Just off to do a night shift so thought I would get this of my chest first. Can I add that collectively I have so much admiration for Student Nurses, I cannot believe how many work fulltime to fund nursing school and I generally find them hardworking committed and utterly professional
however......
Dear Student Nurse
I know that you think that it is my mission to make your placement as hard and unpleasant as I can but the truth is very different:
The reason I pull you up about arriving late is that when qualified a floppy fob watch is simply not tolerated and if your late it shows disregard for your colleagues who end up covering for you.
I know that you cannot understand my asking you to leave your mobile phone in the staff room. It is not as you believe because I am so old and sad that I cannot possibly remember what having a social life is, it is because I am scared that at some point I may have to perform a phoneectomy as you seemed to be permanently on it.
Please don't tut if I ask you to do something in the thirty minutes before the shift ends. I understand that you feel that this is winding down time but it's not and it's not acceptable to leave jobs to the next shift because you have run out of steam.
I ask you not to chew gum when giving patient care not because I am mean but because in order to gain their trust patients need to see us as professionals and you chewing and popping gum somehow might detract from this.
The reason I asked you to consider the appropriateness of 3cm nail extensions is not because I am an outdated fashion disaster (although there is some truth in that!) it's because I am terrified that you are going to have some poor patients eye out.
When I ask you questions about Anatomy and Physiology or a medical condition I am not doing so to score points or make you look stupid I am doing so to check that you not only know what you are doing but more importantly why and saying "dunno we haven't covered that" falls a bit short.
I know that the elderly, demented chronically sick patients are not nearly as exciting as the big traumas but these patients are our bread and butter. They deserve the best possible care we can give them so please do not resent them taking you away from the more exciting stuff. Trust me you can learn everything you ever need to learn from this group of patients.
Please don't expect me to be anything other than cross, really cross when your patient has an accident because you "forgot" the commode they asked you for. No excuses, not acceptable.
Although I don't use facebook trust me if you post ab
out your sxxt placement and battle-axe Sister I will get to hear about it.
When I ask you to consider whether nursing is the right career for you it's not because I am having a bad day, it's because I genuinely have concerns that you have either the capacity or more importantly the want to nurse. My suspicions were originally aroused whehn I asked you why you want to nurse and you told me that you liked the uniform!!
I know you think I am so old (i'm 41!!) that my sight and hearing must be going but trust me I hear every obscentity that you mutter as you stomp off.
Don't think I am daft if you come back smelling of cigarrete smoke I am much more inclined to think that your last job took so long because you shuffled off for a crafty cigarrete rather than you have found a new thoroughness!!
Finally the reason we are meeting with your nurse tutor is not because I get some great power trip from it, it's because I have a responsibility to current and future patients. I would also be doing a disservice to hundreds of other student nurses who are committed and hardworking, who deserve the opportunity they are being given and truly value the opportunity.
I'm pretty sure gardengal doesn't believe all nursing students are taking a return trip on the Darwin scale, but an attitude that essentially puts the onus of success on the preceptor/mentor rather than the student comes in at all IQ levels.
I think student nurses have changed from when I was one. Student nurses are not set apart from society as a whole. We're trying to drop the handmaiden image, and that's good, but instead of assertiveness sometimes we get an aggressive, "in your face" attitude. We hear students talking far more about what the preceptor needs to do for them rather than the other way around. This can grate on a preceptor's nerves, and it isn't because she is taking her anger at the system as it was out on students of today in a twisted effort at revenge (a theory I've read here).
We have many more students of varied ages and life experiences. Again, a good thing, but some people come into this feeling their prior career makes them a sort of "superdeluxe" nursing student who's opinion should matter more than those other run-of-the-mill nursing students. This causes some people to loudly sound off about things they don't know anything about. This tends to annoy both preceptors, and I'll venture to say, their classmates. A student with less formal education but lots of life experience has just as much to offer, many times more. Having some humility and teachability doesn't make you a subservient person. And by "you" not talking about anyone in particular, just some observations of mine.
hmm really?? Cause I'm very nice to my preceptor (compliment her how smart she is) and she is displaying so much of childish attitude like gossiping,laughing behind my back,chooses to go home early on low census days totally ignoring my learning needs,never discusses patients with me (looks at at me like I'm a total fool for asking questions,and she usually precept new nurses,makes me think sometimes why she agreed to be one in the first place
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
QUOTE=HyperSaurus, SN;4198349]. . .By this scale, I'm passing with flying colors! Whee! Actually, I've taken to wearing my hair in a bun since reading these forums
funny. . . has anyone said, "omg, what's with the bun?" (random reference to the movie Freaky Friday)
Really, though. You've picked up on something important, which is that your life in nursing school will be so much less stressful, and you'll learn so much more by adapting to your instructor's expectations. Excluding outright cases of abuse, which I think are rare, most of the things students choose to go toe to toe with their instructor over simply don't merit the extreme indignation/outrage.
mia13-- you won't need to worry about most of your rude and immature classmates becoming rude and immature nurses. They'll change or they won't make it. It's great that you already have a handle on the behaviors you'll need to carry you to the finish line. Best wishes! :)
Hey, "what's with the bun" is better than being called Tastee Freeze. That's what I was called when I had my hair pulled up on top of my head way back in the day.
I won't put it on top of my head--My hair reaches down to my hips and I'd have a headache if five minutes like that . I don't get the Tastee Freeze reference though.
It's kinda interesting for the student that the OP was 'writing to' switched from nursing to modelling. What a change.
The Tastee Freeze reference is that while wearing my hair up high on my head, I looked like soft serve on a cone. I can't wear my hair like that anymore because it gives me a headache.
Just one very last footnote from me - the student nurse that took over the vacated position has just completed her placement and passed with flying colours. She was pretty much the opposite of student number 1 and has re-affirmed my complete faith in student nurses. :)
A lot of you remind me of why I didn't like nursing school. Self-righteous, snobby bunch of people. When I train a new nurse I remember how scared I was at one time and try to make them feel comfortable. Be down to earth. But really, all this " I know, you wouldn't believe how AWFUL and unprofessional some of my fellow classmates are" is just disgusting.
How does it feel, when two years later you are still getting kudos on this post? As a current nursing student, I want to thank you for your candidness and honesty. Not only did you get to vent, but your honesty reminded all that read your post that responsibility is the name of this game and if you don't like it, get out now! As far as I'm concerned we are doing the most important job in a patient's life and we must always lead with appropriate care, whatever that may look like, no matter how long it takes, and no matter the inconvenience to ourselves. Thank you for standing up for your future patients. I hope to find a preceptor/mentor just like you.
funny. . . has anyone said, "omg, what's with the bun?" (random reference to the movie Freaky Friday)
I can't wear my hair like that anymore because it gives me a headache.
Blackheartednurse
1,216 Posts
hmm really?? Cause I'm very nice to my preceptor (compliment her how smart she is) and she is displaying so much of childish attitude like gossiping,laughing behind my back,chooses to go home early on low census days totally ignoring my learning needs,never discusses patients with me (looks at at me like I'm a total fool for asking questions,and she usually precept new nurses,makes me think sometimes why she agreed to be one in the first place