It is my first semester of my Alternate Entry Master's program. It is our first time in the hospital and me and my classmates have come across a variety of nurses who we have shadowed.
I know each nurse does their own thing and has their own system, but many of my classmates have come in the line of fire for not following what a certain nurse wants us to be doing (I've only witnessed this and not been the subject of it). In defense of the nurses, some of my classmates deserved to be disciplined as they kind of stood back watching.
I am in no means perfect and would like to get better so I can build good rapor with the nurses I work with and to help me become efficient, especially since next semester we have longer shifts and will be having 2 patients instead of one.
So to my "overseeing nurses"...for my future as a student nurse, what are certain things that you would suggest I always do to help YOU out?
This is how I go in for the day (Note: we're only at the hospital for 4 hours currently and assigned to 1 patient):
- Information from client chart from day before. We go home and research pt's diagnosis and current plan of care
- be there for report
- as report ends, state what I will be doing and what we are and are not capable/allowed to do as our current status of nursing students
- pass meds (only PO, subq and IM now... we'll be able to do IV next semester), do AM care (help with feeding, bed, sheet change)... we have to do a meds check off with our instructor.
- if my patient wants to rest/refuses AM care, ask if you need anything from me... if not, go see if my classmates need help.
Anything else you can suggest for me to do to make YOUR day go more smoothly?
Respect your CNA/PCT's on the floor, believe it or not many have been at this since you were in diapers and probably know alot more about thier patients and the unit then you do. Ask for thier help and allow them to teach also when it's the basics. Dont go looking for the tech to give a bedpan as it takes you longer to find that tech then it does to just do it!! Oh and please when we are explaining rationale please dont turn around and tell me "well our book says this and your not doing it by the book"!!! Please dont be a know it all as we may have been at this 30 years and know more about the in's and outs. Dont high tail it when the doctor comes in, listen to the interaction between the nurse and the doc. You may learn how to communicate with them rather than being in fear of them if you dont know something. When you graduate and start your first job, dont use the "I'm an RN, so I'm in charge" attitude!
If you are told that a certain patient is off limits LISTEN and assume it includes all aspects of the patient including their chart and any 'visitors' who congregate.
If you are told that a certain patient is off limits do not argue with me that your 'Instructor said"...
Accept that as a student there are sometimes special situations and that you will not be allowed to be a part of it.
This is a great thread. I'll reiterate a few things that were already mentioned.
eagerness/willingness to learn: loitering around the nurses station (or the area that you have your conference in) makes it look like you're not really interested in being there.
communicating with the staff: do not be afraid of them, they don't bite (most of them, at least :chuckle). Avoidance is not good, the nurses don't like it. You need to get report from them, sign off to them when you are leaving the floor, and PRN in between. If they are not all warm and fuzzy to you, do not take it personally. It doesn't mean they hate you. It probably means they are having a rough day, or it could just be that they are not pleasant.
Do not spend hours hiding behind your chart. If you can't read a word in the doctors progress notes, I promise it won't be the the answer to all your questions. Your best source of information is your patient (unless of course, they are nonverbal). But even so, the chart is not going to tell you if your patient is alive when your shift starts. When I see my students running to the comfort zone that is that chart, I ask them "is your patient alive"?
Know your patient inside out, upside down, left and right. This is the only time in your life where you will have time to know your patients so well.
Don't be afraid to interrupt. By that I mean, you don't have to wait outside the room when the doctors go in to your patient (you'll learn a lot by hearing what they have to say). If the patient has visitors, and you need to do something for your paitent, excuse yourself and go in there. If the patient is on the phone for a half hour, and your instructor is waiting on you to give her the vitals, then it's time for the patient to hang up. These all fall under "excuses" to not go in there and face your patient.
For those who have other medical experience: just remember you are now a student. If you are a mom, and have had sick kids, remember, you are now a student. If you had a sick family member and knew everything about their illness, you are a student.
Last, but not least: try to enjoy your experience, and look at it as a learning experience, not a chore that you must complete to get your license.
Lacie, BSN, RN
1,037 Posts
Respect your CNA/PCT's on the floor, believe it or not many have been at this since you were in diapers and probably know alot more about thier patients and the unit then you do. Ask for thier help and allow them to teach also when it's the basics. Dont go looking for the tech to give a bedpan as it takes you longer to find that tech then it does to just do it!! Oh and please when we are explaining rationale please dont turn around and tell me "well our book says this and your not doing it by the book"!!! Please dont be a know it all as we may have been at this 30 years and know more about the in's and outs. Dont high tail it when the doctor comes in, listen to the interaction between the nurse and the doc. You may learn how to communicate with them rather than being in fear of them if you dont know something. When you graduate and start your first job, dont use the "I'm an RN, so I'm in charge" attitude!