i'm in my 4th yr of bs nursing & i will be graduating this may 2006 (woohoo!) now my thread is: i have this classmate who has been passing our nursing subjects not with high grades but not so low grades either. and several instances during our clinicals, she would be asking me or some other groupmate some questions such as: (remember she is a graduating nursing student)
a. what is a diuretic?
b. what does dyspneic/tachypneic mean?
and many instances, she has been really incompetent and uncomprehensible when giving rationales or explanations on different diseases/cases. she doesn't even know what the normal range for fasting blood sugar is!:uhoh21:
i know she shouldn't be allowed to graduate and i, for a fact, would not want to be hospitalized and be under her care (i think i will die!)...
should she be allowed to graduate? should we (me and my other groupmates) bring this up with our level head or dean or someone concerned? i mean, poor girl she's worked so hard. but goodness, poor patients if she will pass the boards eventually (she loves memorizing, w/o understanding anything!). :uhoh21:
I wouldn't get involved in it if I were you. Nursing instructors are usually very observant people, and if this student is as unsafe as you say then they are likely more aware of the situation than you might think. Maybe they have had private discussions with her and are monitoring her for a later evaluation...you don't know.
I would also be careful about repeating stories about other people's former substance abuse and about their personal and family life. For all you know, the stories may not even be true. And even if they are true its really none of our business. Not that I'm defending this student (because I don't know her), but have you given any thought to the possibility that maybe she's just nervous because she knows that other students are judging her and talking about her behind her back? That can cause a lot of anxiety and self esteem issues in some people, too!
:rotfl: Don't you just wanta laugh when she's talking? How old is this chick? What do other students think of her? How do patients react to her? :uhoh21:
I remember when my Dad was in the hospital last year. He was very sick with a fatal blood disorder. (He eventually died from sepsis) He had been put in to have some teeth extracted due to absesses.
There was a nurse that he had - to this day, my mother and I STILL have no clue how she made it through school. My dad was in a chair beside his hospital bed - he was in a GREAT deal of pain. Well, this NUT of a nurse came in with pain meds. After finally deciding that since he couldn't swallow anything - due to mouth pain, and the fact he was packed with cotton, she would give him an injection, knowing that he would eventually need to be put back to bed, due to the fact he would be falling out of the chair, due to being knocked out from the pain med. We sorta mentioned that to her, but she says, "Oh, he'll be fine, I'll be back in about a half hour". Well, needless to say go old Dad was falling out to the floor as me an mom were trying to pull him up to the bed. Well, nurse quack comes back in and says, "Oh my goodness, he does need to get back in the bed". DUH! We never saw her again - o.k., maybe I was just a little harsh with her.
That reminds me of a story my mother told me about when she was about to deliver. She was in the hospital with an IV and the student nurse came in and kept trying to take her b/p on the arm with the IV. She tried and tried and finally went away. Then the doc came in and the two of them started listening for the fetal heartbeat. In front of my mother she said to the doc "I can't find a heartbeat." The doc just looked at her and told her to get out of the room. My mom never saw her again. Good thing she has a sense of humor! Oh and the baby was fine.
Specializes in OB, ortho/neuro, home care, office.
I wouldn't get involved in it if I were you. Nursing instructors are usually very observant people, and if this student is as unsafe as you say then they are likely more aware of the situation than you might think. Maybe they have had private discussions with her and are monitoring her for a later evaluation...you don't know.
I would also be careful about repeating stories about other people's former substance abuse and about their personal and family life. For all you know, the stories may not even be true. And even if they are true its really none of our business. Not that I'm defending this student (because I don't know her), but have you given any thought to the possibility that maybe she's just nervous because she knows that other students are judging her and talking about her behind her back? That can cause a lot of anxiety and self esteem issues in some people, too!
Actually I'm certain it is true. She told me herself. I was very kind to this person. I have a good heart and try to get along with everyone. I had many talks with this girl. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't connect with her. I tried making suggestions to her to help her. To no avail. In my 1st 3rd year class this particular classmate, after 2 years of doing pathos, turned in something printed directly off the internet and turned it in! At that point, I started to pull away, hearing the instructor rant at her for that made me realize that as much as I wanted to, I couldn't help her anymore. So I seperated myself from her and let her fend for herself. I felt horrible doing that, but I really did try to help her. Please don't be angry with my choices. I am full of compassion. None of my friends could understand why I was talking to her, let alone helping her. These friends were true friends. They were just afraid that she was going to drag me down with her. Luckily I'm stronger than that and that didn't happen. But it is in the past. I'm not going to interfere. But as I said before I just hope boards do stop her from practicing. Sad but true.
That person may turn out to be really competent once she has had enough time to practice and gain confidence in her nursing skills once she steps out in the real-world hospital setting. Someone said she just needs enough hospital clinical experience, I agree. That person may even turn out to be more competent than you, who knows.
School and actual hospital experience are quite different. You gain more hands on working a part time job in a hospital compared to doing school clinicals. I've also learned from reading messages from other students in this board that they gain and learn so much doing a part time job in a hospital while going through nursng school.
You say she is incomprehensive when explaining? It's not easy explaining and finding the right words to use. That takes time and practice. I don't know how it works in Phlippines, but how do nursing students explain a disease process or rationales to the patient? Do you speak in Tagalog or English? I know the nursing materials you learn are worded in English. So it might be difficult for her to translate what she learned in English to Tagalog when explaining. But with time, if that person works hard to learn and really wants to be a good nurse, she will turn out okay.
As nurses, it is our duty to care for people and help them. I think it is your duty to talk to that person and let that person know how to improve their knowledge base so that she is competent upon graduation. Don't just leave that person to rot by minding your own business. Reach out, educate, and prevent a student nurse from being imcompetent.
that person may turn out to be really competent once she has had enough time to practice and gain confidence in her nursing skills once she steps out in the real-world hospital setting. someone said she just needs enough hospital clinical experience, i agree. that person may even turn out to be more competent than you, who knows.
school and actual hospital experience are quite different. you gain more hands on working a part time job in a hospital compared to doing school clinicals. i've also learned from reading messages from other students in this board that they gain and learn so much doing a part time job in a hospital while going through nursng school.
you say she is incomprehensive when explaining? it's not easy explaining and finding the right words to use. that takes time and practice. i don't know how it works in phlippines, but how do nursing students explain a disease process or rationales to the patient? do you speak in tagalog or english? i know the nursing materials you learn are worded in english. so it might be difficult for her to translate what she learned in english to tagalog when explaining. but with time, if that person works hard to learn and really wants to be a good nurse, she will turn out okay.
as nurses, it is our duty to care for people and help them. i think it is your duty to talk to that person and let that person know how to improve their knowledge base so that she is competent upon graduation. don't just leave that person to rot by minding your own business. reach out, educate, and prevent a student nurse from being imcompetent.
I will agree that it is not your place to inform the school. That being said, I completely understand where you are coming from. everyone that has been to nursing school can be as non-judgemental and supportive as they like, however, there is that teeny voice in the back of our heads saying about another nursing student, "Dear Lord how is he/she going to be responsible for human life?" I used to kid with my friends that I had a "list", which was my mental list of nursing students that I NEVER wanted to see walk into my or my family member's hospital room. That list has gotten VERY short now, though, as most of those people failed out of the program.
Since you have this semester, and another to go, if she is TRULY incompetent then the problem will take care of itself.
we all have our little notebook to write notes, patient info, our soapie, and everything. i see her reading all the time, but she just doesn't get it really. she would always say something wrong like an alcoholic will not have a high uric acid--and will stand her ground, "i read it in my book!" and i do believe that she did read something about people who drink alcohol and the relationship with uric acid. but what she reads, she cannot understand.
i know there are students who don't seem to look like they will be good nurses. and there are people here who are like that, but i can see their potential and somehow all they need to do is to mature and be more knowledgable. these things happen when they eventually work at a hospital. but we are graduating soon and i do not see that in my classmate. i do hope that an instructor or somebody high up will take notice of students like her in my batch and try to talk to them...
As a student, you're probably not in a position to make informed judgements about her competence. If she's very far behind, surely she would have showed up on the instructor's radar by now. She maybe more competent than you know. Some students who struggle terribly through school turn out to be great nurses.
I would not bring it up to my instructor. As I said, if she's that terrible, they have probably already taken note of it.
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I used to kid with my friends that I had a "list", which was my mental list of nursing students that I NEVER wanted to see walk into my or my family member's hospital room. That list has gotten VERY short now, though, as most of those people failed out of the program.
Tony35NYC
510 Posts
I wouldn't get involved in it if I were you. Nursing instructors are usually very observant people, and if this student is as unsafe as you say then they are likely more aware of the situation than you might think. Maybe they have had private discussions with her and are monitoring her for a later evaluation...you don't know.
I would also be careful about repeating stories about other people's former substance abuse and about their personal and family life. For all you know, the stories may not even be true. And even if they are true its really none of our business. Not that I'm defending this student (because I don't know her), but have you given any thought to the possibility that maybe she's just nervous because she knows that other students are judging her and talking about her behind her back? That can cause a lot of anxiety and self esteem issues in some people, too!