How would you feel?

[nograd]

Hi guys!

I don't get to post here often cuz I usually have my nose burried in some nursing book or am playing with my kids. But I enjoy reading the posts when I have a chance and would like your input.\I am in second semester of clinicals doing Ortho/Neuro and am becoming more and more frustrated. My clinical instructor is really nice, and easy to talk to but she is not getting the picture. A few weeks ago we were on the GI/Med/Surg unit and she paired me with a nurse who is not so confident in her own skills, so needless to say she wouldn't let me do anything but bath her patients, something I have been doing for a couple of years as a OBT. So no learning there, one patient, post appy, did the pampering thing. I spoke to my instructor who agreed the match was less than perfect and promised more of a challenge. My instructor ended up canceling our last clinical on that floor but gave me a chance to go with another clinical instructor...Great experience, chest tubes, jackson pratts, NG, TPN, PCA, the works! I loved it and learned alot. Now I am back with the original instructor and I got a CVA vs TIA, independant pt, that was going home after her EEG, she did all her own care, I just assesed her and charted, and spent some time talking with her, which is great don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my patients and getting to know them, but again no skills, paired with a s***ty nurse who could care less and spent more time on break and copying articles than seeing her patients. She actually refussed to d/c a inflammed/infitrated saline lock because she didn't want to wait for the doc's order! She was going to lunch, I offered to call the doc and get the order, she said no it could wait!!! The patient is c/o pain, apparently this "RN" didn't care. I asked one of the other RNs how to chart this, and he took one look at the IV and d/c'd it and called the doc himself, thanking me for noticing and telling him. My instructor acted like this was expected of this particular nurse and I requested not to be paired with her again! I told her that I feel that I am not learning anything, I am in no means an expert but want to expand my clinical skills, last rotation I had 4 patients, charting, meds, sub q, foleys, heavy patients and I loved it and feel I handled it well, had a great clinical eval. Now it's like I am back in first semester when we were learning to give baths and to talk to patients. I feel like asking for an eval now, does she think that I can't handle it? What would you all do?

Thanks for any imput,

Nicole

[nursedawn67, LPN]

Sounds like you did everything just right to me.