Rules for Nursing School

[asgirl]

Following on from the other "Rules" Threads:

1. Turn off your mobile phone, if it absolutely must be on, let the lecturer know and keep it on the lowest possible volume or on silent (it is a rule at my school if your phone goes off you owe the lecturer chocolate or alcohol depending on the lecturers preference)

2. If you are a new student don't act like you know more than the students who have been there for longer (unless of course you do)

3. If the course has an online group and you can read previous questions, do not ask the same question again and again, the lecturer and other people will get sick of answering the same question 5 or 6 or even 7 times (you will be notified if the answer is different)

4. If you tell someone something it's bound to get around to other people so be careful what you tell people (Rumours spread extremely fast)

5. Be polite to your lecturers and respect them for who they are (They are the ones marking your assignments, and I'm afraid they know a lot more than you do presently)

6. If you have a story you are willing to share related to the current topic by all means share it but if it's not related forget it

7. Don't constantly complain about the number of hours you have to attend campus or how long it takes to do your assignments or how much study you need to do or how many readings you have, everyone is in the same boat and if you keep doing that you are likely to get offside with other students.

[CritterLover, BSN, RN]

okay, it has been several years since i was a nursing student. i'm still having some flashbacks to seemingly never-ending lectures, and lectures without a point.

[color=#483d8b]

[color=#483d8b]so, for those of you who have a personal story you think would benefit the the class: please, stop and ask yourself the following:

[color=#483d8b]

[color=#483d8b]1. is this comment/story really relevant to the topic at hand?

[color=#483d8b]2. if i were a disinterested party (i.e., not the storyteller), would i find this interesting, and/or beneficial, and/or relevant?

[color=#483d8b]3. am i just trying (once again) to make this lecture all about me?????

[color=#483d8b]

[color=#483d8b]unless you can answer "yes" to #s 1 and 2, and "no" to #3, please, please, please, resist the urge to share.

[color=#483d8b]

[color=#483d8b]there is a huge amount of information that needs to be communicated from the instructors to the students in any nursing program. taking up class time with superfulous stories only takes away from class time that could be used disseminating that information. please keep this in mind.

[firstaiddave907]

WIsh this was true at my school. The " group" always gets ONE grade regardless of the slacker's lack of contributions- even WHEN the instructor is fully aware. It's my BIGGEST pet peeve about those projects.

that 's one of my pet peeves too why should the slackers get the good grade when the people who actually did the hard work and showed up there the ones who deserve the good grade.

[shoegalRN, RN]

Please if you are not doing good in a class and fail the first test, please get help right then and there. Go talk to your instructor, a counselor, change your study habits, etc. Please don't wait until you fail the 3rd test and THEN decide you need to step it up.

Also, if you do fail a test and you KNOW you havent studied as much as you should have because you were spending time with your boyfriend, hanging out at the bar, or shoe shopping, then please don't blame the instructor for "miswording the questions to try to trick you", although majority of the class did indeed pass the test.

And another thing, if you are failing ALL your nursing classes and decide to send emails to the Dean of the nursing school and ALL your instructors expressing how you feel "the school sucks and you will never recommend the program to your worst enemy" but failed to get help when you failed the first test and then come in to the computer lab and broadcast to the other nursing students how you just "went off" on the school, I really can't feel sorry for you (true story)

Studying for only "45 minutes" before the test will not result in a good test grade, please don't expect to see 75% and then go on to blame everyone and their moma for why you failed. (another true story)

And no, it's not always the "instructor's fault" you didnt pass the test.

I can go on and on, but I'll stop now.

[militaryspouse98]

Okay, I have another as well. Please dont show up to your clinical site unprepared. We go get our patients the night before and research meds,labs, the disease they have,ect... Please be prepared with drug cards and all the information. We have girls that try to get to the hospital 30 mins early and write all their info down and then of course forget their research book. Well of course then it has to be borrowed from someone who actually stayed up late doing the research. Or they will ask you if you had this med so they can copy it on to their note card.. Burns me up..

[pfitz1079]

If you fail a test, or even a whole class, please own it. When I went through school there was a group of retreads from the class in front of us that failed a course because of a "bad teacher". Of the ten or twelve of them, only one would ever admit that her failure was her own fault. It just got really old.

Oh, and for the class retard, who always can be counted on to ask six or seven questions that have already been answered twice in the lecture and three times in the text, or needs constant clarification on the most simple of processes: You get one of these a day (because anybody can drift off during a long class). After that, you need to schedule with the prof during office hours. He or she probably doesn't get paid to hold your hand for two years, but I know the rest of us don't.

Best to all,

Pete Fitzpatrick

RN, CFRN, EMT-P

Writing from the Ninth Circle

[MySimplePlan]

[

I don't leave it on ring and I won't answer it in class...but that's really unfair to make that kind of rule especially with that kind of punishment.

And I so agree with you. This instructor is like that though - she is extreme in every way, and one of 'those' instructors that makes you shake in your shoes.

Still, family first, right? I would SO go to each of my instructors and explain the challenges you have. I'm sure you do this. There's no way anything should come between you and your family communicating.

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

"Oh, and for the class retard"

Just wanted to let you know that now a days the use of the word "retard" as a derogatory remark against somebody is a huge no-no. I would be careful using the word.

I am friends with several mothers of special needs kids and if one of the mothers heard that word used they would likely be very upset. The kids have autism, aspergers, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, learning disabilities, speech issues, low IQ as a result of being in a crib orphanage until age 4, brain damage and the side effects of each. Some of those kids above are mine. My friends would bite the head off of somebody who used the word. I prefer to remind people it's really not a nice word to sling around.

[studentforlife]

"I prefer to remind people it's really not a nice word to sling around."

The wording may not have been "PC" but the sentiment was right on the money. Also - For those of you who feel like you have to interject something with each point the instructor makes... Stop it already. It doesn't make you seem smart, it makes you seem insecure. If you want to have a one on one with the instructor invite her to lunch. Otherwise, please, I'm begging you, shut up already!

[MySimplePlan]

If you want to have a one on one with the instructor invite her to lunch. Otherwise, please, I'm begging you, shut up already!

Hilarious!!

[allthingsbright]

Here are 10 of my top "rules" and tips:

1. Bring your own school supplies to class--NEVER having your own pencil, paper, calculator, scantrons, textbook, or whatever drives people nuts.

2. I second the "try not to gossip" rule--also, remember for every horror story your hear in nursing school, there is one wonderful story out there you won't hear.

3. Believe the best about people--even the ones you don't like.

4. Instructors aren't your best friends. Telling them everything about your personal life, being casual with your language and acting like you are best buds will bite you in the butt. I have seen it first hand. Be professional AT ALL TIMES.

5. It's ok to change study groups (or start studying by yourself)--what may work for you one semester may change the next. Just be kind and up front with people about why you change!

6. Always buy stuff in bulk--black pens, notecards, printer ink, computer paper--there is nothing worse that realizing at 3AM before a clinical day that starts at 0630 that you are out of ink while printing your clinical paperwork.

7. Use the skills lab. You pay for it--so if you dont know what you are doing, go in there and ask. Play with a dummy and figure it out before you are on the floor. There is nothing worse than not knowing how to take a BP or use the thermometer--it screws up your whole day.

8. Organize your pockets like you would organize the drawers in your kitchen. For example: your pens always go in your right pocket with alcohol swabs and bandaids, your "brain" goes in your left pocket with scissors and cotton balls, etc. This saves a ton of time and you arent always rummaging through your pockets trying to find stuff.

9. Most nurses don't "eat their young." There are jerks out there just like in EVERY other profession. Be kind to the nurses at your clinical site--they are doing you a BIG favor by answering your questions, showing you skills, and trusting you with their patients. If someone flips out on you, realize they are probably under lots of stress, keep smiling and move on (this goes for Docs too)! P.S. Techs and unit secretaries are a goldmine of resources. They ARE your best friends on the clinical site. Treat them well!

10. Stay organized. I bought a bookshelf and dedicated it to nursing school. I keep EVERYTHING on my shelf, and I clean it up once a week and rearrange it--stocking it with supplies and keeping track of all my books. I also have a file folder where I store ALL my clincial paperwork so I can go back and look at it when I need to. All those careplans I spent hours on come in handy with each new class.

Good luck everyone--I graduate in Dec (God willing) and I can't believe it! :) :) :)

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

"I prefer to remind people it's really not a nice word to sling around."

The wording may not have been "PC" but the sentiment was right on the money.

Considering the profession we are going in it would be a wise word to remove from your vocabulary.

I'm telling you that it's a VERY offensive word to parents of children with a variety of special needs. It has become a word to target and destroy these children; who in fact are likely not by definition retarded.

The "sentiment" can easily be expressed another way. I wouldn't defend it because it's not "right on the money" when it is a word used to destroy children.

Take it for what it is but I would highly recommend not using the word or defending it's use in anyway. You at some point will have your head bit off of it...I promise you.

[pfitz1079]

Whatever. I'll put that in my Newspeak phrase book.

How about this for a rule: Stop expecting special treatment / accomodation / scheduling / rule changes (like cell phones) or assignment based on whatever personal/marital/parental/economic baggage with which you show up.

Here's a clue. Life is filled with a great many things which make school difficult. I went to school with single moms, mothers of sick children, folks whose families needed them to work full time, and newlyweds who's husbands got sent to the desert to play with guns and bombs. If you can't take some of that stuff and claw your way through school, that's unfortunate, but that's also life. If you can, that's great, maybe even fantastic, but not really out of the ordinary.

Pete Fitzpatrick

RN, CFRN, EMT-P

Writing from the Ninth Circle