Losing respect for nursing students

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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?

Specializes in Endocrinology, hopefully.

I'm just starting nursing school this fall, but I can completely see where you're coming from in being horrified by some of the student nurses. Unfortunately, I've been doing pre-reqs with people whom I would RUN from if they were my nurse!

I'm sure it helps that I'm 35, have 2 children with chronic illnesses, and am returning to school. I'm sure I was a know-it-all when I was younger, too... I would hope, though, that I have always been both presentable and respectful in any professional setting!

Caring seems to be a bit of a lost art, I think...

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Specializes in Management, Med/Surg, Clinical Trainer.
I have found that our local hospitals are not giving out as many clinical spaces to the schools. The schools have to bargain over spots.

I saw this for my nursing program as well. This should help increase the caliber of the students.

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Specializes in Adult ICU/PICU/NICU.

I think that even though nursing education has improved in many ways over the years, the type of nursing student has declined steadily since the 1970s. In my day, women didn't have the options they do now. You could be a secretary, an elementary school teacher or a nurse. I was the only girl when I was a senior in high school to take physics and calculus. I remember my high school chemistry teacher (all male science teachers...never a woman) telling me "you should be a nurse" while the boys heard "you'll be a doctor someday." Many very bright young women who excelled in math and science were guided into nursing in those days. Now, we still have bright young women AND men going into nursing, but not as many because there are so many other choices. I wish that nursing would do a better job to recruit better candidates, but with the for profit nursing diploma mills popping up everywhere that have no standards for admission and only want your money, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

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Blah, blah, blah...

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I am RN now but I could go back a couple of months to my nursing school days and start a thread in the same vein about the view point from the other side: nursing students losing respect for licensed RNs. The great majority of the RNs during my clinicals (except my preceptor - what a wonderful mentor) wanted NOTHING TO DO with us students. They had no time or interest or disposition to teach us or let us do anything (but had ample time to gossip at the nurse's station). They completely ignored us. Even worse, they made us feel like a burden to them and the unit, constantly complaining that we were taking the computer stations, on their way etc. While I agree with most that have been posted here so far, this thread is very much one-sided.

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I agree. I think it's generational. It's almost as if the entrance age for nursing edu. needs to be say mid 20s at lowest acceptance age.

Look at Medicine. You've got to have your undergrad first, then med school, then residency. To some extent maturing and moulding takes place in those 8 years.

Today's 18 year old has the maturity of a 14 year old. Things have definitely changed.

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Specializes in Pain, critical care, administration, med.

I responded earlier to this post and have to say as a clinical instructor and I also work as a director of a med surg unit. People are different then years ago. I spend more time telling people about professionalism, being specific about what is required in the job description, how to dress, and even how to act. There is a sense of entitlement today and its not all the young ones or is it the older workforce. It really varies.

Some think nursing is a glam job. As a nurse for 30yrs I have never been told that I am a slacker and I think it's because I love my profession. I love caring for patients and have a love of life long learning. I can tell those that are in it as a convenience. If its your first or second career option please do it because its what you want to do. Please don't come to work to hang out and socialize, Facebook or text or whatever your bad behavior is. Patients respect and trust nursing lets keep training and pushing the new generation of nurses because they will be taking care of us someday!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

This thread is VERY much one-sided, but that doesn't surprise me.

I am in nursing school, but I also work as an aide on a floor that "hosts" nursing students, so I see both sides. My clinical groups have been very respectful, and yes, we do sit down....to chart and look up meds, not to surf on Facebook. We are expected to everything we've been taught in our class and to build up on previous skills. It is shocking that there are some students who have to be chased down and told to do vitals, assessments and baths. At my clinicals, we were doing all of that AND the more complex skills we learned in lab.

I love how some nurses complain about students but then forget that the students are doing some of their work (passing meds, performing skills). To the nurses who are complaining about nursing students and lamenting about the erosion "old-school" values, I give you this:[h=1]“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

― Socrates[/h]

So before people complain about the younger generation, please take a look at the past. Older generations have whined about the youth since before Christ, so what makes you think that this new generation is particularly deviant? I'm sure when you were students, the RNs complained about your generation as well.

That being said, I think some of the complaints are valid. Whenever I see a nurse standing, I offer my seat to them. If there is a learning opportunity, I am one of the first to raise my hands up. However, I do see some of my classmates hesitate to practice skills and huddle around to gossip (but I've seen professional nurses do this as well) and when I'm at work and I see nursing students crowd ALL of the computers, I do get frustrated. Yes, I understand they are here to learn, but when they see an employee standing there waiting for a computer, you should offer to give yours to that employee.

I think it really has to do with the program...this isn't generational in the least.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I love how some nurses complain about students but then forget that the students are doing some of their work (passing meds, performing skills).

I hate to be the one to say this, but students do not lighten the work load; rather, they increase it. As the nurse legally responsible for that patient, I am either spending more time teaching you to do a skill than it would take me to do it, supervising you doing it (which you will take longer than an experienced nurse), or following behind you to make sure that everything gets done. Don't get me wrong, I do love having students who are courteous, looking to learn, and did a little homework before showing up. But don't assume that just because you're there for clinical that you've taken over for the nurse.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I don't want it say that it's generational. I'll say that it's more societal. When we speak of traditional nursing students, we are technically speaking about 18-22 year olds, who have not been in college before and have had little life/job experience. In my experiences, there are not too many if my students who fit this description. That number is increasing recently, but in my 8 years of teaching, these have not been the majority for me. A good number of the students I teach are somewhere in between that"traditional" 19 year old and the 40-50 something mom who is doing this after raising her kids, or the second career student who always wanted to be a nurse. Many of ours are late 20s early 30s, with a variety of past experiences. Sadly,they are not necessarily any more mature than the kids I teach. They just think they are more entitled because their lives are busier, or maybe because they've "worked in healthcare" (CNA, MA, secretary, etc) and know more.

A few semesters ago, I had a group of 8, and three of them were under 21. Those three were the most prepared, professional, and respectful students in the group. They definitely showed their age at times (by some of the things they would say to me), but they couldn't help it at times, but never did in front of patients or staff. I attribute this to their upbringing and their prior education.

Yet, I still see some of the stereotypes and behaviors discussed here. The most disturbing of all, is the loitering in clinical, the not " looking busy" mentality that was ingrained in me in every job I ever held (not just nursing). I've seen it as a floor nurse, as an instructor (at schools where the professionalism wasn't emphasized nearly enough), and recently as a visitor on the hospital (students looking incredibly comfortable, lounging in the visitors lobby, all glued to their electronic devices). I used to hate that "look busy" mentality when I was younger. Now, I totally get it. Anything less than looking ready to work looks unprofessional, no matter what your job is.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Did I say that nursing students take over the RN's role?

Didn't think so.

I hate to be the one to say this, but students do not lighten the work load; rather, they increase it. As the nurse legally responsible for that patient, I am either spending more time teaching you to do a skill than it would take me to do it, supervising you doing it (which you will take longer than an experienced nurse), or following behind you to make sure that everything gets done. Don't get me wrong, I do love having students who are courteous, looking to learn, and did a little homework before showing up. But don't assume that just because you're there for clinical that you've taken over for the nurse.
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I haven't read through all the replies, but I think all the comments on age having to do with respect and eagerness is unfounded. There is quite a mix of ages amongst students in my class. I find many of the older students and younger students to not be so eager to see and/or try things during clinical. Same goes for students that want to, age having nothing to do with it. Some people look presentable in all aspects of their life and others don't, doesn't matter how old you are. If you're showing up to clinical disheveled, I'm pretty sure you look disheveled most other times.

Also, the gossiping amongst students... Definitely shouldn't be gossiping, but if they aren't receiving direction from their professor and there is nothing for them to do they may just get caught up in conversation with a friend. I know personally, I try to put myself out there as much as possible during clinical, but sometimes I get shunned by the nurses and my professor is no where to be found. I hate that.

I would never imagine taking a seat from a nurse and/or doctor, I'm a guest in their job, it's their seat not mine. Even if I see an empty seat for a while and I need to do paperwork, I won't sit. I hate to think that the poor students is what is causing some nurses to give all students the cold shoulder. I will say that there are plenty of great students in my program, but also many that I can't picture actually working in the profession when they can barely get through class and clinical.

Don't lose hope, many of us are dying to graduate (3 more weeks for me!!!) and can't wait to work as nurses, just need some teaching from RN's.

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