Dear Precepting Student:

Nursing Students General Students

Published

While I understand that you're proud of your clinical skills derived from your prior experiences, if they are beyond the scope of the license for which you're currently a candidate, they have no bearing on your current preceptorship and frankly, your continual reference to them is tiresome and makes you appear insecure - or even condescending.

I understand that you were a super suturer and a fabulous intubator as a military corpsman or paramedic but those skills are beyond the scope of what we're licensed for here so please spare me the continuing commentary and instead focus on what we're doing *here*.

Thank you.

Signed,

Your Preceptor

Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

I think the people that are taking so much offense to the OP should take a step back and examine themselves. Methinks you doth protest too much. Hitting a little too close to home, hmmm?

And OP.....I had NO idea you guys didn't get paid extra to precept. That supersucks, but makes me appreciate my preceptor's enthusiasm all the more. Thank you! I planned on getting her a thank you gift anyway but now I'll make sure it's something really great. I got the point of your post, and I agree. Sometimes I think those type of people are trying so hard to come across as knowledgable that they cross the line into obnoxious. Most of us students don't like that person either.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
So, do you believe a student is SUPPOSED to know how to insert an IV out of nursing school? Because if that's the case, the law is being broken. Only an RN, not a student is allowed to start an IV. (And remember, you're not a nurse until you pass the NCLEX). You could be a graduate of a nursing program, but not an RN. So if you expect said student to start an IV right away, the law was broken somewhere.

And if you're volunteered as a preceptor, you could always JUST SAY NO.

I call 'em as I see 'em, too.

Whatev. I have been starting IVs all semester. I am a second semester student.

I agree that those taking offense at the OP really need to take a step back and ask themselves why they are getting so bunched up.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

OP.. I so know what you mean.. When I was in school we had a classmate just like what you speak of. He kept saying "we don't do it that way in the hospital" "the nurses let me do everything at work" "this is so easy I can do it with me eyes closed"..

Needless to say, he failed out of the program twice..

I loved my preceptor my last semester at school.. She was great, learned alot, did alot but never started an IV during that time :( Most pts already came to the floor with one and the others were discharged before needing to be changed.. We still keep in touch today and we work different hospitals..

My preceptor at work was great, she was patient and kind.. Very laid back, but beyond smart.. She let me lead, and just stepped in when needed to for pointer, assistance or guidance...

It is hard to teach and guide a "Know it all"....

Don't let the others get to ya.. I know this is not a knock on students or new grads, just those that are too smart for their own good.. I am sorry but those are the students and new grads that are dangerous.. I have seen it first hand, being that cocky can and will cost a life.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.

Oh my, this thread has me laughing.

OP, I totally know where you're coming from. We have first semester students on our floor right now. One of them has been an EMT, so therefore he thinks he knows everything. He apparently can even read & make judgements on an abd CT more accurately than the radiologist & the GI surgeon. He also thinks he knows everything about chemo. I want to strangle him. And his clinical instructor is not at all impressed with this attitude.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
So, do you believe a student is SUPPOSED to know how to insert an IV out of nursing school? Because if that's the case, the law is being broken. Only an RN, not a student is allowed to start an IV. (And remember, you're not a nurse until you pass the NCLEX). You could be a graduate of a nursing program, but not an RN. So if you expect said student to start an IV right away, the law was broken somewhere.

And if you're volunteered as a preceptor, you could always JUST SAY NO.

I call 'em as I see 'em, too.

This thread is kinda funny with these responses lol

You see wrong and are calling wrong my friend. What law is this??? My school required us as a skills check off to start an IV both in skills AND in the hospital 2nd semester. And in my last semester we did our leadership hours..which meant we did EVERYTHING for our patients. There was no waiting on our preceptor to come in and do it for us, we told them what we needed to do and went to do it. As a new grad, I would have HATED walking into my job without having done any skills in school. And if I did go into a job without knowing or doing anything, I'd be very p*ssed at my school for not having prepared me well at all. I'm glad my school prepared me well and that my transition was a good/easy one. I know that can't be the case for everyone, but it helped me a lot as a new RN to have been prepared well. Also it helped to avoid being what the OP is talking about, don't go into a situation pretending you were Chuck Norris' father and created everything in the world of nursing. I'm in grad school now to get my MSN in education and I know exactly what the OP is talking about. I know one girl who started the BSN program with me, and she has yet to finish(I graduated 2 semesters ago), but she talked like she was all big and bad cuz she was a CNA...she talked DOWN to nurses in clinical and actually failed a class(she still hasn't graduated but STILL talks like she's bad). Digressing a bit, she calls me yesterday and sounds almost offended and I quote "the nurses on my floor have been taking this poor man's blood sugar all day everyday and he's not even diabetic! Those doctors are dumb and the nurses need to question this crap!" I ask simply...are they on prednisone, TPN, or quickmix? She goes,"well yeah prednisone and TPN". Well there you go I said...she pauses and said, "But they aren't diabetic?!?!". And some people wonder why people fail out of school. In their mind, they are riding on cloud 9..but in reality they have crap backwards and come off as arrogant. Of the 130 who started with me, 81 finished...so I'll say it again, not everyone is cut out for nursing. There's nothing mean about it, it's a fact.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
OMG! Nurses are mean! Not every person is the same. Do not volunteer to be a preceptor if you don't have patience to handle different personalities. The first nursing experience either makes or breaks a nurse.Have you ever considered that this student's attitude may come out because this student is trying to cover up the insecurities? I will never forget my first preceptor who had done everything possible to break me down and made me to look bad instead of being understanding and make the transition easier for me. It cost me a job and may be the nursing career.

It's the responses like this that prove the point of some. How is anyone being mean? How is anyone eating anyone? That was a very polite letter lol.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
According to you a student who is rubbing the entire staff wrong doesnt deserve a chance to be a nurse?! What about a patient who is rubbing the entire staff wrong? He/she doesn't deserve to be your patient? A lot of nurses don't want to admit that no matter how much new grads or students try to do their best the preceptors hate those who are not catching on right away. The point is years ago when these preceptors did't have the experience and didn't have the skills they have today how did they feel? In any case, the preceptor is a teacher and a good teacher knows how to turn any student to a good nurse. With patience and building confidence in this student the skills and everything that is needed would come along. And if you don't have patience than don't take a job.

I'll make this one a bullet point response

1. She NEVER said they don't deserve to be a nurse. Just not a nurse there lol. If the staff thinks someone is not a good fit, then they won't hire them. It's like an interview, if you rub the person the wrong way, they don't want you to work there. What's wrong with that? Nothing

2.Maybe some nurses aren't very nice. But who said anything about "hate"??? Yes, if the student is not catching on after a while, you have to draw the line somewhere.

3. You can turn some students into good nurses, but not EVERY student. Remeber in nursing, never pick the absolute answer lol. Some people just aren't cut out to be a nurse, end of story.

4. If you severely lack confidence and are THAT insecure that 1 person can make you change your career, take a step back and really look at what you're doing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in being a Credible Source.

Here's what I would hope every takes out of this thread: "Attitude is everything."

We can teach knowledge and skills, we can't teach attitude - and that's the thing most likely to get you hired... or not.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

Actually, I DO expect you to know how to place an IV. Absolutely. I learned how to place an IV in my second semester. And I was quite proficient at them before I approached preceptorship.

Sigh....these are the type of students that we are taking about!

Lucky you...what if we never learn that in our nursing program? I work at a large Boston hospital and there are many limitations on what I'm allowed to do in my clinicals. Nurses working there don't even put in their own IVs or draw blood. There are special nurses who are paged to come to the floor to do that. If I am assigned to a preceptor at a community hospital, and he/she expects me to be able to do that, like you seem to, I deserve to be failed?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych.

Whoa whoa whoa! Well then I hope my preceptor doesn't hate me when I get to our leadership class because our school does NOT teach IVs for liability reasons, and who knows if I will have done a foley on a real live person vs a mannequin. On our units its really the luck of the draw as far as what's availible skills wise. My insructors so far have been great at finding new skills for us, but if there aren't pts on the floor that need foleys or NGTs insterted, or even IMs given, how is that my fault? I didt get to do a quite complex dressing change this term though. That was kinda neat.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.
. If I am assigned to a preceptor at a community hospital, and he/she expects me to be able to do that, like you seem to, I deserve to be failed?

Golly-please show me where I said you deserve to be failed? :confused:

.

If your community doesn't allow nursing students to place IVs, then guess what? Nobody would expect you to know how to do them now would they?

In my community, we don't need speciality nurses to do a basic nursing skill. IVs are placed by nurses. Nursing students learn how to place IVs. So guess what? We expect you to know it here.

This really is common sense, and I cant believe that I had to actually explain it...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.
Whoa whoa whoa! Well then I hope my preceptor doesn't hate me when I get to our leadership class because our school does NOT teach IVs for liability reasons, and who knows if I will have done a foley on a real live person vs a mannequin. On our units its really the luck of the draw as far as what's availible skills wise. My insructors so far have been great at finding new skills for us, but if there aren't pts on the floor that need foleys or NGTs insterted, or even IMs given, how is that my fault? I didt get to do a quite complex dressing change this term though. That was kinda neat.

Hate? Who said hate?

(bold emphasis my own)

C'mon now. I can't believe people who actually think that "hate" has anything to do with this thread topic at all. In fact, only the students mentioned hate.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment