Don't know that 1oz=30cc/mls....and it's the Last Trimester?

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How could you pass fundamentals, med/surg etc.. and not know how to calculate a patients intake? one of my classmates and i were discussing intake for one of her patients when she asked me "how do you do that"? well, i was thinking she was talking about the intake/output sheet on where to put in the numbers. i showed her where to put it in. she says no how do you figure how much they drink with their meals? i'm like huh? let me add, this conversation was taking place in front of one of the CNA's at our clinical site. i told her how many ounces the juice glasses were and you multiply that by 30mls. she's listening and says "did we go over that"? i said YEAH and were where you during the first trimester? omg.... this girl is sooo not ready to be a nurse. i found out from her that she's barely passing exams and she's made it this far because of the low passing score, only a 74% needed to pass a course, and projects thats worth almost more than the exams. i've also noticed that she askes questions that we should automatically know like what does aspirin do? duh everything under the sun it's a analgesic, anticoagulant, antipyretic. she's always asking what is this or what is that, did we learn this? i understand that it's impossible to know everything about nursing but by this time you should know enough that you are confident and a safe nursing student. i am so mad that my school is letting her and others pass by a tiny % because they've done those stupid projects.

how is it in your lpn or rn program do you all have a ton of worthless projects to do?

2Beenursey, you do sound quite snarky and overly concerned with your classmate's grade. How do you know she just wasn't exhausted (as we all are in our clinical from zero sleep) and having a hard day? It's important to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes, for the sake of the team. If they constantly ask you stupid questions they should know, I guess that's another thing... they will most likely not pass the NCLEX anyway so who cares?

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Specializes in RN Education, OB, ED, Administration.
Ok I have been reading this post and these replies and for most of them I am a little disturbed. Yeah she may have asked a simple question, at least she asked and got clarification, and a far as the NCLEX how can some of you say she and others like her won't pass (kind of judgemental don't you think). At the end of the day no patient will ask did you get an a on your tests, a "C" nurse has the potential to be just as good as an "A" nurse,it is all about skill.

Yes, I agree that skill is definitely important; however, I'd like to throw a monkey wrench out into this forum space if I may.Making high grades in school will not make you a great nurse, however, understanding and the ability to apply complex concepts will. There are some students who do very well on nursing exams but who are unable to think their way through applying the concepts in real world patient care. How many of you have heard the phrase "C" = RN? I am agreeable with this statement, as long as that "C" student can safely care for me if I am sick and need a sharp nurse. Every patient deserves a sharp nurse!

If you think the ability to follow a doctor's order, use good sterile technique, and add up I/O's is all there is to nursing, stop right here and go back to Nursing 101. Unique to the education and training of Registered Nurses is our firm grasp on the pathophysiologic basis for care and nursing assessment, upon which we should plan our interventions. Remember, more often than not, you will not have a doctor at your disposal. If we we really don't understand patho & also are not skilled assessors, we are little more than "order followers" and "pillow-fluffers" and we all know that Nurses are infinitely more!

I'd rather train a sharp nurse over a skilled nurse because the most important processes a nurse performs happen in his or her cerebrum. I have come into contact with many students who have the excellent skills and an award-winning personality but are lacking in the ability to think their way through complex patient scenarios. A lot of this will come with experience as a nurse. This is why memorization can be a major problem for many nurses students. They memorize pneumonics to pass a test but they have a difficult time applying the knowledge to other body systems and in the hospital setting. These same students may do remarkably well on tests but poorly with the critical thinking needed to care for patients in reality. So, just my two cents, but the best nurse is one with great skills who can also think for themselves.

Great discussion!

Never, ever stop thinking, learning, and growing!

I :heartbeat Nursing Students!

Tabitha

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Specializes in PCU/CICU.

I feel your pain. I was in the last month of clinicals for the RN program and had to help a girl who had no idea how to change a bed with a patient in it. *sigh* Granted, she had no medical background before nursing school and I had been an LPN for several years, but it is still just the basics. I almost felt sorry for her because she will probably be so overwhelmed at her first job.

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I don't think this is that uncommon. I've seen new grads on the floor that didn't know how to take resp. rates I was so shocked and actually scared for their patients. When I talked to her she said she actually graduated with a 4.0! Every nursing school is different and I guess some just don't care who they r passing

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Specializes in Long Term, Psych, Dementia, Rehab.
ok i have been reading this post and these replies and for most of them i am a little disturbed. yeah she may have asked a simple question, at least she asked and got clarification, and a far as the nclex how can some of you say she and others like her won't pass (kind of judgemental don't you think). at the end of the day no patient will ask did you get an a on your tests, a "c" nurse has the potential to be just as good as an "a" nurse,it is all about skill.

i have to say i totally agree here. i am due to graduate in january and i have been in several clinical area's and witnessed rn's and lpn's who went through schools with high averages and took the nclex several times. the same thing vice versa there are nurses out there that barely scraped by and and passed their nclex on the first try, my sister who i live with being one of them. how well someone did in school is not always a good indicator of what kind of nurse he or she will turn out to be. not because you can do practical things according to your facilities or school policy it does not make you a good nurse or a good nurse to be. i have seen nurses with excellent clinical skills that are severly deficient when it comes to advocating, ensuring patient privacy, and the list goes on and on. or what about the nurses that ends up in front of the bon for unsafe practice, diverting meds etc.. can we determine how they performed in nursing school? although i do agree that at some stage one should know certain things i would be happy that she is asking while she is still in school on how to do intake and output rather than waiting until she is out in the field. as long as she is learning what she is lacking and she is not endangering the patients safety then her chances are just as good as any other nursing student.

we are all learners and will continue to be lifelong learners if we choose to do so.

just my 2:twocents:.

:redbeathenina, spn:heartbeat

:ancong!: to all making it so far in whatever career path they choose.

31 more days to go till graduation. almighty above i pray that you continue to guide me.

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Specializes in SN, LTC, REHAB, HH.
2Beenursey, you do sound quite snarky and overly concerned with your classmate's grade. How do you know she just wasn't exhausted (as we all are in our clinical from zero sleep) and having a hard day? It's important to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes, for the sake of the team. If they constantly ask you stupid questions they should know, I guess that's another thing... they will most likely not pass the NCLEX anyway so who cares?

I'm sorry. there is noway you're gonna tell me that it's no big deal that she doesn't know 30mls = 1oz. and we're in our last trimester in LPN school. are you really kidding me here? the calculation of a person's I&O is very crucial and to say that she may have been "exhausted" is ridiculous. i witness everytime we're in clinical were she will ask something that she should know, if she's actually studying the material. i hate to see her and others like her take hesi and not pass after being in class for a year. i'm sure she would make an excellent nurse but you gotta know your fundamentals no other way around it.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I'm sorry. there is noway you're gonna tell me that it's no big deal that she doesn't know 30 oz. = 1ml and we're in our last trimester in LPN school. are you really kidding me here? the calculation of a person's I&O is very crucial and to say that she may have been "exhausted" is ridiculous. i witness everytime we're in clinical were she will ask something that she should know, if she's actually studying the material. i hate to see her and others like her take hesi and not pass after being in class for a year. i'm sure she would make an excellent nurse but you gotta know your fundamentals no other way around it.

I think you mean 1oz = 30 mL ;)

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Specializes in SN, LTC, REHAB, HH.
Yes, I agree that skill is definitely important; however, I'd like to throw a monkey wrench out into this forum space if I may.Making high grades in school will not make you a great nurse, however, understanding and the ability to apply complex concepts will. There are some students who do very well on nursing exams but who are unable to think their way through applying the concepts in real world patient care. How many of you have heard the phrase "C" = RN? I am agreeable with this statement, as long as that "C" student can safely care for me if I am sick and need a sharp nurse. Every patient deserves a sharp nurse!

If you think the ability to follow a doctor's order, use good sterile technique, and add up I/O's is all there is to nursing, stop right here and go back to Nursing 101. Unique to the education and training of Registered Nurses is our firm grasp on the pathophysiologic basis for care and nursing assessment, upon which we should plan our interventions. Remember, more often than not, you will not have a doctor at your disposal. If we we really don't understand patho & also are not skilled assessors, we are little more than "order followers" and "pillow-fluffers" and we all know that Nurses are infinitely more!

I'd rather train a sharp nurse over a skilled nurse because the most important processes a nurse performs happen in his or her cerebrum. I have come into contact with many students who have the excellent skills and an award-winning personality but are lacking in the ability to think their way through complex patient scenarios. A lot of this will come with experience as a nurse. This is why memorization can be a major problem for many nurses students. They memorize pneumonics to pass a test but they have a difficult time applying the knowledge to other body systems and in the hospital setting. These same students may do remarkably well on tests but poorly with the critical thinking needed to care for patients in reality. So, just my two cents, but the best nurse is one with great skills who can also think for themselves.

Great discussion!

Never, ever stop thinking, learning, and growing!

I :heartbeat Nursing Students!

Tabitha

Totally agree with your post.

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Specializes in SN, LTC, REHAB, HH.
I think you mean 1oz = 30 mL ;)

LOL, yep i do.

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I was mad because on that test I got a 96 or 97 % I think, I only missed 2 but I didn't get the extra point because I had the right answer to begin with lol. I wasn't like really mad but I was like dang!!

Isn't that the worst? That's happened to me twice now- 2 questions on the recent quiz and 1 question on the last quiz. They tell us that a second answer has been deemed acceptable, I go to look at my grade, and it stays the same. I think I should get an extra point for having the "more correct" answer in the first place >:-P Now if only that was the worst of my problems....

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I can tell you in real life (at least in every facility I've been to so far) there is no nurse sitting there calculating input when they have 6 patients. The aids certainly don't either, they have standard estimates for cup/container sizes and the pitchers are already marked. Actually, you will often find that many patients do not have ANY I&O's charted at all, and I'm talking about acute floors here. It's bad, I'm not saying that it's right at all, and I'm glad that you tought her to do it, because it can indeed be very crucial in patient care. But I think it's more important that she can think about the concept of what is going on with her patients, memorizing things will not get you far in nursing school...

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Luckily in my program, your non-exam work won't help you pass. Your exam/quiz average must meet the passing standard, so even if your papers and projects and presentations are great and you get great grades on them, you can't pass the course if your exams don't meet the minimum.

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