Just a comment for all the RN's

[mbgirl81]

i just have a comment about clinical experiences and working with rn's. i am in my 2nd semster (med-surg) and at the hospital i'm at it seems like the rn's have forgotten what it's like to be in nursing school. they are so annoyed by us, granted i realize the job is not easy, but we are there learning, and eventually trying to lighten the patient load. they continuously say things that are uncalled for, for instance, i was waiting for my patients nurse to get done charting so i could report off, well right in front of me, she looks at her co-worker and says "i can't wait to till these students leave." i was in shock, is she trying to to make her job harder by discouraging students assigned to that facility. she should remember, it's just as hard for us. so point is, please remember the students who ultimately want to be competent nurses, but have to start somewhere. encourage them, and show them why they chose nursing as their career. i may feel the pressure when i graduate, and totally contradict myself, but when i am an rn my promise is to never make a student feel like they are a burden to me. people need nurses to protect them, help them get better and cope with whatever it is they are going through, i will never forget this.

[TexasPediRN]

i just have a comment about clinical experiences and working with rn's. i am in my 2nd semster (med-surg) and at the hospital i'm at it seems like the rn's have forgotten what it's like to be in nursing school. they are so annoyed by us, granted i realize the job is not easy, but we are there learning, and eventually trying to lighten the patient load. they continuously say things that are uncalled for, for instance, i was waiting for my patients nurse to get done charting so i could report off, well right in front of me, she looks at her co-worker and says "i can't wait to till these students leave." i was in shock, is she trying to to make her job harder by discouraging students assigned to that facility. she should remember, it's just as hard for us. so point is, please remember the students who ultimately want to be competent nurses, but have to start somewhere. encourage them, and show them why they chose nursing as their career. i may feel the pressure when i graduate, and totally contradict myself, but when i am an rn my promise is to never make a student feel like they are a burden to me. people need nurses to protect them, help them get better and cope with whatever it is they are going through, i will never forget this.

all of us rn's have been there in your shoes, as a student. and while i will agree with you that its not right to treat students poorly, unfortunantly, it happens.

personally, i *love* having students come to our hospital. i love showing them things, helping them out, and not letting them feel dumb/stupid for not knowing things (after all, you are learning!).

some nurses just dont like students, and dont like having to answer questions where the responses are now second nature to that specific nurse. some nurses arent good teachers, and dont want students coming up to them b/c they dont want to feel inadeqate in answering the students questions.

i think that in certain hospitals, the rn's and lpn's are spread too thin, and when you add a student nurse ontop of that, it just creates more chaos. sometimes the instructors have way to many students, so the students they go to the pts nurse, who may be very busy and doesnt have time to teach the student how to do something.

i've had some students who sit around doing nothing, take every chair at the nurses station, and read books. i remember one time when we had a group of students on a peds/adult med surg floor. they were there for their peds rotation. if we didnt have enough peds patients, a group of students would sit in the back for their entire clinical time and make up a peds patient. now trust me, that is enough to make some nurses very frustrated and not want to help a student the next time around because of that bad experience.

i'm sorry you had the bad experience so far with floor nurses, but please realize not all of us are like that. most of us love having students. but sometimes, the circumstances arent right (too many total care patients, understaffed) to training a student nurse. othertimes, the nurses are frustrated with the clinical instructor themselves (as in above situation of making up patients when there were plently of adult pts to go around) and then a grudge is held against students.

in time you may understand, but i do understand how frustrating it is for you. i've been through it myself with a hospital where the nurses didnt want the students on the floor, and made it clear to us. in turn we were extremly nice, answered all call bells, and helped out with patients who were not assigned to us. sometimes, you can "kill them with kindness"

good luck with your clinicals and with your carreer as a nurse. we could use some good nurses out there who like to teach!

-meghan