Hospital Nurses

mattsmom81 · Nov 23, 2002

Guess I'l be the wet blanket here...

Bottom line IMHO??? It is NOT the staff nurses' primary job to teach/nurture the students. Many times the student is simply an extra burden to an overwhelmed nurse...and if you bug them too often and fail to see what's going on, you may well get 'nipped'...their priority is THEIR workload and THEIR stress load, not yours.

If a student encounters a group of staff nurses who do NOT make themselves available to oberve procedures and meds, for example, the student's job is to ask their INSTRUCTOR how to proceed. Perhaps she can locate a nurse who has more time or wishes to work with a student....even if it's on another unit. As others have said, don't take it personal...just find another way to get the experience you need.

Whoever has told students that the staff is ultimately responsible for their SN experience gave the WRONG info.

Students are wise to be responsible for their OWN learning and stop the victim mentality right now in it's tracks...as a student nurse. As a college student, you are not children.... so act like adults.

Perhaps I am the only one here who feels the student whining is getting a bit excessive on this BB. So be it... I will express my opinion.

OK...wet blanket leaving now...whining may now resume unchecked.

baseline · Nov 23, 2002

Like I said Mario....find your sense of humor and thicken your skin or you are in for a long career. Rudeness is never correct. But you need to suck it up a tad. If you are going to come unglued every single time someone is short with you or gossips or doesn't do things just the way YOU see it.....you will be unhappy every day. When I was a student back in the dark ages, I kept my mouth shut, my ears open and my eyes WIDE. I listened and watched and learned. It didn't take me long to figure out the system and hierarchy of the unit.....who was able to help...who was too busy...who I never WOULD approach......and I learned an awful lot!!! Lessons I still use today.

Ok...Im done...said my piece.....TTFN

mario_ragucci · Nov 23, 2002

If you are going to come unglued every single time someone is short with you or gossips

No - I can not become unglued because of my high energy electron bonds boardering every cell in my body. :-)

I hear what you all are saying, and you make sense. To me, being a nurse means you are not short and you don't gossip. All this should be covered in prereq courses. Being calm and managing your mental state of mind at all times is something I am expecting without thinking about it too much. Also, I wouldn't judge every nursing student the same. Sure, some students are shy and some students are assertive, but we are all trying to learn. If you have issues with your work load, or can not handle your tasks without them turning you into the wicked witch (or warlock) of the west, then do yourself a favor and bow out.

Yall nippers out there may get away with doing that to some patients and some staff/students, but not all of us are gonna take it. It don't have to be that way, and no one should bark at or nip anyone at any time. If your too busy to think, then make some serious introspective looks. Don't let your mental state become a stacked deck of cards and when someone ask you a question about a PT you colapse. :kiss

rebelwaclause, ASN, RN · Nov 23, 2002

I agree that:

Originally posted by baseline
Rudeness is never correct.

But:

Originally posted by mattsmom81
If a student encounters a group of staff nurses who do NOT make themselves available to oberve procedures and meds, for example, the student's job is to ask their INSTRUCTOR how to proceed. Perhaps she can locate a nurse who has more time or wishes to work with a student....even if it's on another unit. As others have said, don't take it personal...just find another way to get the experience you need.

Students are wise to be responsible for their OWN learning and stop the victim mentality right now in it's tracks...as a student nurse. As a college student, you are not children.... so act like adults.

IMH or not so HO.

baseline · Nov 23, 2002

Yep....and even tho I said I was done....try to remember Mario that nurses are human beings....imperfect human beings....and just because they are NURSES does not make them invulnerable to stress...at work....at home....in their relationships....

I am not excusing rudeness or short temper Mario....and I am a strong supporter of students.... I will help anyone who looks lost or frightened...but I can promise you that if I need to see a chart in the daily course of my business....I don't expect a student to think they can take it away from me....and I fully expect them to give it to me when I need it....My hospital works very closely with the nursing program.... we want the students to be the best they can be and work with us when they graduate! The second year students are teamed up with a staff nurse..... so that nurse has only one student questioning her.... and the student knows who to question..... Perhaps you could suggest this to your instructor. It is a system that works well for us. In this day and age, it behooves the hospital staff to encourage students..... but the students need to understand they are not the nurses primary responsibility. Mario....I will be interested to hear from you about 6 mos after you graduate and you have worked and were responsible for the unit, the staff and its patients...for starters....lets check in on your stress level and if you ever growl. Walk a mile as the saying goes..............focus those neurons on learning........:-)

Pretzlgl · Nov 23, 2002

I agree with everything baseline & Mattsmom have to say. I asked the staff nurses some questions - but mostly asked my instructors. I said that waaaaaay at the beginning of this thread - we were responsible to find our own answers. I have had nursing students with me in the ICU who would sit and chat about what they did over the weekend. Their instructor had them record the VS as ordered, but some wouldn't even do that. It's hard to let students do your work - and then if they don't you are even farther behind than before. Some students were great - and helped in any way possible. These were the students who received my attention. You have to prove yourself - just as with anything else in life. A nurse's time is way too valuable. Yes, nurses are grumpy at times - but mostly due to the reasons baseline mentioned. We certainly want you to succeed - we need all the help we can get. But remember what baseline said - and let us know how you feel after you've been on your own for 6 months. Peace.

fab4fan · Nov 24, 2002

Mario: I've been reading your posts about nurses, and your problems working with them, for a while now. I hate to say it, but I think some of the problems may be of your own creation.

You describe nurses in general in such an unsavory manner...you say they "smell fear" and that's what's getting you into trouble. I think they "smell disrespect" and have your number.

Most nurses I know will go out of their way to help newbies who have at least made an attempt to help themselves. But staff nurses are not your personal walking, talking Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice. And snideness really gets you nowhere fast.

mario_ragucci · Nov 24, 2002

Awwww, don't get all judgemental on me fab4. You also know how much I love RN's and am doning my best to join your ranks, so we can stop with the disrespect accusations. I have had bad run ins, and we blow it up here on the threads for learning.

To be objective, 99% of people I have met in the last 7 months have been some of the most excellent people. I also love the other 1% that confuse me and cause me to think of stuff I never thought of before. You see?

fab4fan · Nov 24, 2002

What I see is someone who regularly posts regarding conflicts he's had, and blaming the staff, rather than try some introspection and see if it yielded anything useful.

I see an intelligent young man who barricades himself against others by using complex vocabulary as a protection, whether or not those words were appropriate; who speaks in a circumlocutory manner as a way of being intimidating, and ultimately causing others to think twice about engaging in a conversation with you.

All of the nurses in your dept. can't be against you. Just try a different approach. Stop the back-door attempts to avoid eye-to-eye contact. And try putting these topics where they belong...in with the other student nurse isssues.

Pamelita · Nov 24, 2002

HI Mario :)

I totally understand the feeling of nurses not acknowledging students. When I was in nursing school I had some of the suckiest nurses that will just keep on walking pushing you out of their way and basically ignoring you. I vowed when I became a nurse I was not going to ignore my students, because I know how it feels. What amazes me is that they were in your shoes years ago, you know if they are old timers that means decades ago, but still. I love to teach students, they are full of life and questions. They look up to you, I tried to teach them the reality of nursing, that means, shortstaff and looking for your cna because youcan't find her!!! ha,ha

good luck

Pam

Pamelita · Nov 24, 2002

oh... a good advice...

before you pick a nurse to follow.. watch them, see which one looks in a good mood, that always help me, so I don't have the grouchy one.

ktwlpn, LPN · Nov 24, 2002

Originally posted by fab4fan
What I see is someone who regularly posts regarding conflicts he's had, and blaming the staff, rather than try some introspection and see if it yielded anything useful.

I see an intelligent young man who barricades himself against others by using complex vocabulary as a protection, whether or not those words were appropriate; who speaks in a circumlocutory manner as a way of being intimidating, and ultimately causing others to think twice about engaging in a conversation with you.

All of the nurses in your dept. can't be against you. Just try a different approach. Stop the back-door attempts to avoid eye-to-eye contact. And try putting these topics where they belong...in with the other student nurse isssues.

Very good advice-the student nursing forum would be a helpful place to post this topic.Try coddling a student when you are working as a nurse on a busy unit with a heavy load of very ill patients...I don't like rudeness to anyone but it is your responsibility to seek the info you need and if you can not find it you must go to your instructor...I can't tell you how many times I have been in the med room mixing my piggies and drawing up insulin to have students interrupt to ask me a question about compatibility..All of the reference material is clearly visible in that area..You have to remember that while you may have 1 or 2 patients the nurses on the unit have a full load-there day is NOT all about YOU.Do follow fabs advice and look to yourself instead of blaming all of your problems on everyone around you..........I always have gone out of my way to welcome students and new employees but unless I am your preceptor I am not your walking,talking policy and procedure manual.You will remember the answers to the questions you are seeking much more readily if you look up the info yourself...