Rules for Nursing School

Nursing Students General Students

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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.

Here's another one. Showing up 15 minutes late for lecture and then having the nerve to sleep through the rest of it and then asking for someone else's notes does not sit well with the other students, let alone the instructor. Please be respectful of the instructor's and other students and be on time.

Remember to respect HIPPA, please don't be in the cafeteria talking loudly about your patient and some of their family members are only a table away. You told so much info, the family member knew EXACTLY who you were talking about (true story)

Stay out of cliques. It's okay to have friends and study groups, but if you are part of a "blame-everyone-for-my-failures-because-I-don't-take-full-responsibilty-for-my-actions type of clique, then I really can't feel sorry for you if you fail.

And no, I will not email you a typed copy of my 10 page study guide that it took me 2 hours to write out by hand and then another 2 hours to type in different colors because you didnt even attempt to do your own study guide,not to mention missed the last 2 Patho classes and any other time, you have not two words to say to me. (true story)

Ok, I'm venting and I'll stop now.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
Whatever. I'll put that in my Newspeak phrase book.

Nice. The idea that a word is offensive and the suggestion that you might want to remove it from your regular vocabulary gets a "whatever".

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.

I can't believe what I'm reading. First the attitude about a word that IS very OFFENSIVE to people and you can't even consider taking that idea seriously in the nursing profession. Nice.

Now to suggest that the men in Iraq are playing with guns and bombs is just terrible. I don't even have family currently over there nor do I believe in the war but I read that and feel sad for the people who have family members over there who are not playing but fighting and dying. Again you should really consider what you are writing.

I've seen special treatment by people who don't have families at home and just like they were owed something. It happens and it's not dependent solely on the person's situation at home. Some people just expect it. Try to not dig on people with serious responsibilities outside of school. People juggle and sometimes have to sacrifice a little at school so that we aren't always sacrificing at home. Not everyone with "baggage" wants special treatment...they just want to get through and be treated with dignity from their judgmental classmates.

In the end your rules aren't life and they aren't at my school.

I, a mother of 4 children some with special needs, will continue to bring my cell phone to school and clinicals because in the end my family is more important then school. I will show up late if my husband can't get home in time to watch the kids. I will leave early if a child is sick and it's more then my husband can take care of. Now thankfully I have been late very little, not absent at all and left early maybe once in 1½ years. I do not judge those in my class who have had to do it more often though. In fact 1 girl is late at least once a week. I get her a handout and take notes on it while I'm doing my notes. It's not special treatment. It's caring.

I'm stunned by the offensive remarks you make and defend. I am stunned by your attitude while generalizing different groups of people.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

Some of my rules...

Help each other out. Do your best. Be happy. Try really hard. Share.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

When you're in clinicals and your period comes earlier than expected, a Chux folded and applied to the inside of one's panties works nicely until you get home. You might "crinkle" a little when you walk. :lol2:

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If annoying people understood that they were annoying, they probably would choose not to do be so.

Here's a hypothetical:

Two years from now you're out of school and working as an honest-to-god RN. Your unit is understaffed (the norm), it's three AM (because all the bad stuff happens at three AM), and your patient is making a mad dash for the Pearly Gates. Your cell phone rings and its hubby with a situation he can't handle. Every patient on the unit is sick, and no staff can be spared.

Decision time.

My point is, this job will require sacrifices. Most of them we make ourselves, but some are made by those close to us. If you can't learn to make those in the classroom, you'll find it that much harder in practice.

Nursing school is about care plans, exams, clinicals, and tough (often draconian) rules. It's also about becoming part of a profession that sometimes takes more than it gives. If you, and your family, can't handle that, then the time to decide that is now, not 3 AM.

Best to all,

Pete

RN, CFRN, EMT-P

Writing from the Ninth Circle

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
When you're in clinicals and your period comes earlier than expected, a Chux folded and applied to the inside of one's panties works nicely until you get home. You might "crinkle" a little when you walk. :lol2:

And if you don't get the chux in time...hydrogen peroxide to deal with the stain.:imbar

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

If annoying people understood that they were annoying, they probably would choose not to do be so.

Here's a hypothetical:

Two years from now you're out of school and working as an honest-to-god RN. Your unit is understaffed (the norm), it's three AM (because all the bad stuff happens at three AM), and your patient is making a mad dash for the Pearly Gates. Your cell phone rings and its hubby with a situation he can't handle. Every patient on the unit is sick, and no staff can be spared.

Decision time.

My point is, this job will require sacrifices. Most of them we make ourselves, but some are made by those close to us. If you can't learn to make those in the classroom, you'll find it that much harder in practice.

Nursing school is about care plans, exams, clinicals, and tough (often draconian) rules. It's also about becoming part of a profession that sometimes takes more than it gives. If you, and your family, can't handle that, then the time to decide that is now, not 3 AM.

Best to all,

Pete

RN, CFRN, EMT-P

Writing from the Ninth Circle

Name calling. Don't do that in nursing school.

I actually am not the hypothetical person YOU are talking about. I don't think it is be fair for you to (assume) that everyone ("whom we're") feels the need to point the finger you have. You don't know me at all. As a matter of fact I have missed less time in class and clinicals then single non married people in the class. Huh go figure. My point is you seem to think that the rules are set up to make you happy and to inconvenience you. You seem to have no compassion for the people around you. Like you said in the past...it's about the paycheck for you.

Your hypothetical situation...so unlikely to happen it's not even funny. So I'm not going to even go to entertain it more then I have.

You are no longer a student...maybe it's time to let go of the anger you seem to be harboring from the time as a student.

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Specializes in Nursing Ed, Ob/GYN, AD, LTC, Rehab.
Nice. The idea that a word is offensive and the suggestion that you might want to remove it from your regular vocabulary gets a "whatever".

I can't believe what I'm reading. First the attitude about a word that IS very OFFENSIVE to people and you can't even consider taking that idea seriously in the nursing profession. Nice.

Now to suggest that the men in Iraq are playing with guns and bombs is just terrible. I don't even have family currently over there nor do I believe in the war but I read that and feel sad for the people who have family members over there who are not playing but fighting and dying. Again you should really consider what you are writing.

I've seen special treatment by people who don't have families at home and just like they were owed something. It happens and it's not dependent solely on the person's situation at home. Some people just expect it. Try to not dig on people with serious responsibilities outside of school. People juggle and sometimes have to sacrifice a little at school so that we aren't always sacrificing at home. Not everyone with "baggage" wants special treatment...they just want to get through and be treated with dignity from their judgmental classmates.

In the end your rules aren't life and they aren't at my school.

I, a mother of 4 children some with special needs, will continue to bring my cell phone to school and clinicals because in the end my family is more important then school. I will show up late if my husband can't get home in time to watch the kids. I will leave early if a child is sick and it's more then my husband can take care of. Now thankfully I have been late very little, not absent at all and left early maybe once in 1½ years. I do not judge those in my class who have had to do it more often though. In fact 1 girl is late at least once a week. I get her a handout and take notes on it while I'm doing my notes. It's not special treatment. It's caring.

I'm stunned by the offensive remarks you make and defend. I am stunned by your attitude while generalizing different groups of people.

I have to polietly disagree with you here

I had a husband in Iraq for 14 months and I am not bothered at all by someone saying they are playing with guns and bombs because they are. Its a silly stupid war, I wish they would all come home and end this replay of vietnam, we all know how it ends....

Also I would have to agree that the ONLY people in my class that get special treatment is those with families and kids. I see it ALL THE TIME. I agree with the other poster, its not my fault you waited to go back to school when you had kids and a house payment and so on, you should get treated just like me, single with little to no debt, life is hard deal with it, i hope your teacher takes away your cell phone like she does with the non-family people, its not appropriate to have one on at ANY time. We are all students, no special treatment for anyone, its not fair

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Specializes in Renal.

I said it on another post, but I'll say it again here...

Get an NCLEX review book! I have Mosbys but Saunders is good too. Start doing questions now, and then read the reasonings for the answers. Especially when you first start you won't know anything, but trust me, it helps. Use it especially during 2nd semester, or whenever you do Med/Surg class. After each system is talked about in class, review it in the book and do related questions. I promise it helps! I wish someone would have told me this earlier on in this semester, I'm just finding out around finals time! :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
I have to polietly disagree with you here

I had a husband in Iraq for 14 months and I am not bothered at all by someone saying they are playing with guns and bombs because they are. Its a silly stupid war, I wish they would all come home and end this replay of vietnam, we all know how it ends....

Also I would have to agree that the ONLY people in my class that get special treatment is those with families and kids. I see it ALL THE TIME. I agree with the other poster, its not my fault you waited to go back to school when you had kids and a house payment and so on, you should get treated just like me, single with little to no debt, life is hard deal with it, i hope your teacher takes away your cell phone like she does with the non-family people, its not appropriate to have one on at ANY time. We are all students, no special treatment for anyone, its not fair

I just know my friends get very upset when people belittle what their loved ones are going through.

The only person in my class who gets special treatment is a woman with an older child.

I can't believe anger.

"i hope your teacher takes away your cell phone like she does with the non-family people"

How childish! I don't think I should be the only one allowed to have a phone. I don't think people should be answering them. My phone is on me in case of an emergency. The only calls I will answer are from my husband who does not call unless there is an EMERGENCY.

I really can't get over the anger. Yes we should all be treated the same but I think the rule of no phone...it's none of their business what is in MY pocket.

I just don't get the anger.

Maybe another rule should be...lighten up, it's not a competition, mind your own business and don't worry about other people's issues!

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

please keep to the topic, "rules for nursing school", and not make it personal.

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why the refusal to address the hypothetical? trust me, the situation is real, any nurse with kids has gotten that one for real.

the rules exist because that's how you make nurses. it's supposed to be hard. i didn't get that when i was sitting in class, but now i do. this isn't like working in an office or selling things. this job carries moral responsiblity and there's no easy way to learn how to shoulder that burden.

pete

rn, cfrn, emt-p

writing from the ninth circle

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