I'm a new grad (graduated in December) and have been working as a nurse now for 2 months. I just wanted to post some my thoughts on some of the students who come into my unit for clinicals
Please answer call lights, even if it's not 'your' patient. It may not be a big deal to you but it makes a big deal to me and may save me a few minutes.
Don't 'sit' at the computers if you're not working on them. If you're looking things up on the patients, that's one thing but to sit there because you don't have anything to do and take up a computer I need to use is not cool.
Try looking up answers to your questions before asking us. Google is your friend at times. I recently had a 1st year student ask me what "full code" meant then didn't understand what CPR was and when you use it. I also had a student recently ask me for a "rundown" on why my patients were here. I don't have time for a "rundown". I'm really happy to answer questions if you can't find the info but please do your homework first.
Don't sit at the nurses station and gossip. Especially if you're sitting in front of a computer.
Ask me if there is something you can do. I will almost always say yes :) and I will be more willing to show you things, grab you when something interesting is going on, etc if you actually want to be there
About the answering call lights thing, at work and clinical I answer call lights even if I don't know what is going on to the patient. If they ask for something and I can't figure out what is appropriate I will find the nurse or tech working with the patient and ask them how I am supposed to help the patient. I hear a lot of people say that they don't want to answer call lights because they don't know the patient but that seems like a simple solution to me.
It also seems like a simple solution to me, but I am telling you, my clinical instructor did NOT want us answering call lights. Yes, I KNOW it is a simple solution. I am a CNA. I know when I answer a call light on a patient that is not mine to make sure I know their situation before I get them up. However, my clinical instructor specifically told us NOT to answer call lights. It seemed silly to me too, and I'm not not answering it because I don't know the patient, but because my instructor has told us not to. Sorry I would prefer not to butt heads with my instructor.
Maybe they were trying to get a rundown so they could answer the call light.
that actually made me giggle... for clarification, these students are absolutely able to answer call lights. It's not against the hospital or university's rules. We have "NPO" labeled on doors so every single person who walks into that room knows.
This school is different than mine, they don't appear to have an instructor available all the time but I have talked to the instructors when I see something like sitting around a gossiping.
I absolutely remember how it felt being a student. I busted my butt on the floors (go back and read my old posts and you'll see I comment about this often, I LOVED clinicals). I earned the respect of the nurses I worked with. I worked with some really tough nurses, some really rude nurses, some amazing nurses (and some were all 3). I think as students you have to pick the right time to "pick the brains" of your nurses. When I haven't sat yet and I'm rushing around, stopping me to ask questions isn't really the best thing. If I have a moment to sit and think, I can chat while charting but just like reading a situation with yoru patient, we need to read the situations with the nurses.
Whoa whoa whoa.. let me add to my post that if your school states that you cannot answer call lights I am not saying do it anyway. I am saying I have been that scared first semester student who didn't want to answer call lights because I didn't know the patient and have even heard techs and RNs say if they don't know the patient they aren't answering the call light. That is all. Let's all take a deep breath now.
I have no problem answering call bells, but the one floor I was on was just crazy. There were more patients than CNAs or students put together which meant the nurses had to answer some too. Combined with clinical expectations (we don't get to look patients up a day before we have to do it that day) it isn't always possible to answer them and do what is expected of you if it is not your patient. That went double for those passing meds. And while we had access to the charts in most locations to find out what is wrong with the patient some locations did not give us chart access so we had to ask or risk an incomplete care plan and a royal reaming during post conference.
I do however feel that students should not gossip, sit around, etc at clinical. If I have that kind of extra time I spend it getting to know more about my patient and educating them or helping my nurse so she/he is a little less overworked. It's the right thing to do and if you want them to help you you have to be willing to help them. Nursing is a team sport.
The most shocking thing I've taken away from this post is that you've already had students, Krissypoo!
Surely there hasn't been a day on the floor when you're the most qualified to teach?
In my mind, that's totally unfair. Even the most helpful, independent student has to be a huge burden to someone still getting the ropes of a job. Sheesh.
wsoxgirl2008
31 Posts
It also seems like a simple solution to me, but I am telling you, my clinical instructor did NOT want us answering call lights. Yes, I KNOW it is a simple solution. I am a CNA. I know when I answer a call light on a patient that is not mine to make sure I know their situation before I get them up. However, my clinical instructor specifically told us NOT to answer call lights. It seemed silly to me too, and I'm not not answering it because I don't know the patient, but because my instructor has told us not to. Sorry I would prefer not to butt heads with my instructor.