Cinical sites, greeting cards and gifts

[misplaced1]

I am curious. I understand why we thank our clinical sites by signing cards and I even understand bringng them a small gift like a tray of cookies. But how did it come to be that students are to sign a card and give a gift to their clinical instructors at the university? I have never seen sny students in any other department do such a thing before and it makes me feel a little silly. I have in the past bee trained by someone, when i was not in nursing, and then followed up with a letter on business stationery. The walmart greeting card with a gift from students who can't afford to a teacher seems downright silly and also even a conflict of interest to me, that is students giving instructors a gift. I used to teach, not nursing, and where i taught i can assure you no faculty would ever accept a gift from students.

What is this about?

[AnnaN5]

I always wondered that myself. It got kind of pricey when I was in nursing school that every 8 weeks we gave a card & food to the floor we did clinicals on and we got a card & gift for our clinical instructor. It seemed to be the standard at our school.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

agree. not a smart practice. You don't have to participate and these people will forget you anyhow.

[misplaced1]

Not participating would look really bad at my school. I have to say though I think this practice is mega unprofessional

[MedSurgeMess]

we never did that when I was in nursing school--instructors flat out told us at the beginning of each semester that no gifts would be accepted, so save our money.... and we never even thought to take goodies to clinical sites. They were getting our labor for free, that was a gift in itself

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

Teaching clinicals to new nursing students is hard work. Remember that YOU all are working under her license and she is trying to maneuver through various different personalities, work ethics, and probably personal issues.

She deserves a "thank you."

I love when a group gets together and buys a lunch, or even a book (as a group) something an instructor would truly like.

Unprofessional?

Try teaching in this setting and see how you can end up bonding with your students.

I remember many that I've mentored myself and they don't forget me. My nursing instructor in school (I dubbed her "the sargent") I've kept in contact with for over 20 years. She is a good friend.

[SolaireSolstice, BSN, RN]

We've bought gifts for instructors we've really liked as a group. One instructor took us out to dinner after our last clinical. He got a gift for sure. A card seems like a small thing. But I haven't done it for all my instructors and I will NOT get one for my current instructor.

[misplaced1]

Taking gifts from students when you are university faculty. yep unprofessional. PhD students go to different labs to work, pharmacy students rotate through differnt settings. No one that I ever had as a mentor in my past profession ever got a batch of cookies from me or any other grad student ever. A professional letter of thanks always to a person who was willing to take the time to train me in their lab or on new equipment. A card and gift to a person who is getting paid to teach me - no way, they would never have taken it. I would never take it either. As I said incredibly unprofessional to take a gift from a student, really for any reason but especially when one is getting paid to teach said stuent.

These are professional situations, not pampered chef parties. The difference between nursing and ever single other profession out there.

[misplaced1]

I must point out again that I have been an instructor at university and in a business setting as well and have gone the extra mile and have bonded with students as well as those that have mentored me. But, WHILE one is a student or WHILE one is an employee that I am supervisor too, no gifts should be changing hands. And in most every other profession, they are not.

[CR727]

I think it should be like any other situation. If you give a gift should be heart felt and approriate. If you had an awful experience and conflict with the instructor, giving a gift seems ridiculous unless there are alternate intentions.

I gave gifts when I truly appreciated an instructor and believed that she went above and beyond for us. I am a better person because of her. The gift was simply a symbol of my greatfulness and respect.

[misplaced1]

CR727 I can see that, a small trinket, box of candy, flowers something like that for someone who really met a lot to you. Something of low price. But the blanket expectation to give the clinical instructor a gift is different. We each put in 10 bucks last time I took a class for an instructor who was not a good instructor, no one liked and couldnt teach her way out of a paper bag. That means the gift that was purchased was over one hundred dollars. I believe it is unprofessional for an instructor to accept a gift like this and it is unfortunate the this is th culture that students believe, and rightly so where I was, that is it common courtesy to purchase teh instructor a gift. This is not common courtesty. This is ridiculous. I would never accept a gift like that whenI was faculty and I am amazed that so many faculty expect it. And I stand by it when I say it is highly unprofessional to EXPECT a gift from people that you are getting paid to teach and for departments to create a culture where this is perpetuated.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

If you feel forced to give then the idea behind the giving is worthless.

I have worked as instructor and received cards, lotion, small things. They were nice, but I never kept count and did not expect anything. If it isn't from the heart it is meaningless anyway.