I am in my second semester of an ASN program. We started our first hospital clinicals a few weeks ago. Things were fine when I was in observation on other units, but when I was put on the Medical/Surgical unit to participate in patient care, everything went down hill! The nurses on the unit are SO VERY RUDE! The nurse manager actually yelled at another student in front of a patient! And the student had done nothing wrong (truly, the instructor even said she was not doing anything wrong). This manager also was very hateful with me. The nurse responsible for my first patient brushed me off, telling me to go find something else to do and she would find me when she was done with report (I was supposed to get report for the patient I was assigned to) and then walked past me, ignoring me when she was done. She wouldn't have anything to do with me the entire shift. Then today, I had the same issues, being ignored and feeling lost because I didn't know what to do. I tried to find the instructor but she must have been off the floor, couldn't find anyone to be nice to me. I told a girl I was sick and left. I just finally stopped crying. I am miserable at this clinical site. We have 9 left (2 a week) then switch to OB/Peds which I have heard the RNs are even worse! A group actually pulled out of their clinicals here on Med/Surg because the instructor refused to go back to the hospital. They transferred to another facility. I have heard there have been numerous problems with this hospital. I live in a kind of rural area, so clinical space is extremely limited, which is why I am assuming we are still here. I have heard there have been meetings betweeen the school and administration at the hospital, but nothing is being done.
I can't quit over something like this. I know that I will have to learn how to deal with people like this because they are everywhere. I have worked in Dr. offices and have been cornered and yelled at by some pretty mean docs. That I can deal with. But when I am in a setting where the RNs are supposed to be our teachers and take us under their wings, remember their own experiences, and helping us and they don't and are down right rude, I have a really hard time dealing with that! Anyone have any advice? Anyone had any similar experiences? I am at a loss. The only thing I can think to do is go in tomorrow with the attitude that it's going to be a better day and not take anymore crap! I am normally a person who can't bite her tongue, but as a student there is a line that I am afraid to cross, but I am ready to say screw that line and just tell them how it is!
At my first clinical site, my interactions with the floor nurses was extremely limited. They were told what we would be doing (assessments, bathing, eventually PO meds, no IV push, etc.) and we got report from them, and that was about it. My instructor was the one to whom I directed questions about anything, never the nurses.
At this current site, the nurses are very available, willing to teach, and pull us in to observe new procedures. It's nice, but I didn't expect it.
As for the haters, all you can control is your own behavior. Smile, be polite and professional, and if that's not good enough, to heck with 'em!
It just chaps my hide, though, when students don't appreciate it.
I think that it's simply not fair to EITHER party to assign student nurses to working nurses who are already maxed out and don't have time to explain, double check, etc. A student can appreciate the fact that the nurses have a lot more to deal with than the student and still feel that they deserve more attention, guidance and support as student nurses. Just like the nurses can appreciate that the students would benefit from more attention, guidance and support even if they can't provide it because they have other priorities.
It seems to me that our method of training student nurses is way less than ideal (though some schools and hospitals seem to do better than average). We've got to do what we've got to do and work with the reality of what's available (short-staffing, not enough money for clinical instructors etc), but that doesn't mean that we have to accept that that's the way it should be or that it shouldn't be or couldn't be better.
jjjoy, if the RN assignments reflected the student nurses assigned to her/him that would help immensely. It IS more work for the RN to have students....or it *should* be. Unfortunately there are nurses that let the students fend for themselves while they stay on break all day with their patients covered by the students.
I think it also depends on the student...once I had a student assigned to my patient that had a colostomy. I told her I'd walk her thru emptying the bag if her instructor wasn't available, but that it needed to be done before the patient went to xray. Several times I mentioned it only to be told that her instructor was going to help her. As I see transport wheeling my patient out of his room I could see the bag bulging under the sheet...as full as it could get! I had him returned to his room so I could empty the bag before he had a mess!! It seems the student was "nervous" about emptying the bag and was AVOIDING her instructor to keep from having to do it!! She spent the whole time I emptied it in the restroom gagging
Have just one student like that and see how fast your day goes to hell in a handbasket.
Miss Pitty Pat, I am so glad to hear that things have improved some for you! Keep working hard, I am sure you will see the reward.
I am now an instructor and still a staff nurse. I hope I can provide some additional clarity using both perspectives in case there are students who are curious.
As an instructor, my main responsibility is to create a learning environment. The advantages of pairing a student with a staff nurse can be many: the nurse knows that facility inside out, including the charting system, the resources available (ex- who to contact for helping a patient pay for prescriptions if they are unable), and how to best use the system. They are experts in their fields, practicing daily.
The problem from a staff perspective is this- so many of us are insanely overloaded. I love students and always have; I am the one asking to be assigned one. I love explaining things.
BUT, I must say, the drawbacks are this- some days are so insanely busy that I don't even have time as a staff nurse to "visit the facilities" or eat. Those days are very difficult, and there are times when I must focus exclusively on the patient. For example, I had a student one day during a code I was running. I told the student-"I will be ignoring you for a bit, but will explain what I did later!"- which was two hours later. I was able to show the student how I did postmortem care for the pt, who didn't survive, and also how we call organ donation, document a code, etc. But during the code itself, the student was doing compressions for a brief time, but with no further explanation of the other happenings for the most part. At that time, my concern was the patient.
It is really difficult, even for those of us who love students, to juggle all our daily tasks. There are some days when you leave feeling like you failed to live up to your ideals of nursing even without at student, when you feel like you didn't provide the highest level of care you would love to give to every patient, every day.
That said, and I am not saying anyone here is doing this, but....
There is nothing worse than being stuck, as others have said, with a student who:
"knows it all," sits continuously at the desk and won't take part in care, hides from their instructor, or has no idea what they are supposed to be doing. I will go out of my way anytime for a student who is motivated and ready to learn, but I am to busy to babysit if someone has no interest in being there. I actually had a student tell me she wouldn't help me clean up a patient who had C. dif because when she becomes an RN she will "send the CNA to do that".....um, no. As an MSN I am not too good to clean a patient. If I ever finish my PhD I will not be too good. So please don't tell me that as a nursing student, you're "too good" to do it either.
Most students are wonderful and I love their questions, but there are a few who make me want to pull my hair out, lol.
Overall, I view taking part in educating students to be a privilege on most days, and part of my professional duty. Our facility does recognize those who precept and take students with increased pay via a clinical ladder. I think this recognizes nicely the nurse's effort in teaching.
I saw this post and thought oh that's me! Where I'm at for clinical...almost every nurse has a new grad they're precepting...and nursing students on top of that...forget about it! My instructor is great but there is only one of her and eight of us so it's hard. Only four more weeks to go! :)
my experience is old.....like 25+ years.....the hospital i trained in; yep, i am one of those; didnt have much of a pedi ward left....so 1/2 of ea section was farmed out to another hospital for 1/2 of the peds rotation....we were not greeted warmly....found out that not only was the hosp getting paid to have us there, but was cutting there staff when we were there....double income....bad attitude from staff....actually tried to cause trouble for students...left the crib side down on a kid, tried to blame student....etc......not a good experience....
but not entirely without reason on their part....is it possible that this cutting of staff is still happening?
I honestly don't think students realize the added responsibility of having students. Each assessment the student does, the RN has to reassess. Each medication given has to be double checked and documentation assured.. Student charting has to be reviewed and signed by the RN. It's MUCH easier to simply do the assessments, give the meds, do the charting myself, BUT BECAUSE I DO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE BEING A STUDENT I GO THE EXTRA MILE TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE GREAT CLINICALS WITH ME.
It just chaps my hide, though, when students don't appreciate it, although I've only seen it on here, thank goodness. I've had up to three students at a time because they request me.
My school does things differently. My instructor is the one responsible for the meds I give, not the nurse who is assigned to the same pt. I may ask the nurse questions during my shift, but never take up much of their time after I get report. I have never had a nurse be rude to me or not be willing to help me out . If I have a question about the pt I may ask the nurse, if I have a question about how to do a task, I ask my instructor :).
My school does things differently. My instructor is the one responsible for the meds I give, not the nurse who is assigned to the same pt. I may ask the nurse questions during my shift, but never take up much of their time after I get report. I have never had a nurse be rude to me or not be willing to help me out . If I have a question about the pt I may ask the nurse, if I have a question about how to do a task, I ask my instructor :).
Your instructor may be responsible while she's at the clinical site...but say you/she forgets a med, for example, the RN is responsible because that's their patient. Maybe I make extra work for myself, but I *always* check to see that my patients are receiving their meds, treatments, procedures, etc while they have students.
Your instructor may be responsible while she's at the clinical site...but say you/she forgets a med, for example, the RN is responsible because that's their patient. Maybe I make extra work for myself, but I *always* check to see that my patients are receiving their meds, treatments, procedures, etc while they have students.
We don't forget meds . I will be sure to ask my nurses this next week if they go behind us and double check everything. Maybe they do and I'm just not aware of it . There is computerized charting at my site. The MARs are easy to reconcile because if a med isn't given and checked off the box turns red.
Nice job of projecting. I believe it was *I* that advised you to get the chart, the kardex, etc. That you would disregard and disrespect my post to you says a lot. I do understand where you're coming from...it wasn't that long ago that I was a student. I can see both sides where you can't...no fault of yours, though.
I honestly don't think students realize the added responsibility of having students. Each assessment the student does, the RN has to reassess. Each medication given has to be double checked and documentation assured.. Student charting has to be reviewed and signed by the RN. It's MUCH easier to simply do the assessments, give the meds, do the charting myself, BUT BECAUSE I DO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE BEING A STUDENT I GO THE EXTRA MILE TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE GREAT CLINICALS WITH ME.
It just chaps my hide, though, when students don't appreciate it, although I've only seen it on here, thank goodness. I've had up to three students at a time because they request me.
I believe it was *I* that advised you to get the chart, the kardex, etc. That you would disregard and disrespect my post to you says a lot.
I apologize if you think I didn't give credit where credit was due. I am having such a difficult time understanding all of this. There was a nurse who sat in the nurse's station on the computer the entire time we were there while her patient care tech and student did everything. When there was an issue with the patient's IV, they reazlized they couldn't take care of it and told the RN. She responded "Just turn it off, I'll be in there in a little bit" and sat for 15 minutes before she went in to see what was going on. They don't have EMR at this hospital so she wasn't charting, yet she was there on the computer constantly.
I know that all hospitals are different and we DON'T understand what it's like to be an RN responsible for 5 patients and then have a student to boot. I just have a difficult time dealing with the flat rudeness of some of these people. I have heard that some of the nurses will mock the students and make fun of their skills in another group. I don't know, maybe I just live in an "ideal world" where all is well and everyone can work together happily and get along.
If nurses are so opposed to teacing students, why would they choose to work at a teaching facility? If they are so worried about a student caring for their patient, why would they choose not to communicate effectively with the student? I do not get it.
. If I have a question about the pt I may ask the nurse, if I have a question about how to do a task, I ask my instructor :).
. I will be sure to ask my nurses this next week if they go behind us and double check everything. Maybe they do and I'm just not aware of it 
. There is computerized charting at my site. The MARs are easy to reconcile because if a med isn't given and checked off the box turns red.
J9G2008
195 Posts
At my first clinical site, my interactions with the floor nurses was extremely limited. They were told what we would be doing (assessments, bathing, eventually PO meds, no IV push, etc.) and we got report from them, and that was about it. My instructor was the one to whom I directed questions about anything, never the nurses.
At this current site, the nurses are very available, willing to teach, and pull us in to observe new procedures. It's nice, but I didn't expect it.
As for the haters, all you can control is your own behavior. Smile, be polite and professional, and if that's not good enough, to heck with 'em!