One bad egg...

[OttawaRPN]

So recently the Chief Nursing Executive as my hospital decided that all nursing staff are required to wear hospital provided lab coats while on duty, along with the ID badge, no exception. To the tune of thousands of dollars, I might add...

The rationale being that nurses as professionals should be easily identifiable to patients and other staff. Although a few didn't warm up to this idea initially after some grumbling and groaning it appears to be a rousing success.

So one particularly snotty nursing student who no nurse wished to be saddled with d/t her pompous attitude, strolled onto the unit wearing... a lab coat (the kind found at a medical supply store).

The NM took one look at her and said, "You are not staff, you are not a professional, go remove the lab coat and then you may return to the unit."

The snotty little thing went crying to her clinical instructor whining that she had been "discriminated" against causing a frenzy of bad vibes that has now caused a rift between an already fragile dynamic between staff and students, all because of one bad egg.

So was the student in her right to attempt to blend in or did she cross the point of no return?

Thoughts?

[Itsme13]

point of no return, i would have never dreamed of doing that when i was a nursing student. the little stunt could have got her in a lot of trouble. what is a family member would have approched her for something beyond her scope. what is it would have been an emergency or someone from the board of the hospital came up to her. or a dr making rounds, they usually have no patience for us most of the time anyways, and she would have to talk her way out of that one. she has not earned the right to wear the coat yet anyways. and my clinical instructor would have told me the same thing. and would have removed us from the floor. she as a student should have known better.

[Davey Do]

some grumbling and groaning... snotty nursing student... pompous attitude, strolled...snotty little thing went crying... a frenzy of bad vibes that has now caused a rift between an already fragile dynamic between staff and students, all because of one bad egg.

So was the student in her right to attempt to blend in or did she cross the point of no return?Thoughts?

I don't know. Could you be a little more objective?

[purple10]

she is a student they are not to "look" like the staff.

[headinsandRN]

the apperal is intended to be symbolic of a status.

the student was undermining this effort.

that student can wear a lab coat til she turns blue in the face after she graduates , passes boards and becomes staff. til then, she needs to stay in her lane and respect the units dress code.

[realnursealso/LPN, LPN]

I think she was trying to look like staff. When we were students, we wore our school uniform. Imagine crying because she got called on it. She knew what she was doing.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

A student is a student is a student. NOT staff. No, she should not have attempted staff impersonation.

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

So the 'coat' is the equivalant of the 'cap' ......maybe not appropriate but i think it could have been delicately addressed to her.

[cmonkey]

We're supposed to have lab coats in our program. Am I snotty for having one?

[billabong]

Seriously OP? Do you remember when you were a student and wanted to fit in? Could you be any more negative? I feel sorry for any students that end up trying to learn from you.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

We're supposed to have lab coats in our program. Am I snotty for having one?

Of course not. The student in question was wearing a lab coat without authorization, so to speak. Staff wears a lab coat (in the original scenario), not students.

[labd]

This is coming from a student... I can understand her wanting to look like the RN she may be someday. And it's ~possible~ she didn't understand that only staff should wear the lab coats to avoid confusion. But wow, there was no reason to cause further division by complaining about it to her instructor. I'm surprised that she succeeded in creating more division; her instructor should have enforced following the floor rules.