We have all heard the expression "nurses eat their young" but I'm hoping not everyone has experienced it. But if you have I'm calling out to you!
I am in my first year of nursing school doing my 4th clinical rotation. I'm only 2 days in and I really dislike the way the nurses have approached having students in the unit. It makes the days really difficult to get through.
I am totally open to trying anything to get the most out of this experience!
At one clinical site, my preceptor nurse was cold, aloof, and clearly disinterested in me or the process. She didn't have extra work because of me. I steered as far away from her as I could get. I only regret not saying something to the instructor. After all, I paid dearly to walk around that hospital floor for the allotted time.
At one clinical site, my preceptor nurse was cold, aloof, and clearly disinterested in me or the process. She didn't have extra work because of me. I steered as far away from her as I could get. I only regret not saying something to the instructor. After all, I paid dearly to walk around that hospital floor for the allotted time.
The hospital doesn't get your money. Your college/university gets it. And your instructor should be teaching you.
...After all, I paid dearly to walk around that hospital floor for the allotted time.
Yes, and i suspqqqect none of it went to the nurse to whom you were assigned. As many have pointed out, your program was responsible for your education, not the nursing staff at the facility you where assigned.
We were supposed to be working under the guidance of the preceptors. The instructors were available and engaged in their objectives, such as supervising a med pass or procedure checkoff.
Yes, and i suspqqqect none of it went to the nurse to whom you were assigned. As many have pointed out, your program was responsible for your education, not the nursing staff at the facility you where assigned.
I would not be surprised to learn that the nurse got something for saying she paid attention to me while I provided care to one or two of her assigned patients. In another clinical placement the nurse told me straight up that she was getting her ticket punched for a promotion in return for working with me.
We were supposed to be working under the guidance of the preceptors. The instructors were available and engaged in their objectives, such as supervising a med pass or procedure checkoff.
Caliotter, you've been around here long enough to know that the general consensus on the current state of nursing education. It is not right now nor will it ever be right for the schools to shirk their responsibility to educate the students who are paying THEM by passing it off on the already over-burdened floor nurses of the various clinical sites who, by and large, are not paid to do it and are not given the opportunity to decline.
I am totally open to trying anything to get the most out of this experience!
Thanks!
I applaud your thoughtfulness. As some previous posters have pointed out, not all nurses are really comfortable with students for a myriad of reasons. One thing you can do is BE PREPARED! Research your patient(s) if you can and be willing and open about wanting to do skills. One thing I found disheartening while still a floor nurse was being told "I've already done that", only to find out that the student had inserted a NG tube in the skills lab. Your clinical rotation is where you expand and "practice" your skills. The more willing you are to be involved, the more willing your preceptor/mentor will be. Just the fact that you care enough to ask tells me you will do fine...good luck!
How do you propose that students get clinical experience then? I think it would be great that the floor nurses retire to the break rooms while the instructors herded students to provide patient care but that just was not the way my school did it. I only found one instructor and two floor nurses to be less than helpful in a less than desirable situation for all involved.
At one clinical site, my preceptor nurse was cold, aloof, and clearly disinterested in me or the process. She didn't have extra work because of me. I steered as far away from her as I could get. I only regret not saying something to the instructor. After all, I paid dearly to walk around that hospital floor for the allotted time.
That's understandable. You are completely justified to expect that your CI would teach you on said for -- not shirk her duty. You were owed these nursing education hours from a credentialed clinical instructor. (Assuming this was a regular clinical, vs a final practicum where the CI is not on the premises.)
How do you propose that students get clinical experience then? I think it would be great that the floor nurses retire to the break rooms while the instructors herded students to provide patient care but that just was not the way my school did it. I only found one instructor and two floor nurses to be less than helpful in a less than desirable situation for all involved.
The way it used to be done before there were a billion nursing schools clamoring for clinical placements. We were placed in small clinical groups with 4-5 students. We were assigned to patients, not nurses, and we provided care for that patient. If there was something we hadn't been checked off on we got our instructor who was actually ON the floor with us and she showed us what to do. We reported to the assigned RN but we never followed her around. If she was doing something interesting and had the time she'd get us and we would observe or assist. There never was any responsibility placed on the floor staff to provide our clinical education...they enhanced it.
The way it used to be done before there were a billion nursing schools clamoring for clinical placements. We were placed in small clinical groups with 4-5 students. We were assigned to patients, not nurses, and we provided care for that patient. If there was something we hadn't been checked off on we got our instructor who was actually ON the floor with us and she showed us what to do. We reported to the assigned RN but we never followed her around. If she was doing something interesting and had the time she'd get us and we would observe or assist. There never was any responsibility placed on the floor staff to provide our clinical education...they enhanced it.
Wuzzie
5,238 Posts
Why wasn't your instructor instructing you?