Please help a student nurse

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Feb 6, 2014

Play nice with others. Try to get involved with anybody doing anything. Do not assume you are "above" that task. I learned so much from CNA's!!

Ask nurses how they manage time. Many have cheat sheets or some such tool. You will find there are many varieties, so keep asking till one makes sense to you.

Spika RN · Feb 6, 2014

Play nice with others. Try to get involved with anybody doing anything. Do not assume you are "above" that task. I learned so much from CNA's!!
Ask nurses how they manage time. Many have cheat sheets or some such tool. You will find there are many varieties, so keep asking till one makes sense to you.

Could of not said it better myself my cna is my life line

gonerunning88 · Feb 7, 2014

I agree with the above comments. Get involved with patient care as much as possible, give the staff the impression you are motivated to learn. Treat everyone on the floor with respect. Sometimes the nurses will be a too busy to explain and teach everything HOWEVER I learned A LOT from the CNAs, NPs, Pharmacists, and Drs. during my clinical rotations in nursing school. . .So don't brush them off.

Good Luck!

ilikesharpthings · Feb 11, 2014

Be willing to accept that the real world of nursing often looks different than the NCLEX/nursing school world. Ask non-threatening questions about differences you see. Instead of saying, "Well thats not how WE learned it", ask your preceptor WHY they do something a certain way - you will learn that there are often 2, 3 or even 10 ways to do something correctly. I just learned a cool trick for preparing a foley catheter for insertion from a more seasoned nurse than me - it wasn't the way I learned in nursing school but I like her way better!

Try not to get too caught up in learning the individual computer system and all the ins and outs but focus on the basics of charting a good assessment, recognizing new orders, reviewing doctors notes, etc. Everywhere you go the charting will be a little different, but some things are universal.

Get to know the ancillary staff - you can learn a lot from RT, PT, OT, dietary, and absolutely the CNAs!!

Follow your preceptor around to get a good idea of how they organize their day. But also get to know other nurses and ask if they have any interesting procedures that need to be done. I remember once when another nurse had a student and I had a HUGE, interesting wound to pack/dress and the student was nowhere to be found. I sought out the other nurse and she didn't know where the student was either! Missed opportunity.

Don't be afraid of doctors. They were students once too! Just do your best to have your ducks in a row so you're not wasting their time if they ask a question about the patient that you don't (but should) have the answer to.

Good luck! Med surg is an awesome specialty and I hope you have a great experience.

itinerantPHNAK · Feb 12, 2014

In my final practicum, the thing that kept me the most organized was my "nurse brain" figure out how to organize your paper that holds all your pt information. there are so many available online, and many floors have them available too. But look around, make your own.

Also, like many have said before, ask questions! Ask everyone questions, if you have a good nurse, they will let you be both hands on, but still take time to watch and learn. If you have any opportunity to leave the floor or talk to another person in the care team, do it. Find out what they do in their job, ask what you can do, as a nurse, to make their job easier or how you can best communicate.

lastly, make friends with the CNAs, cleaning staff, secretary, and dining staff. If they dont like you, your day will not go well.

peasandonions · Feb 12, 2014

Yes, play nice with others. One of the most shocking things that I have learned is that nurses do not support each other like they should, and until we do, we will not be able to advance like we want to.