My learning experience...just to share

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

I started a new rotation yesterday that is totally different from the previous two rotations. I'm learning from many more nurses at one time than I have on previous rotations too, so there are many more personalities to learn from.

When I met the nurse I would primarily be working with yesterday, I knew instantly that she was "my type": a very good teacher who was a straight shooter who told me when I needed to just observe even if I wanted to perform a skill, and she told me to "shut up" when she needed to concentrate. Yes, she told me to "shut up" but she said it in such a way that I--somehow--wasn't offended. She also told me after a particular skill, "You did a good job. Now move out of the way so I can do this!" She was Nurse Jackie (without the illegal and unethical behavior!), and I was Zoe. I loved her, I learned a LOT from her in the few hours I was helping her, and I hope she's "my nurse" again.

Then...

I was also working with another nurse that I instantly knew I would have to walk on eggshells around. It was just something in her demeanor that I observed before speaking a word to her. She was a bit Jekyll and Hyde-ish I confirmed when I started working with her. She would "snap" at me, then be all nice and stuff about the same damn skill. I couldn't figure out what she wanted.

In one particular incident, she had obviously assumed that I didn't observe a certain precaution, but I had observed it--I knew it was of utmost importance for everyone, but more so with these particular patients. She snapped her admonishment at me. I didn't argue with her, but the assumption threw me off. I got the feeling that if I corrected her assumption, she would just be more ****** off.

After the "snap," it took me a few seconds to internally "get over it" and focus on listening to what she said next. She DID say stuff for me to learn from after her various snaps in the hour I was with her, but it was difficult to get my brain re-focused on her subsequent words.

So I took something away from the experience with her re: skills and myself. The part about myself--GET YOUR BRAIN TOGETHER QUICKLY after a dealing with a less-than-personable nurse. You will learn something from her, but only if you thicken your skin and get down to business as quickly as possible.

Just thought I'd share....

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Specializes in cardiac-telemetry, hospice, ICU.

Thanks for the valuable insight!

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

True story-- you can learn from everybody, even if what you learn isn't exactly what the nurse had in mind as a lesson, "how to keep your act together" when someone behaves in that manner, and maybe you'll take it more in stride when it happens after you begin work as an RN.

I've got sort of a mental gallery of nurses who are people with that extra spark and what it was they did that made me notice them in that way. It could be something as simple as how they touch a patient, talk them through procedures, etc. Then there's the Hall of Shame. Ye-gads! Thankfully they were the minority.

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I was also working with another nurse that I instantly knew I would have to walk on eggshells around. It was just something in her demeanor that I observed before speaking a word to her. She was a bit Jekyll and Hyde-ish I confirmed when I started working with her. She would "snap" at me, then be all nice and stuff about the same damn skill. I couldn't figure out what she wanted.

In one particular incident, she had obviously assumed that I didn't observe a certain precaution, but I had observed it--I knew it was of utmost importance for everyone, but more so with these particular patients. She snapped her admonishment at me. I didn't argue with her, but the assumption threw me off. I got the feeling that if I corrected her assumption, she would just be more ****** off.

After the "snap," it took me a few seconds to internally "get over it" and focus on listening to what she said next. She DID say stuff for me to learn from after her various snaps in the hour I was with her, but it was difficult to get my brain re-focused on her subsequent words.

So I took something away from the experience with her re: skills and myself. The part about myself--GET YOUR BRAIN TOGETHER QUICKLY after a dealing with a less-than-personable nurse. You will learn something from her, but only if you thicken your skin and get down to business as quickly as possible.

Just thought I'd share....

:eek: WOW! You are absolutely RIGHT! It IS hard to refocus after being sliced to bits. I mean, all that snapping is terribly distracting and invasive to the learning curve! :no: I'm going to file this away under my "ADMIRABLE BEHAVIOR" section of my mind, and pull it out in the future so I don't freeze up after being verbally slapped around. Geesh! Great share! Thanks!

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Then there's the Hall of Shame. Ye-gads! Thankfully they were the minority.

LOL! Hall of Shame! Oh, I can't wait! LOL!:p

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
:eek: WOW! You are absolutely RIGHT! It IS hard to refocus after being sliced to bits. I mean, all that snapping is terribly distracting and invasive to the learning curve! :no: I'm going to file this away under my "ADMIRABLE BEHAVIOR" section of my mind, and pull it out in the future so I don't freeze up after being verbally slapped around. Geesh! Great share! Thanks!

Just to be clear: I wasn't sliced to bits, but her approach was completely unnecessary. She could have accomplished the same teaching without snapping. It was rather creepy how she could switch from biting your head off in the first two sentences to talking in a normal--even nice--manner in the next sentence without skipping a beat. This happened multiple times.

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Nice one, Thanks for sharing!^^

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