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!
There has also been incidents when the nurses have made comments such as "you're so stupid, you do not deserve to be a nurse."
Quote button not working. The above comment is unprofessional -- not okay at all. I'll give you that. If a student is not performing up to stamdards, the appropriate course of action is to objectively state the deficiencies and report to the clinical instructor, who would then be responsible for the student's improvement, and clinical failure if s/he does not improve. Not call someone stupid
And on my opinion I would hope that if I am in a hospital setting that I get a well rounded educated nurse
This is EXACTLY the problem with the nurse-as-preceptor system. Your school is not vetting the floor nurses!! A novice nurse is not in the position to be teaching students! It takes a good two years of nursing to really be competent. Expecting the novice nurse to be that excellent, knowledgeable, up-to-nursing-school-standard teacher is like expecting an apple to grow wings. Ditto for expecting a high standard of teaching from one whose first priority is her/his patients.
but the student is there to (in my situation) try to do the little things to ease the nurses
I'm sure you do try...but the fact is is it does not. Not your fault; it is what it is.
5 years or so ago, I precepted an LPN student doing her final practicum. Yes she performed ADLs with her pts -- that saved the CNA a bit of time. Yes she did assessments -- I cannot take a student's word because I am the professional and I am responsible. This means I have to do my own assessments. Yes she administered meds; I had to observe. She would take a full 20 minutes for med admin on ONE pt. So rather than save me time, it cost me time. And then I had to write her eval and communicate with her faculty, in addition to doing my required legal documentation, my communication with the NPs and families.
Again not a student's fault, but your presence does not help us. So then when a student comes in with these expectations of the RN and not of their own faculty whose job all of this actually is...yeah it can irritate a person.
Expectations play a huge factor. Classroom vs real world nursing. Suggestion: increase classroom clinical lab hours with role play before stepping foot on the floor to boost self confidence. Next, spend a week before clinical getting to know your health care team...THEN go to clinical with a preceptor. These will at least meet half the expectations.
Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN
5,047 Posts
There has also been incidents when the nurses have made comments such as "you're so stupid, you do not deserve to be a nurse."
Quote button not working. The above comment is unprofessional -- not okay at all. I'll give you that. If a student is not performing up to stamdards, the appropriate course of action is to objectively state the deficiencies and report to the clinical instructor, who would then be responsible for the student's improvement, and clinical failure if s/he does not improve. Not call someone stupid
And on my opinion I would hope that if I am in a hospital setting that I get a well rounded educated nurse
This is EXACTLY the problem with the nurse-as-preceptor system. Your school is not vetting the floor nurses!! A novice nurse is not in the position to be teaching students! It takes a good two years of nursing to really be competent. Expecting the novice nurse to be that excellent, knowledgeable, up-to-nursing-school-standard teacher is like expecting an apple to grow wings. Ditto for expecting a high standard of teaching from one whose first priority is her/his patients.
but the student is there to (in my situation) try to do the little things to ease the nurses
I'm sure you do try...but the fact is is it does not. Not your fault; it is what it is.
5 years or so ago, I precepted an LPN student doing her final practicum. Yes she performed ADLs with her pts -- that saved the CNA a bit of time. Yes she did assessments -- I cannot take a student's word because I am the professional and I am responsible. This means I have to do my own assessments. Yes she administered meds; I had to observe. She would take a full 20 minutes for med admin on ONE pt. So rather than save me time, it cost me time. And then I had to write her eval and communicate with her faculty, in addition to doing my required legal documentation, my communication with the NPs and families.
Again not a student's fault, but your presence does not help us. So then when a student comes in with these expectations of the RN and not of their own faculty whose job all of this actually is...yeah it can irritate a person.