How many of you precept nursing students?

OldDude · Feb 16, 2015

I agreed to this for several years and finally I couldn't stand it anymore! The students would just sit like a bump on a log, some of them not even bringing a stethoscope, seldom asking a question, with very few of them exhibiting an interest in being here. Maybe it was just me!!!!!! However, in my defense.....my wife is a home health physical therapists and gets assigned nursing students. She reports similar observations with many of them only interested in texting. Maybe nursing school is different nowadays. Anyway, I don't accept nursing students anymore.

schooldistrictnurse · Feb 16, 2015

I have taken on two students with mixed results. One a bridge ADN to BSN student and another a MSN/NP student. One was only required to observe (zzzzzzzz how boring) and the other was, well, uninspired. She had to do an independent project which I thought was worthy of a seventh grade science fair third place ribbon. In any case, I tried to showcase our field and was pleasant and flexible (no eating of young!). Generally speaking, I imagine it's a lot of work if done every year.

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Feb 16, 2015

I do, I take 6-8 students who each observe for a day. I let them do vitals, look at throats, listen to lung sounds. We discuss the reasons behind the visits, (physical and emotional). I show them appropriate websites I use for reference. We review charts. If I have a meeting, they attend (if parents are OK when it involves a kid). By the time they leave, their heads are usually spinning when they realize the breadth of our practice. They find that we: do a little bit of everything, are very independant, are continually making adjustments.

In short, they usually leave with a whole new respect for school nurses!

SnowyJ, RN · Feb 16, 2015

I've done it, and as others have said, they seemed hesitant to do anything. Times sure have changed. I remember my clinical being very hands-on. None of the BSN students I have worked with had any plans to actually do clinical nursing when they graduated. 3 were going on for their Masters and wanted to work in management, and the 4th wants to be a Psychiatric NP. (She sat and texted her boyfriend the whole time..They were having a fight.)

Yeah, I'm out.

Farawyn · Feb 16, 2015

I did when I worked in the hospital. If they texted I would take their phone, lol.

On down time we would go for lunch so she could feel more at ease.

I liked it. I hope the students did as well.

Farawyn · Feb 16, 2015

I did when I worked in the hospital. If they texted I would take their phone, lol.

I spoke to the instructor beforehand and made them do anything they were "allowed" to, watching them like a hawk..

On down time we would go for lunch so she could feel more at ease.

Lots of them seemed really scared to even speak to the patients.

I liked it. I hope the students did as well.

Farawyn · Feb 16, 2015

Oops, sorry, don't know why that happened.

NewYorkerGirl · Feb 16, 2015

My BSN program eliminated school nursing from the program because they didn't feel students got a good experience. I begged to have a school nursing placement, and was lucky to get it. My preceptor mentioned the complaints you all have about BSN students not taking advantage of the experience. One of them complained to her that she was "losing her skills here." As if a nursing student has skills yet, lol.

It was my favorite clinical. I loved building relationships with the students. The special needs students that I saw twice a day for tube feeds were the highlight of my day. To this day, the only asthma attack and blot clot I've assessed was in the school clinic. I miss school nursing.

cocoa_puff · Feb 17, 2015

As a nursing student, I would love to have a chance to try it, especially final semester when I have pediatrics. It would be interesting to have clinical on a peds unit and also have school nursing clinical along with it. I would be grateful for the opportunity!

AdobeRN · Feb 17, 2015

I have a few times in the past - I imagine it has been boring for the students since they really can't do anything - just assess students and did minor first aid stuff. Have been lucky - the few I have had were last semester BSN students - still excited and wanted to learn as much as possible.

Soran · Feb 17, 2015

In the beginning I know I wasn't able to do much as a nursing student. We had to have skills checked off in our lab first. I always insured I had everything possible at the time checked off so I could learn in the hospital when we had clinicals. In my senior year I was able to do all the skills as long as the RN accompanied me or my instructor came with me. I was always asking questions or getting involved. Some days I didn't say much because I would get put with an RN that didn't seem interested in having a student, their charge just placed us with them. Those days sucked. We had students in my class that would do as described above, text the whole time, not even go in the patients rooms and somehow got away with it. I've only been on my own now for 2 months off orientation, but I hope when I do get a student I'm able to inspire them the way my orienting nurse did for me, though I knew her already from her graduating from the same school a few years prior to me