Losing respect for nursing students

msjellybean · Apr 27, 2013

Did I say that nursing students take over the RN's role?
Didn't think so.

No but you said that students do some of our work. I think the majority of people would assume that you are insinuating that since you are doing some of our work, that our load is somehow lighter.

RNdynamic · Apr 27, 2013

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?

No sitting? Is this some sort of a joke? You're supposed to stand for 8 hours without a break? They can sit all they want. Unlike for you, I'm sure their knees will be thanking them fifty years down the road.

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Apr 27, 2013

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

But you don't lighten my workload. I once spent nearly 15 minutes with a student explaining that Yes, it was OK to give the Coumadin with a "elevated" INR of 3.0. Over and over and over I explained that an "elevated" INR was the goal! I ended up giving the drug because she "just didn't feel comfortable" giving it.

Re: Hair - there are several young nurses on my unit. Most are pretty good. One however, always has her hair down - it gets into everything. People have told her to put it up, a couple of families have even complained but she keeps it down. Gross

KJM-RN, BSN · Apr 27, 2013

But you don't lighten my workload. I once spent nearly 15 minutes with a student explaining that Yes, it was OK to give the Coumadin with a "elevated" INR of 3.0. Over and over and over I explained that an "elevated" INR was the goal! I ended up giving the drug because she "just didn't feel comfortable" giving it.
Re: Hair - there are several young nurses on my unit. Most are pretty good. One however, always has her hair down - it gets into everything. People have told her to put it up, a couple of families have even complained but she keeps it down. Gross

The hair thing is crazy and you're right about gross. During clinical, we are not allowed any hair on our shoulders. For me that means wearing a ponytail. I have noticed some past professors not caring so much and others that were very strict. Regardless of the instructor, I always put my hair in a ponytail on clinical days, that's the school policy. I presume that's the policy of most hospitals as well...?

%) · Apr 28, 2013

What annoys me is, they are no where to be found when something needs to be done. If you want to do something/watch a procedure you make sure you're there to do so. It is not my responsibility to hunt you down when something "cool" is going to happen. I have other patients to take care of, and when It's time for me to go into the room of the patient you were assigned, I'm not going to hunt you down.

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

What annoys me is, they are no where to be found when something needs to be done. If you want to do something/watch a procedure you make sure you're there to do so. It is not my responsibility to hunt you down when something "cool" is going to happen. I have other patients to take care of, and when It's time for me to go into the room of the patient you were assigned, I'm not going to hunt you down.

I had a Doctor come to the unit once to remove a g-tube. I asked him if the students could watch. He said "sure". I ran around, told every student I could find what was going on and that it they wanted to watch, they had to go to X room NOW. Because the doc would not wait. Most did.

One student said she was coming. 1/2 later, she walked into the room only to find the procedure was over. She was upset with me because I did not make the doctor wait for her. She was an older student by the way, and one of the most frustrating students I have ever dealt with. But that's another story!

opto-nurse · Apr 28, 2013

havent read through every post here but, wow! the OP is losing respect for nursing students and most of you agree? what a way to generalize. im currently a student and im not gonna say every nursing student out there is an angel but im also not going to say something as ignorant as stating that all nursing students are disrespectful, rude blah blah blah. there are good nursing students and there is bad nursing students, just like there are good nurses and bad nurses.

my experience with nurses in my first semester is pretty bad actually. ive been ignored, looked down on and some nurses have raised their voices at me for no good reason! but i attribute the bad attitude with people who are just mean, not "all nurses are mean"

ImKosher · Apr 28, 2013

I'm glad I haven't run into any nurses like the OP and gallery. How can you expect us to benefit from you if you have such a bad outlook of us "nursing student". Do me a favor and let the nursing instructor know not to assign you a student, that student will be better off with a nurse who supports a learning envoironment and the student.

RNdynamic · Apr 28, 2013

But you don't lighten my workload. I once spent nearly 15 minutes with a student explaining that Yes, it was OK to give the Coumadin with a "elevated" INR of 3.0. Over and over and over I explained that an "elevated" INR was the goal! I ended up giving the drug because she "just didn't feel comfortable" giving it.
Re: Hair - there are several young nurses on my unit. Most are pretty good. One however, always has her hair down - it gets into everything. People have told her to put it up, a couple of families have even complained but she keeps it down. Gross

Students always help my floor out by performing baths and toileting patients. I am always happy when they are scheduled to come.

If you find that your workload is overburdened by the presence of students, you may need to work on your time management and priority setting. Alternatively, you may not be skilled enough to have a student caring for your patients yet.

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

I'm glad I haven't run into any nurses like the OP and gallery. How can you expect us to benefit from you if you have such a bad outlook of us "nursing student". Do me a favor and let the nursing instructor know not to assign you a student, that student will be better off with a nurse who supports a learning envoironment and the student.

I am very happy to help nursing student. However, the student needs to know that helping them takes a lot of extra time and effort on my part, so a little appreciation would be nice.

lmccrn62, MSN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

I have to also say that there were some rude nurses when I brought my students to the floor. I work hard to get them motivated to have nurses ask the students to get them I'V bags and then the student asks to watch and the grouchy floor nurse says "no". How insulting. I have also had nurses not allow them help with patient care and then ask them to leave as they close the door. My students also witnessed a supervisor berate me because I complained about the near miss while we were giving meds and no fault if the student but the unsafe practice of the patients nurse. Another occurrence was when a tech stood right next to a student complaining how stupid they were and how much they didn't know. So to the surprise of the tech when the student called her on it. The tech stayed clear of the students for the rest of the semester.

RInursingstudent · Apr 28, 2013

When I was a tech in the ICU, we had a student walking around the unit with a lollipop hanging in her mouth. My nurse manager said "I don't know where you think you are, but get rid of that in your mouth." I thought it was common sense to not have that in your mouth, but apparrantly not, LOL.