Do RNs get extra pay for working with students?

roser13, ASN, RN · Sep 22, 2015

It depends. Some facilities pay and some don't. My experience indicates that most do not pay extra.

Please tell us why you think your assigned nurses were "lousy" and in what ways you think they should have been better.

Miss Infermiera2b, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2015

The nurses in my hospital do not get extra pay. I think they should, though. They have to get their work done and teach a student all in the same time frame.

johndough · Sep 22, 2015

I was assigned to one nurse who basically did not hide the fact that she would rather not have a student with her.

Oh'Ello, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2015

A lot of times we don't want students with us, but we don't have a choice and there is no incentive for having one (monetary or otherwise). We are often crushed with tasks to complete, and arrive to the unit only to find that we have a student with us, without any kind of notice and without any say so in the matter. Many of us are barely keeping our head above water, and don't feel that we have anything of value to offer you.

You may consider us lousy, but guess what: We have literally NO idea what you are learning in school, or how what we're doing is relevant to your coursework (many of us don't care, or at least I personally don't), we don't know your schools policies on what you can and can't do (see previous parenthesis), We don't care about your instructors expectations (you get the point with the asides...).

I think you'll have some better outcomes on the unit when you start going to clinical thinking about how you can engage in the situation, rather than how nurses are going to engage with you. Our obligation is to the patient, not to your education.

*Edit* It is not in many of our job descriptions to teach. So when your clinical instructor assigns you to a nurse to teach you, instead of a patient to learn from, an obvious conflict arises. Once you've graduated you'll realize this.

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 22, 2015

This thread may give you some insight.

My facility does not offer extra pay for nurses to work with students. The key reason being that it is the instructor's job to teach the students, not the staff nurse. A school that passes off the work of teaching students to nurses (with the exception of the final practicum, where there is an agreement made ahead of time to precept) is a school that is taking students' tuition but not delivering the service paid for.

roser13, ASN, RN · Sep 22, 2015

I was assigned to one nurse who basically did not hide the fact that she would rather not have a student with her.

While students imagine that their presence is a gift to the RN, it most often is a mixed blessing. Without intending to complain about student nurses, I will tell you that nursing students can be a real drain on a nurse's time, energy & routine. If an energetic, humble & eager student is paired with an experienced nurse who enjoys educating and (most importantly) is allowed the time to spend with the student, the experience will be rewarding to both.

Not every nurse is a born educator. Not every student has an eager-to-learn, "I'll do whatever" attitude. Those pairings will inevitably be less than stellar. As a student, you only have control over one of those items. Make sure that you go to clinicals with an open mind and a positive attitude. And......

Keep your cell phone turned off.

Drink your coffee before you hit the floor.

Avoid congregating with your peeps in large clumps.

Be willing to assist with patient care, even if you're already "checked off" on that particular activity.

Be willing to assist a nurse, even if the nurse is not "your" nurse.

Keep in mind that nurses are people too. They have good days & bad days. Allow leeway for that.

QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 22, 2015

My hospital does not offer extra pay when students are around. But it makes sense that they don't because clinical students are taught by their instructors, not the staff nurses. The students each have a patient or two that they learn off of, and ahead of time the instructor informs the staff nurse assigned to those patients what tasks the student will be doing (passing meds, baths, vitals, etc), but it does not fall on the nurse to do any teaching if they don't want to. Most nurses day shift nurses that I know like having students on the floor because they are extra hands, especially when it comes to ADLs.

Actual precepting - one on one agreed upon ahead of time - does include a $1/hr diff.

So if you're just talking about clinical students on the floor with an instructor, assigned to a patient, then, no, it is NOT the nurse's job to make sure the students are being taught. They have enough to deal with without having a constant shadow slowing them down. I'm on nights, and I'd be pissed if a student was thrust upon me. At the same time, I would love to grab an eager student (who didn't hound me) and show them a few things they may not get to see (IV starts, foleys, IV piggybacks, etc).

dishes, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2015

The practice used to be that the manager or clinical educator would courteously ask ahead of time, if the nurse was willing to work with a student. The nurse would be given the dates and times the students would be attending and the skills they were hoping to learn. The instructors remained visible on the unit and assessed the students medication knowledge before they allowed the students to give them to patients. If a student could not answer the instructors questions they were often sent home. The practice has changed over the years, now instead of courteous requests, the nurses are often told the same day that they are getting a student. The instructor disappears and leaves the student with the nurse, the student may be very weak or very strong in their knowledge base and communication skills. All of these factors make it difficult know where the student is at in the learning curve and where to start teaching them.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Sep 22, 2015

OP: Your idea of what constitutes a 'lousy nurse' is skewed.

In my bedside job, staff are given no choice as to whether they would like a student for the day or not. They do not get paid for this either. In my OTHER job in academia- I appreciate all the nurses who agree to host a student. It is difficult and often thankless work.

If you'd like a little taste of how it is on the other side, I suggest a little exercise. The next time you're cooking a big meal for your family or involved in a complex home improvement project- invite a four year old to 'help' you.

pixiestudent2 · Sep 22, 2015

I won't get extra pay for having a student.

BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN · Sep 23, 2015

Nope, no extra pay.