Losing respect for nursing students

[kjnsweets]

I've always been one that enjoyed having students. Im not one to eat the young. We were all there once. But I feel like I'm losing respect for some of the new students coming out. I guess I'm old school but we did not sit when we were students and we did not stand at the desk and gossip. You did not see a nurse or a doctor standing and a student sitting. Uniforms that look disastrous and hair hanging down. They are at times loud and unruly. Is the respect for our profession gone? Or is it just me?

[llg, PhD, RN]

I don't buy most of the "kids are lazy these days" because whose fault is it? Ours. The instructor has the power to manage his/her group or the school can lose their clinical space. I would complain straight to the instructor and then the school if there are issues. Your manager is also responsible to file complaints if the students are disrespectful, rude, or unkempt.

Sorry to be blunt, but I get tired of the argument that somehow we have nothing to do with how students behave in our house.

Great post, Tait. If you come into "my house" ... you either behave appropriately, or leave. I am the liaison between my hospital and the local schools. When staff come to me with complaints about a particular instructor or group of students, I am not afraid to act and call the Dean on the phone if necessary. But I can't act if the staff doesn't address the issue and just expects it to magically improve by itself.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I think a lot of the issue is maturity level and lack of experience of how to act in the workplace. Although the clinical site is their learning environment, it is still the nurse's workplace. I agree that this is less of a problem with non-traditional students and students in an ABSN program (which comprises entirely of non-traditional students.)

[funfunfun550, BSN, RN]

Your lucky to find a computer to sit and chart when they are on our unit. They sit more than any of the staff but lets face it they do hardly anything in comparison to times past because they are not allowed to. I think a lot are shell shocked. They seem very sweet just need a nudge or two to jump in for learning opportunities. After all there is one instructor and a lot of us. So even if they can not do hands on they can sure do a lot of observation and interaction and following the RN around. So do them and the profession a service and get them up off their butts because reality is going to be a rude awakening.

[Alexis33]

Kjnsweets- its not just you. We have nursing students who rotate through our unit (med-surg). Here is a brief summary of their make-up. 3 have the so-called "tram stamp tattoos on their chest, neck and top of their buttocks- seen from the revealing un-ironed scrubs. Every nail has a multi-color design and a ring on each finger. They are loud and they text in front of the patient while doing vitals or educating the patients. I had to pull 2 of them out and speak to them about our profession. One did not comb her hair for a week and said that it represent how clinicals make her feel. I asked her why she chose nursing- the money of course, not cleaning patients or listening to them whine. go figure. I am old school and I still hold my role as a nurse in very high esteem.

[Alexis33]

That's why we have a shortage because we are not getting nurses who are called to the profession. I don't know why they are choosing nursing nowadays. When we have new CNAs or techs and I notice the ones who are compassionate, I motivate them to go further and become a part of our profession. I have had 7 who turned out to be great nurses and 4 who went into radiology tech. It's not a lot but its a start to keep the standards up in nursing.

p.s.

For the ones who are obviously not suited for nursing, I usually have a general speech that goes like this"... when you notice that the work you are doing or your role is not in line with your personality, then it's best to find a job the suits you better..." I let them read in between the lines..

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I love having the students that are eager to learn and help out around. I once had to transfer a patient to another floor, and I asked a couple of the more eager ones to come with me. They did, and because I graduated less than two years ago, I explained that I was not asking them to do "grunt work," and transferring a patient and driving a bed without crashing it into walls is a part of nursing too. When I gave them both the reins on the bed, they learned very quickly that its not as easy as it looks. After that, I ask them to come with me for skills/procedures, and if they've watched me (or another nurse) do it once, I will allow them to do it themselves the second time while I supervise. Those two are some of the best students I've seen.

On the other hand, one of their classmates has had my patient a couple of times. The very first time she had my patient, I gave a quick rundown of what is expected. Vital signs, assessment, help the patient feed himself while you wait for your instructor for med pass. Bathe the patient. I even showed her how to do her research very quickly on our computer system. EVERY SINGLE TIME she has a patient, I have to prompt her to do all of these things. Do you have VS done yet? No. That's the first thing you need to do. Is the assessment done. No. How can you do anything for your patient if you don't know his/her status? This student sits constantly, takes up space at the nursing station, and is married to the computer--not the patient. I really want to kick her butt.

[Nurse ABC]

I think a lot depends on the instructor too. We had one group very respectful, willing to learn, and very neat. Then we had another group where each student nurse was on their own COW and when I was looking for one to go give meds they literally argued with me and told me I could use the old slow dilapidated monster in the corner. I refused and said I needed a reliable one and finally the nursing instructor said to take hers. Those students just got in the way all day long and argued about everything. I dreaded the days that group was there!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Most of the nursing students who have observed in the OR where I work have been wonderful. However, there is one that has been living in infamy since her observation. She claimed faintness, so we sent her to the lounge to sit and get a drink and snack. She never returned to the OR. Lunch time rolls around. Nowhere near enough seats in the lounge when the first group sits down to eat lunch. Why? She's sprawled across the couch, fast asleep. It's sad that that one incident is the one that is most remembered by the staff.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

That's why we have a shortage because we are not getting nurses who are called to the profession. I don't know why they are choosing nursing nowadays.

There are many wonderful, proficient, skilled, compassionate nurses in society who were not 'called' into the profession by some higher power. A person can enter the nursing profession for purely practical reasons and still turn out to be a highly competent clinician.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

I think the whole profession has gone down as a whole. I cannot blame the students, after all nurses look the same, and does the docs. Long hair, flip flops, and etc.

[aleong29]

I wanted to thank you for posting this! I'll be starting my nursing program this August in an ABSN program. This will definitely help guide me when I am in clinicals!

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I think some of the sitting around, etc. is the sheer number of restrictions hospitals are putting on students now. I'm saying this as a second semester senior. At one clinical site I've been to, no student is allowed to give meds without their instructor, NOT the patient's nurse, in the room. It has to be the clinical instructor. As you can imagine, the instructor, having at least eight students and zillions of 10 o'clock meds, has to pick and choose which students are allowed to give medications that day. Once you are a second semester senior you can give a PO med by yourself after the instructor verifies it's the right medication for the right patient. Really? I've always known how to hand a person a pill and watch them swallow, but apparently that's a really advanced skill now according to the hospital. I know they're protecting the patients, but how exactly are we supposed to learn when the nurses are not allowed to teach us and there is only one instructor? It was really frustrating. I am so glad there was a preceptorship at the end of my program where I was allowed to work with a nurse and I was her only student - I finally got to do things and really provide all of the care for my patient! None of the rest of nursing school clinicals helped much.

It is also aggravating how clinicals are scheduled. I don't understand why they schedule the students to be there 7-3, or 7-5... you don't really get to prepare, you don't get to give report to the oncoming nurses (which WOULD teach students to critically think - how else are you going to be prepared to give report if you don't put the pieces together with what's happening?) a lot of the skills are scheduled for after you leave... so pointless.

Most of the nurses I've worked with have been wonderful, friendly, and were willing to pull me in on stuff, which I really appreciate, but at one site in particular it seemed like the nurses were so biased against students that they were absolutely unapproachable. I always wondered why no one was willing to show me anything or teach me anything, but if they'd had students like were mentioned in this post before, I totally understand why.

It's frustrating on all ends to have bad students be allowed in a clinical site.