Do you have advice for med students on your floor...

Nurses General Nursing

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My roommate started his 3rd year med school clinicals earlier this month, on a general medical floor. He's working hard and is trying to do a good job, but he knows he has a lot to learn. As nurses, what advice would you give to a med student doing clinicals in your unit?

What are some habits practiced by med students who have impressed you or you have enjoyed having around?

What have you seen med students do that worries or annoys you?

I know he'll appreciate any good advice!

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My first piece of advice is for your friend to remember that he is a medical student. He is not a practicing physician. He can learn something from everyone. If he doesn't know something then he should ask someone. Don't jump into a situation with a patient without the knowledge or resources to take care of that patient. Nurses want to be part of the decision making process with their patients and appreciate it when their opinion on the plan of care for a patient is requested. The medical students that I have most enjoyed working with were those that were open to new experiences, understood their position in the chain of command, and those that were very honest about what they did and did not know or understand. The medical students that I did not enjoy working with were those who were not gentle or sensitive to the patient or their needs. The students who would not be respectful of the patient who needed some privacy. I know that everyone must learn. That is how we become excellent health care providers. Just remember, how would you want your mother, father, sister, brother, grandma etc.. to be treated? This is one of the best ways I know how to practice nursing. Good luck!!

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1. If the pt is on the gurney naked except for a gown and SHOES- leave the shoes on!!!!

there is a reason WHY the shoes are still on. (if you take them off, do NOT leave the room without putting them back on.)

2. if you see a nurse running around dripping in sweat with her hands full DO NOT pick that time to ask the nurse to put tao on the lac YOU just sutured. do it yourself.

3. get all discharge paperwork READY, including getting prescriptions signed, BEFORE writing dc on the board. the charge nurse gets a lttile peeved when there are 40 people in the wr and the er is on divert and there is a pt in the room for 30 mins waiting for prescriptions.

4. clean up after yourself.

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Specializes in CAMHS, acute psych,.
1. If the pt is on the gurney naked except for a gown and SHOES- leave the shoes on!!!!

there is a reason WHY the shoes are still on. (if you take them off, do NOT leave the room without putting them back on.)

I sense a story here... please tell it

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Specializes in LTC/Behavioral/ Hospice.

Please, please, please. Don't come in for rounds on a random Sunday at 8 am (without so much as a warning) and say "I need all of my charts out, physician orders and vitals signs and weight sheets copied so that I can take them with me. I'm leaving at noon so I need to make it quick today." and then expect me to drop everything and go do that for you. I am very busy right now with a med pass, peg tube feed, straight cath and physically aggressive dementia res who insists that he is going to light the place on fire or put a chair through the window, and you have 2 hands. If you have questions about your residents, I'm more than willing to help you, but other than that, the charts are about a foot to your right. The copier is in the PT room.

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Specializes in ER.

Don't touch the pumps! Seriously. Even ICU attendings are not allowed to touch the pumps, bad things happen.

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Specializes in ER.

If the nurse questions your order, take it seriously. That nurse may not have MD after her or his name but darn they've been a nurse longer than you've been alive!

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Hook yourself up with the best nurse that you can and get exposure to as much medication administration, procedures, IV starts etc that you can get. Let all the nurses know that you need to learn these things and they will look for tasks that you need to learn. They also need to learn what the nurses do: running interventions for them, assessing patients for them when they are not available. I would LOVE to have a medical student again. I used to have them all the time when I worked in a larger hospital and spending time with nurses can really be helpful to them to learn what nurses do.

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Specializes in ..

Treat the nurses as your equals, not your inferiors or your slaves.

Talk the the nursing students! We're probably the same age with similar interests.

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Specializes in ..

Treat the nurses as your equals, not your inferiors or your slaves.

Talk the the nursing students! We're probably the same age with similar interests.

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Locate the nurse for the patient and spend 30 seconds or less -- no, even 15 seconds or less, updating us on your plans for the patient. Honestly, that's about all it takes, but it goes a long, long way. If we are all together in this, it's much better for the patient and the COORDINATION OF CARE. So many dollars are WASTED because of poor communication. UPDATE the nurses!!! It really takes only seconds to do. Offer your perspective, make suggestions, whatever. We are GLAD to help!

Take a look at your orders and if they are LEGIBLE. How much time is wasted calling md's back to clarify orders? It's just nuts!!

And just treat us with common courtesy and respect. We do know something, and we've seen patients treated over and over and we KNOW what works. No, we didn't go to med school, but we've seen a lot.

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When your patient is dying, (and a dnr/dni) stay with them. Hold their hand, talk to them, watch and listen. Learn what dying with dignity is and respect it. Don't run away from death, because it's not always the enemy!

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