From a student, to, hospital floor nurses...

vashtee, RN · Sep 30, 2011

I will sit and practice therapeutic communication with them while you wipe them down.

Great! I would assign you to the 98 year old man who was hallucinating, pulling at his foley and PICC line, and screaming. Maybe then, I wouldn't have had to restrain him. And maybe I wouldn't have ended up with a little black eye. :eek:

snazzy-jazzy, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2011

mindlor sounds like you had a bad day at clinicals. Hope you can get passed it, just don't let it affect you, have your vent but then reflect on it and move on. You are not doing the code browns, vitals, bed baths etc... to help the nurse your with, you're doing it to learn how to care for your patient. You can do the therapeutic communication with the patient while you're doing your cares on them.

You are not there to be friends with the nurses, just remember that and you will be fine.

DebblesRN, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2011

Ahhhh mindlor. Been there, done that, have the t-shirt to prove it. LOL

The thing I didn't get as a bright eyed eager beaver nursing student is that the nurse didn't NEED report from me. Do you not realize he/she has gotten report about not only your patient, but on possibly 5-6 others, and knows more about them then you have forgotten?? A nice--hey, I passed meds to so and so and all is well--is good enough.

While you do PARTIAL care for one patient, the nurse you are griping about and belittling has 5-8 patients he/she is running their butts off on--to get them meds, start IVs, do physical assessments, perform dressing changes and/or other procedures. They get stopped mid thought and activity to round with a surgeon or other doctor. They have to deal with a family member freaking out--sometimes in person, sometimes on the phone and calm and reassure them. Not to mention the 1000 orders that must be taken off and performed in a timely manner--the list is never ending, and now on top of EVERYTHING else, here is a RUDE student who feels I need to drop what I'm doing and focus my FULL attention on them while they tell me crap I ALREADY know, because HELLO--I'm ALSO taking care of the patient, and I have to go behind YOU to make sure everything is done. Just because the patient is YOUR clinical project doesn't mean that I am still not responsible for their overall care.

Okay--now that I have spilled that, let me say, I remember being a student nurse and how frustrating it was when a nurse was crabby, had an "I-don't-care-to-hear-your-voice" type of moment. It sucked. It's kind of hard to understand until you pass the NCLEX and show up for your first shift as an RN and see what kind of hell your day can be. It isn't easy, and that first year out of nursing school can be brutal. Keep that in mind when you have 3 nursing students who approach you AFTER report has been given in the middle of a med pass and ask for report and expect you to stop what you are doing and focus on their narrow agenda. It's kinda hard not to be a little aggravated.

Also keep in mind that some people DO NOT like to teach. Now you have three students dealing with your patients. Not a problem I have, but I know several nurses who HATE having students. They get them anyway.

Good luck in your nursing career. Hopefully, you will be able to do all the things assigned to you in one day, and STILL be able to be a saint to all of the nursing students who cross your path. :)

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2011

If your primary nurse is running around like a headless chicken, tag along with another nurse who is not with another student.

wooh, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2011

Students aren't giving the hospital or the nurses "free labor." Rather the other way around, they're taking away from the time I have to do my job.

You did the vitals? Great, the time that saved me is not nearly the time it will take me to check what you've done.

You cleaned up a code brown? Great, but once again, in the scheme of things, you didn't save me any time.

When students have my patients, I always have less time to do what needs to be done. Which is fine. Yep, I was a student. But don't be under the misguided notion that you're all that much help. Because whatever it is that you did, I'd have been done with it in less time than it took me to explain anything and everything that I had to explain to you.

It's not all about YOU. Get used to it now. Because from here on out, it's all about the patient.

Flo., BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2011

I would much rather do all my own work than have a student any day. Once you are a nurse you will understand that a student is more work, not a help and not free labor. And just in case you were wondering I don't get paid any more money to deal with you nor do I have a choice.

All4Seasons · Sep 30, 2011

OP,I get where you are coming from - it is just such an awful feeling to be treated shabbily by someone who is supposed to be mentoring you.Some nurses,like myself,love to teach; others find it just cumbersome. My advice is if you find yourself with someone from whom you just aren't learning,speak to your clinical leader about a reassignment or perhaps a fellow student's mentor is a nurse who wouldn't mind the occasional question.. Always be as prepared as possible,focused,and friendly but not weak ( that seems to bring out the very worst in some people!). All the best and chin up.Thankfully you won't be a student forever.

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2011

If you want to ignore me and look at me cross eyed when I ask for report or try to give you report, or if you want to just flat look through me as if I were not even there, then guess what?
Do your own vitals!
Do your own code browns.
Make your own beds with the patients
I will sit and practice therapeutic communication with them while you wipe them down.
Now if you want to engage with me and show me a little respect/kindness then,
I will do all your vitals.
I will do all your code browns.
I will make your life a breeze.
The choice is yours.....

How many patients are you taking right now? Are you on the floor for a full shift? My guess is that the staff nurse is probably overwhelmed with a list of things to do a mile long, and now add to that a student nurse with their own agenda. There may be things on the staff nurse's plate that you have absolutely no clue about, and the time it takes to deal with you is time the nurse just doesn't have. It would be nice if the staff nurse could communicate that to you in a respectful way, but, as you will learn when you are a staff nurse with your own patient load, sometimes we have to just cut each other a little slack.

All4Seasons · Sep 30, 2011

Reading the terse,dismissive replies you've received here,the question which begs answering is "WHO taught them when they came onto the wards as overwhelmed,excited student nurses?"

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Sep 30, 2011

I normally do that all on my own anyways. So what is your point?

sj73201, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2011

there are nurses who are really try to help show students what goes on in their day, teaching, etc....BUT we must not forget those who intentionally ignore you, and could care less that you have their patients. I remember my 1st day of clinical, they looked at us, ignored us, and were generally NOT at all welcoming. Saw us standing by the patient's door for report, and closed us out! like, put their backs to us...like wth. i understand the frustration! so it goes especially for the nurses who LOVE to have you on their unit...to do EVERYTHING they were supposed to do. smh

It might not be easy to have students following you, but treat how u want to be treated. SO i am TRULY grateful for those nurses that TRULY give a d*** about your learning experience.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2011

I promise you here and now that when I am official I will break my back to do all I can to help students.

"You have power over your mind - not outside events; realize this, and you will find strength. The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury. Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." - Marcus Aurelius

cheers,