We have several new grads in our ER. I'm starting to think that most nurses should have at least a year on a more general ward before learning a specialty.
I'm seeing some clueless mistakes, and lack of basic skill in pt care. That includes things like how to clean a pt and roll and change bedding. Basics about IV med administration, dose calculations, prioritizing, and realities of inpatient care. They have no idea how the rest of the hospital functions.
On top of that, some of them seem to harbor elitist attitudes, as if they are already big hotshots. Yet, they themselves seem to lack the above mentioned skills.
I was a new grad that was hired directly into a perinatal orientation program. I had ZERO interest in working Med/Surg. And I see no benefit I would've gained in doing so. I went to an excellent private nursing school, with an accelerated program and our first semester alone was devoted to Fundamentals of nursing and pharmacology (loads of calculations). I find the OP's logic flawed here (sorry). Perhaps your facility needs to do a better job orienting new grads, but new nurses should be trained in the specialty they most have a hunger for.
I agree. I have definitely experienced the attitude of new grads. I put it as they think they are "all that" just because they finished nursing school. They think they are a hot commodity. New nurses should have a long orientation and preceptor phase before being on their own. I don't have a problem with them wanting to go into a specialty. I went into nursing specifically to do pediatrics. I would have quit if I had had to endure basic med-surg. Still a pediatric nurse after 35 years
I worked my way through nursing school working as a nursing assistant and still have my nursing assistant's certificate along with my high school diploma, nursing degree and nursing license. I never suffered from that "I am an RN, I'm superior attitude" some nurses have. This is the way to go
So you found a study with some schools one it, and you think this info means only those schools give the best experiences? I graduated from a community college, and I can tell you it was intense. I learned more in my ADN than I did in my original Bachelors degree, and far more than I learned in my RN to BSN degree.
You cannot reliably draw conclusions from one article. Case in point: "On a number of different levels, many community colleges outperform their four-year peers."
Your article basically only discussed how CC's are more flexible and cost effective. To me that translates into cheap tuition = low quality training. Plus your link mentioned only community colleges in general, it said NOTHING about nursing programs at community colleges. My link has ONLY nursing schools. I'd put my BSN program against your community college any day, I don't care which community college you're talking about, class by class and clinical rotation by clinical rotation, and my program would blow any out of the water, with hands-on experiences (didn't need my professor by my side to do things), with total clinical hours, amount of science required, etc. Did your nursing school have a cadaver lab? Did your nursing school have a high-fidelity sim lab? I took the exact same anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, microbiology, organic chem, biochem as the pre-med and pre-dental students were required to take before ever being accepted into my nursing program. Like I said, I'd put my program against any community college's program ANY day.
I agree totally! I see the elitist attitude from new grads and it makes me crazy. There is always something to learn no matter how long someone has been a nurse. I know becoming a nurse is a huge achievement but I pride myself in learning something new all the time. Confidence is one thing but arrogance is obnoxious.
Your article basically only discussed how CC's are more flexible and cost effective. To me that translates into cheap tuition = low quality training. Plus your link mentioned only community colleges in general, it said NOTHING about nursing programs at community colleges. My link has ONLY nursing schools. I'd put my BSN program against your community college any day, I don't care which community college you're talking about, class by class and clinical rotation by clinical rotation, and my program would blow any out of the water, with hands-on experiences (didn't need my professor by my side to do things), with total clinical hours, amount of science required, etc. Did your nursing school have a cadaver lab? Did your nursing school have a high-fidelity sim lab? I took the exact same anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, microbiology, organic chem, biochem as the pre-med and pre-dental students were required to take before ever being accepted into my nursing program. Like I said, I'd put my program against any community college's program ANY day.
Where is this program? I don't believe a word of this. If pre-nursing students had to take real organic chem (8 credits), real biochem (must have 8 credits in real organic chem first) the class would be so small the nursing class would be so small the college couldn't afford it. Prove me wrong. Let me know what program this is.
Your article basically only discussed how CC's are more flexible and cost effective. To me that translates into cheap tuition = low quality training. Plus your link mentioned only community colleges in general, it said NOTHING about nursing programs at community colleges. My link has ONLY nursing schools. I'd put my BSN program against your community college any day, I don't care which community college you're talking about, class by class and clinical rotation by clinical rotation, and my program would blow any out of the water, with hands-on experiences (didn't need my professor by my side to do things), with total clinical hours, amount of science required, etc. Did your nursing school have a cadaver lab? Did your nursing school have a high-fidelity sim lab? I took the exact same anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, microbiology, organic chem, biochem as the pre-med and pre-dental students were required to take before ever being accepted into my nursing program. Like I said, I'd put my program against any community college's program ANY day.
I'm a diploma school grad, so ahh, can I be an elitist if I think my program was even better than a BSN from the hands on perspective? Or am I not even allowed at the BSN vs CC table? 😜
I actually think a program that is a hybrid of a university based program of today and clinical immersion you had in your diploma program would be incredible. Not likely but one can dream
I'm a diploma school grad, so ahh, can I be an elitist if I think my program was even better than a BSN from the hands on perspective? Or am I not even allowed at the BSN vs CC table? ������
One of my best nursing professors in my BSN program had a Ph.D, but had come through the ranks as a diploma nurse. She said her program was superior to any CC or BSN program with which she was personally familiar.
But this is all very program specific. One cannot generalize to say that ADN programs are superior to BSN programs or vice versa, much as people like to insist. That circular argument never seems to lose steam.
The BSN program discussed a few posts ago sounds pretty awesome, if the description is accurate.
I think it says more about how nursing schools are teaching. Med/surg is a specialty of its own; to say that everyone needs to start there kind of seems to disrespect that status. However, schools need to have students prepared at the basic level of functioning; instead, it seems that nursing grads need to be taught how to be a nurse after graduation, regardless of the specialty in which they work.
My son just finished getting his BSN at a supposedly excellent program & his biggest complaint is that there was too little clinical & lab time. He is very aware that his skill level is not what it should be to enter the work place. The emphasis seems to be on academics and going on for advanced degrees. As far as attitude, he says too many instructors instill it in their students and unfortunately some students, esp. the younger ones, believe it.
I agree totally! I see the elitist attitude from new grads and it makes me crazy. There is always something to learn no matter how long someone has been a nurse. I know becoming a nurse is a huge achievement but I pride myself in learning something new all the time. Confidence is one thing but arrogance is obnoxious.
Like the ones who believe that their school blows EVERY other school out of the water. That obviously means that they're going to be the BEST nurses.
CammieFairfax
10 Posts
I was a new grad that was hired directly into a perinatal orientation program. I had ZERO interest in working Med/Surg. And I see no benefit I would've gained in doing so. I went to an excellent private nursing school, with an accelerated program and our first semester alone was devoted to Fundamentals of nursing and pharmacology (loads of calculations). I find the OP's logic flawed here (sorry). Perhaps your facility needs to do a better job orienting new grads, but new nurses should be trained in the specialty they most have a hunger for.