Colleges spitting out new nurse without any training?

Nurses General Nursing

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Has anyone else noticed the new nurses aren't getting much training? Has anyone else oriented a new nurse, very recently, and wondered how in the world they passed their state boards? The healthcare facility I work at has had numerous "baby nurses" come on board recently. Not one of them could cut the job. If they didn't quit on their own, they ended up getting terminated.I was trying to orient a new one a week ago. It became clear very quickly she knew absolutley nothing. I had to take her through all the steps of blood sugar checks, insulin injections, she didn't know how to apply a DSD. It was like I was her clinical instructor. She went to a reputable college for her LPN, so i just don't get it. I asked her what she did in clinicals and she said "Well, all we really did was CNA stuff". She said she had worked in a factory and got laid off and the unemployment office hooked her up with some retraining. WT?

Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
You absolutely nailed it! Your response was my entire experience in nursing school. We were required to go to the hospital, on our own time, the day before, compile a bunch of data re: our patients and then went home and spent about 6 hours trying to piece together care plans to fit each CI's preference.

In addition, I think clinical experiences are what each student/Clinical Instructor makes of it. It is the student's responsibility to "jump in" and be open to being an active learner/"doer" on the floor. It's also the clinical instructor's responsibility to provide various learning opportunities for students during clinical.

Out of all of my clinical experiences there was one CI who will always remain memorable to me...she went over and beyond any other instructor (i.e., drilled us on pathophys, drilled us on meds, and when she found a pt that had something interesting going on, she tried to pull as many students in the room as possible).

To the OP: In addition to what's been said above, I feel that what you're finding is also a result of Nursing becoming a fallback career for people who have been "victims" of this economy. It's almost like people from all backgrounds (cops, factory workers, lawyers, sanitation workers, mechanics) who have fallen on hard times have decided, "Hey, what the heck, I'll go to school for a little while and become a nurse!" And then, of course, there all of the schools/tech colleges who realize what's going on and they're cashing in on it.

NOT just a nurse at the bedside. But the kind who thinks they are too good for bedside and want to go directly to ARNP without the experience.

:cool:

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Specializes in LTC, Subacute Rehab.
I am a brand new LPN. When I was in school, we had three day (at least) a week clinicals, had to go the night before and pick up our assignments, passed all meds on our patients. Write care plans, know the significance of each and every lab that was abnormal on our patients, provide wound care, etc, etc, etc. If we had an observation in surgery or some other specialty we were expected to report the next day what patients we saw, what brought them there, outcomes etc. We also had a week long preceptorship in which we cared for a full patient load on the floor (3 for me as I was in the CCU) I graduated in July. I feel very competently trained. I have been at my job for 6 weeks and have been on my own on the floor for the last three. I work a 40 bed Alzheimer unit. My managers all tell me that they are impressed by my training. Which, I feel, speaks volumes for my school since it is in Florida and I now live in New Mexico, so there is no "reputation" factor! :bow:

This is very similar to my LVN training. I honestly wonder if some of the lesser-trained nurses are from private "diploma mill" schools, rather than accredited colleges or universities.

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It all depends on the school you go to. When I was in nursing school, our clinicals sucked, both in the lab and in the facilities. One of the problems was the concern for liability. Patients had to sign a release allowing a student to do any procedures on them. Many patients refused to let us place foleys or put in IVs. They were just too scared that we would damage them. I think the only skills I got to do on a real patient while in school were give IM injections, change dressings, and remove staples. That's it! The first time I did a foley or inserted and IV was on the job. I personally believe that foreign trained nurses have somewhat of an edge. They may not have the same theory, but they do a lot more hands on skills in their training. For example, my Filipino co-workers told me that they were required to deliver a baby themselves, & assist with a surgical procedure among other things.

I am experiencing the same thing! We have to "pick" our patient(s) the day before & have an understanding of their condition and meds. It was more of a big deal in the beginning but now our instructors are caring less about the paperwork. I agree with putting less focus on whether we did our care plan perfectly and wanting us to learn more on the floor. We've run into the same problems as above. Patients hear the word 'students' and want nothing to do with us or some nurses appear annoyed that we are there. In lab we use old equipment and old supplies, simulate a green marker stain on a plastic arm is a "wound" to clean & dress, and have had several How To courtesy of You Tube. It has been frustrating and I feel that if it wasn't for my experience elsewhere, I'd be a mess. Even at the point I am at in school, I don't feel at all ready to be on the floor. I learn quickly from hands on experience and boy am I grateful for that.

Please don't treat all students the same. I hope I am not set up for failure just because of others before me.

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Did they teach how to write coherent sentences back "in the day"?

It's the Internet -- no one cares. :down:

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Yup I was trained to pass the NCLEX.

In school some clinical instructors were not invested in 'teaching' for meds they took great pains to choose patients that mostly had PO meds - they were more interested in protecting their liscence....Yup I passed the HESI and was allowed to take the NCLEX

MY school is very proud of its NCLEX pass rate. I have associates degree (I have a masters in another field)

I was Hired for a GN to RN program - I was clear about my lack of medical background ( was not a cna prior to graduating - big mistake) My preceptor was highly critical and repeatedly stated 'what did they teach you in school...fastest nurse on the floor but did not slow down to 'teach' had no clue why I didn't get it . I did begin to loose my confidence - yeah this is big stuff I was scared - the environment increasingly became less conducive to learning and it is really hard to ask for help.. my second preceptor took a lot of cigarette breaks and raged at me if I moved her charts...Yes I was green - I put my heart and soul into this job - I learned alot but not enough - Handling 6 patients was tough so....little did I know when I landed in LTC it did not matter what I knew and I ended up with 45 residents at night - auuughhh

I wish I had a better education..I wish nurses did not eat thier young ( not everyone can teach it is an art - taking a preceptor class not = to an ability to teach - The floor was a busy tele floor understaffed = stressed nurses )

I am starting to look beyond bedside nursing - what a dissapointment

my elderly mom will have one hell of an advocate and will not end up in LTC

guess I needed to rant

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she didn't know how to apply a DSD.

What is a DSD?

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back in the day when I was in school (1985) when we had clinicals we had to go to the hospital on our own time get full hx, meds and know them,dx have 3 care plans and be at report the morning of and while at clinical we did patient care not more school paperwork. Now I have never seen a student do that with in the last couple of years it like the politically correct has taken over and you cant make me do something on my time I may be wrong but thats what I see

I'm in nursing school, and that is what I have to do for my clinicals. Paperwork while at clinical? Not a chance! I guess there is a lot of variation between programs.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, LTC.

During clinicals if procedures came up that the CI knew about they would distribute them among the 8 or so students. However, if you were paying attention to what was happening around you and would ask - then nurses would gladly let you . . . "start the IV or insert the foley or obtain a specimen etc etc" Getting experience highly depended on the students ability to seek out opportunities.

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I worked as a nurse intern during my junior year in nursing school where I did blood sugars, foley insertions, IV removal's, etc. I learned alot more during my time working as a nurse intern than I did while in nursing school all put together.

I think half of my class would kill for that kind of experience. The very few extern positions I have been able to find in our community are not only unpaid, but open only to people that already work at that hospital/facility.

I don't know very many people that can afford to take an unpaid externship when they graduate and have student loan payments due.

Even CNA/STNA/PCT jobs are becoming really hard to come by here and all they are allowed to do is beds, bath's, bathroom, and call lights.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
I just have one question- do other health care professionals (PT, OT, SP, Pharmacists), have the same problem? Programs that are only intersted in passing scores on licensing exams? Students graduating not knowing how to do anything?

I guess the reason is that these programs ALL REQUIRE a mandatory 6 month to one year PAID internship, to teach the technical skills. Cuts down on sticker shock after graduation. They also have a lot lower attrition rate after graduation. Food for thought. And they ALL have a higher level of entry into practice. JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

Thanks for making these excellent points, Linda! Nursing is a wonderful profession but I feel there are some definite and obvious roadblocks that we as a profession have set in place...I feel that if we ever want to experience some real change, it's going to take putting some unpopular ideas into action. Ideas that other professions, as you've mentioned, have already adopted.

I mean, c'mon, this isn't rocket science...but many want to pretend that it is.

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back in the day when I was in school (1985) when we had clinicals we had to go to the hospital on our own time get full hx, meds and know them,dx have 3 care plans and be at report the morning of and while at clinical we did patient care not more school paperwork. Now I have never seen a student do that with in the last couple of years it like the politically correct has taken over and you cant make me do something on my time I may be wrong but thats what I see

I just graduated in August 2009 and my school required the same thing that your school required in 1985. So, I don't think that lack of training is across the board.--There are a lot of for profit schools who have different ideas for how to prepare nurses. Every school has different philosphies of nursing. IMHO, this is why it is important to choose your school carefully.

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Specializes in Legal, Ortho, Rehab.
What is a DSD?

Dry sterile dressing

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