Hospital Nurses

Nurses General Nursing

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Yesterday at clinicals I asked our instructor, at the end of the day's group meeting, what a nursing student should do if the nurses atthe rehab center I was at won't talk to you, when you attempt to obtain PT related information like meds... or anything. I know they can see my school patch I wear on my arm.

Anyway...someone heard me say this, and on my way out themeeting an unknown employee there, who said he/she was a employee there, and she knew who I was talking about, and she thinks I should watch my mouth ifi am gonna talk about someone. Jeez, she knew me and what sector i was in and I never seen her before.

I tell ya, I could not want anything less than for anyone to get negative with me, and I can communicate well and accept everything you say. During our exchange, he/she said "I'm tired of you -hospital nurses- coming here and talking down to us." Hospital nurses, wait, but I am a nursing student

Yesterday i wore my Long White Lab coat, and since i am a euro-caucasion american 38 yo male, I'm thinking maybe some people may bugout at this sight, or at least be INDIMIDATED by it.

Do "HOSPITAL NURSES" and "sniff NURSES" interact well? Do you automatically expect an additude to accompany a type of apparel? A long white lab coat? A nice looking woman in a business suit? Young? Old? Size? Gender? Plus, the way times are today, people make attempts to conceal their ID's, if they wear them at all, which makes having any conversation blocked.

What unknown animosity do RN harbor based on location.

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by Flo1216

KTWLPN- Wow...I didn't realize that you were actually present during my clinical rotation and witnessed how I and my classmates are sometimes treated. I never told you to qualify anything. And I never said I was " above reproach"(although you seem to believe that YOU are) NOR did I say I did not want to hear the other side of this topic. Nor did I say anyone's message had to be diluted in order to be PC. Please do not put words into my mouth. As for me refusing to believe I have a problem...I don't believe that I do. When I do something wrong or out of line, I will admit it. When my instructor introduces me to a nurse and the nurse right in front of me rolls her eyes and whines, " I have a student today" when I haven't even SAID anything, I think that perhaps someone else has the problem.

I try every day to be endlessly patient with co-workers,students,patients and their families.I know that when I am having a bad day I really have to work hard at it-and I strive to do so....No-I am not above reproach and I feely admit that there have been highly stressful times in my career that my professional mask has slipped....Can you LEARN from other's experiences? I have read your posts enough to know that as a student and an aide you have been involved in some challenging situations-do you learn from your own experiences or are you blind to your own faults? As someone else has stated perhaps your extreme defensiveness here is a sign that you DO see your self in some of these posts and are uncomfortable with that.When a staff nurse rolls her eyes in your face did you let it go and finish the day with a major chip on your shoulder or did you say " I will try to stay out of your way but I will be responsible for the following,etc" When dealing with stupidity day after day after day it is difficult to remain professional-perhaps these nurses have had bad experiences with students and inattentive instructors in the past-don't forget that the nurses are dealing with life and death issues every hour...Your clinical experience is not their responsibility

I haven't had the bad experiences with students that you all are talking about. Yes, I've seen them swarming over the charts, med carts, etc. I just say, "Hey, gang, I gotta get in there," and they all part like the Red Sea. Most students I've encountered are so timid and insecure that if you come up behind them and say, "Boo" they'll have major heart failures. I'm always glad to see them because they take some of my workload. When they have come to me, it's because there is something going on with a patient, who I am ultimately responsible for, that I need to know about. When they've asked me a question, for the most part, it's in a hesitant unsure-of-themselves manner. I can hardly resent them for that! I try to find one if I'm about to do a procedure (start IVs or insert caths, suction, gross dressing change, whatever). I remember when I was a student a doctor came to me, knowing I was a student, and asked me if I'd like to come with him while he did a procedure. He explained what he was doing and why, every anatomical part, every rationale. I've never forgotten that doctor or the procedure (that is one doctor who IS God, in my book, for taking the time to include me). Kindness takes so little time. Yeah, there are times we get stressed. When I've snapped at someone during those times, I hunt them up later to apologize. Kindness takes so little time.

Thanks, Youda...I needed to hear that. Actually, KTWLPN...I did not walk around the whole day with a chip on my shoulder. As a matter of fact, I stood back timidly not wanting to be in the way. I was there merely for an observational experience (that had been scheduled for months) and was subsequently ignored. Do I learn from my mistakes? Of course I do. And I take responsibilty for my actions, when it is INDEED my actions that cause the problem. I am not, however going to apologize for simply existing. I understand that nurses deal with life and death issues everyday...it is not as though I am going up to one of them during a code and asking them a question about an antibiotic. It's more like, the nurse who is in charge of my patient is sitting down doing some charting and my pt has a 30 blood sugar and needs D50 which I cannot give since students are not allowed to give anything IV push. Or maybe I need to inform the nurse that my pts BP just dropped to 70/40 and students are not allowed to titrate dopamine. Little things like that.Or maybe the family has questions for the nurse that I cannot answer. And not for nothing, since I would be hell bent to find a time when the nurse ISN'T very busy, when am I supposed to converse with her? Never, I suppose. I understand that my clinical experience is not the responsibilty of the nurse, but the patient I am assigned to may be. Don't get me wrong, I have had very positive clinical experiences and have learned a lot as a CNA, but the negative experiences I have had are very real, unfortunately. And to simply assume that any maltreatment I have recieved is MY fault because I am a student and inexperienced is unfair. The fact of the matter is that regardless of one's current stress level or amount of experience or reason for being on the unit, everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Refrain from personal attacks please.

Stay on the subject please.

Whoops...sorry, that wasn't meant to end up here.

Originally posted by Dr. Kate

If you're not getting what you think you should be getting, it's up to you to find a way to get it.

Exactly

I compliment everyone whose participated in this thread because nursing birth is so complicated and diverse, as is nursing, which is why I do and will love it more and more....variety. Students rotate from sniff, to elder care, to acute care, to psych....and there will be all kinds of nurses I'll be blessed to meet over the next 1.6 years.

By YOUR infinate wisdom and grace, i will go to all my future clinical sights with better sensitivity and infinate patience. If others try to disrespect me, I'll take it more in stride. Rest assured i AM part of the change in nursing, and I WILL treat all new comers afore me with care and love. Mario's loving examples will be contagious. And if you like to look frazzled and all burnt up, thats cool too :-)

Heh - I practiced all day in nursing school LAB for 4 hours practicing to pass my injection test. We have to give a shot to a fellow student, IM, ventral-gluteal, 23 gauge, 1 inch, approx 1.5cc saline. Blah- Blah -blah....and then came my turn ( I was the next to last).......I forgot to wipe the site with alcohol on Sandy's hip, and failed right then and there. I did not even get the shot off. BOOM - just like that. I was trying to remember a dozen things at once, plus doing something for the first time, trying to get the Z-track with a automatic retractable syringe that you have to press hard on at the end of the injection in order for it to retract. You think I am walking with a chip on my shoulder???? Please :-( I'm an injection failure. I failed injection LAB and have to retest all over again. Happy thanksgiving.

Ahh, Mario...so much to learn, so little time!! ;)

The details can sink ya sometimes...remember the big picture and infection control is always right up there as a top priority. I'm sure you'll do fine next time...we live and we learn and we ALL failed some skills the first time in school so not to worry. (one of mine was catheter insertion and I was panic stricken my first year as a nurse about catheters because of it...hehe)

I appreciate the frank discussions on this thread and I'm sorry if I came off sounding 'anti student' as I am not. When students have been placed on short staffed units where the nurses are overworked and cranky, it is not fair to ANYONE, students included. To say it's unfair to 'take it out' on students is obvious and I would never let that kind of behavior pass on my unit if I observed it.

When I have had the time and the correct staffing situations, I've enjoyed teaching students in their critical care rotations. I've also been asked to be a mentor and have done so quite a few times with pleasure. It was much easier for me to do this when I was a medsurg nurse ( 20 years ago) than it is in a hectic ICU.

Those who have been critical of my posts please keep in mind I have been charge and staff in a busy critical care unit the past 15 years or so, and it is a much different world than medsurg...with different priorities. And we're as short staffed as everyone else. It is a difficult place to nurture student nurses effectively I've found.

Youda's experience with students describes most of the students I've worked with as well. 75% are well behaved and appropriate. Then we will see 'entitled' ones...who refuse to see their role in the unit culture, prioritizes her/himself everywhere, and manages to aggravate staff by butting in, getting in the way, and demanding we be walking textbooks for them. Or some who feel they are 'smarter' than the nurses. These are the ones who complain of being 'nipped' IME. I don't know why their instructors haven't 'nipped' that attitude in the bud themselves...

I totally agree it is not right for a nurse to sigh, roll her eyes and say "OH no I have a student'...but there are rude people everywhere...don't take it personal...and KTWLPN gave a good response to someone who behaves like that: don't ignore it, but calmly deal with it assertively (not aggressively)

Nurses exercise assertiveness training in our dealings with doctors, patients, families, ancillary staff, etc. throughout our whole nursing career.... so students: may as well start learning now with your ill tempered nurse mentors.

Is it fair? No. But like my father told me "Life isn't fair"

And my dear mother also told me "Not everyone in this world is gonna love you like I do". They were both right.

Happy Thanksgiving to all !

To you too baseline, and everyone! :)

And had to share this with Mario - The first time I had to insert a foley catheter in a pt. , with my instructor present, I placed the catheter in the wrong orifice. My instructor said, "Just leave it, that way you will know it's not where you want to go next time" - so I did. But by the time I was done it looked like the poor woman had a bouquet of catheters - 2 in the wrong place, one in the right one. So you see - we've all been there, done that, failed this, passed that. It's tough - but you'll get through. Your last post was great.

Happy Turkey Day

Specializes in LTC/Peds/ICU/PACU/CDI.

...could unfortunately relate!!! talk about nurses eating their young...

originally posted by: kenya 11/25/2002 7:11:12 pm i'm pretty sure this topic has been dicsussed before but i really need some encouraging words. i just became an lpn this month, i recieved a job working in a subacute center here in nj and i was outraged at how i've been treated. my 1st day of orientation, the nurse assigned to work with me made no secret that she hated training new orientees, it gets on her nerves, etc. i tried hard to ignore her because that was so rude to say in front of my face. the 2nd day another nurse blew her breath , sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. how uncomfortable i felt all day. the 3rd day 3 nurses argued back and forth over who would train me that day. "i'm not training her she'll slow me down, i'm not doing it agian today, i hate training new people, well don't look at me i don't know her so i'm not doing it, well somebody needs to make up their mind because she'snot following me all day!" can you imaginehow that felt? i left out of that place in tears, all my life i anted to be a nurse and to be treated this way it discouraged me so bad. the don called me to come back and have a meeting. all the other new orientees had been treated the same way. i know i shifted in thought but how do they expect to keep nurses interested when noone opens their hearts and willingly accepts newcomers? how do they forget everybody was a beginner one day?

i leave off with the saying that "an expert at anything was once a beginner."

just love her saying...think i'll adopt it myself. thought i leave you with some food for thought.

should you decide to click on the above link, the thread starts from the bottom & continue upwards.

cheers - moe.

For example: I wouldn't pick the brain of a nurse, and anyone who tries to is a fool and a cur. For some, employing their speech and motor neutrons isn't so easy. Add to that emotion and task at hand and a fool student can become an irritant for any nurse.

It's all about people skills, and remembering to accept some people are truly burnt out, just like others are truly gifted with patience. I'm sorry :-( There is not right or wrong, but how YOU wish to preceive it.

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