!

Have a great evening!

[Emergency RN]

You need to call the police and file an assault and battery charge. Depending on the state that you're in, and how they interpret the law, spitting in someone's face is a criminal offense that can be charged. It is legally the same as if the patient had punched you in the face.

You should also consider suing the institution for not providing a safe environment for it's visitors, staff and it's students. The patient should have been placed into seclusion or a protected controlled area if she presented a danger to herself and or others. Sometimes, it takes such lawsuits to force an institution to wake up and smell the coffee that stuff they had been letting slide by won't be tolerated.

Stuff like this, and worse, happens a lot of times in nsg homes, prisons, homeless shelters, hospitals; where residents can assault or batter each other, the visitors and or staff. Some will steal other's property, some even set fires to burn the place down. On the face of it, getting spat in the face may seem trivial to some (like the staff where you do clinicals), but legally, it is not. When a crime is committed, you need to call the police, especially when the victim is an employee, staff or student member.

And report to the Director of Nursing? Don't be naive; the DON is often the source of the problem. It is the person who sits in that chair that sets the overall tone for the facility, and this patient had long been known to be a problematic "spitter." How do you suspect that the DON will respond; will it be any different than the rest of her staff? IMHO, most likely not.

[YoungBlackManRN]

Wow. I thought this only happened at the hospitals where I did my clinicals. Its awful how nurses treat students sometime. I vowed to never treat students or CNAs or janitorial staff for that matter in any way other than the way I want to be treated.

[TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP]

Hi,

This morning was my last mental health clinical (thank goodness). My partner and I walked onto our unit and did not see any staff because they were in the morning report.

And why weren't you in report with staff?

At the next place I was kicked in the stomach and my classmate punched in the face. We were sent in to change a patient who had filled himself with meth and decided to jump out in front of a pickup truck, which resulted in half of his head being gone. Some of the nurses later stated that "we didn't know how to talk to him". Interesting.... since I noted that SIX of THEM went in to hold him down to administer a shot. It would have been nice had they prepared us a little better.

From what I remember of my own clinical rotation, it's not uncommon for patients to react very differently when it's med-pass time than they do for other nursing care. That said, if the patient was known to be combative, someone should have told you.

Wow. I thought this only happened at the hospitals where I did my clinicals. Its awful how nurses treat students sometime. I vowed to never treat students or CNAs or janitorial staff for that matter in any way other than the way I want to be treated.

While I've had not had a horrible clinical experience, I and other people in my cohort have run into nurses who seem to forget that they're employees at a teaching hospital, and thus tolerating and teaching students is part of their job. It happens, unfortunately, and until I get called back in 5 years to be a clinical preceptor there's not too much I can do about it.

[wahwahgerman]

I'm sorry to hear about your experience, and I'm really saddened that it seems to be the "norm" for nurses to treat the student nurses like they are one giant pain in the buttocks during clinicals. Yes, we slow you down....yes, we need some direction....yes, there are things we don't know yet...we wish we already knew how to be a great nurse and we're sorry to be a burden on nurses who are already busy.

However, it would be nice if these nurses would remember their own times as a student and also if the institutions would realize that they are a TEACHING/LEARNING FACILITY with contracts in place and all....we should not be treated poorly by the staff, period!

There are some gracious nurses who are very helpful, and I am thankful when I run into one who is willing to participate in the teaching/learning experience.

[RN1982]

I'm not entirely sure why nurses are mean to other nurses and students but this culture needs to stop.

[nursel56]

And why weren't you in report with staff?

From what I remember of my own clinical rotation, it's not uncommon for patients to react very differently when it's med-pass time than they do for other nursing care. That said, if the patient was known to be combative, someone should have told you.

While I've had not had a horrible clinical experience, I and other people in my cohort have run into nurses who seem to forget that they're employees at a teaching hospital, and thus tolerating and teaching students is part of their job. It happens, unfortunately, and until I get called back in 5 years to be a clinical preceptor there's not too much I can do about it.

Really? I've worked at several teaching hospitals- the traditional definition of that is they have a Residency and/or Fellowship programs for doctors. I imagine some have integrated nursing schools into a program, but those that don't are still teaching hospitals.