Bacillus subtilis

I work nights and fully realize that day shift bears the brunt of meal times, appointments and so forth. I admit it's not for me and couldn't deal with the constant interruptions and transporters taking "my" patients away for tests and procedures. But other factors exist to complicate matters. I work in a busy medical-surgical unit (aka dumping ground) in a teaching hospital. The beds emptied during day shift are usually being filled during my shift without the benefit of a unit clerk to direct traffic. Our staffing is thinner overall with a higher patient load. By this time the primary physicians have left the building and we are left to deal with the residents, who are obviously still learning and loathe to irk the day team rounding in the morning. One seasoned nurse reminded me part of our job is to keep the residents from killing people. Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but dealing with inexperienced doctors is a "night shift problem" in my facility. Worst of all, we're expected to deal with higher patient loads because apparently people sleep all night and stop being incontinent at the stroke of 1900.

I too am a worrier, really OCD and tend to perseverate on things. But do keep in mind that nursing school does not equal nursing. In all my rotations thus far, we have had minimal orientation to the floor. We do not have access to the Pyxis keys for the med cart. In some places, we couldn't even get linens/briefs/wipes/alcohol pads by ourselves. This means running to the instructor and competing with 7 other students for her attention. This obviously adds to the anxiety level. Just being a nursing student means role strain...expected to do xyz, but don't you dare do abc. Having to explain for the hundredth time that the instructor must be present for this or that. Getting comfortable with the unit/staff/clientele and being uprooted yet again. It's just the nature of school. I haven't done a Foley yet either...all my patients either already had one or didn't need one. I'm just looking forward to my role transition--me and my preceptor, one-on-one. If I were you, I'd just hang on--you've already come this far!

I finished my OB rotation a few weeks ago. We did not do lady partsl exams to check dilatation and effacement. OB is a specialty with extensive orientation, and performing this skill falls outside of the student role. You really don't know what to look for or how to do it efficiently. I really doubt your school would put you (or the patient) in this position. In my program, the only exception to this is students doing their role transition in OB--individuals who plan to do it as a career. As students, we were responsible for assessing postpartum moms and their infants. We administered pain medications, vaccinations, flushed IV lines and inserted/removed Foley catheters. I found that my "mom assessment" was like my typical medical-surgical one with the OB pieces tacked on. You still assess pain, pulses, bowel sounds etc. as you would with any patient. OB is not my "thing" and I was skittish at first, but it gets easier. As a student, you have more time than the staff nurses carrying a full load. Most of my postpartum patients liked the extra TLC.

My program involves a lot of "self teaching" as well. My first semester they used canned online demos (affiliated with the textbook publisher) and refused to demonstrate procedures. Their rationale was that people won't prepare for lab if the instructor demonstrates a given skill. As you can imagine, this approach generated stress, anger and tears. Worst of all, the online demos usually ran counter to the instructor's "preferred" method. It was trial and error. I really think they're trying to toughen us up--or it's a by-product of their torture! Believe me, you're not alone in feeling this way.

I really appreciate everyone's input. I believe our total required hours are 72, but I might be wrong. I'm looking forward to seeing the whole picture. Right now we're just getting bits and pieces of a typical day. :)

We spend our final semester with an RN preceptor, working alongside him/her for 12 full hours. I was wondering if other programs do this as well. If so, I'd love to hear some experiences, tips or survival skills!

At my university, students who plagiarize must attend a hearing to determine their status. I imagine this is standard procedure regardless of the institution. Depending on the severity of the infraction, a student may be dismissed from the university or receive an AD (academic dishonesty) mark on their permanent record. Even if one retains admission and manages to graduate, the AD mark remains on the transcript. Potential employers will view it as evidence of deceptive behavior. My spouse recently attended a hearing for a student who chose to plagiarize. This process is time consuming and disrupts a teacher's schedule. I imagine the affected students enjoy it even less.

I am married to a grad student, so this post caught my attention. With lit and philosophy, consider the PhD a baseline for professional practice in a university setting. I realize people can and do teach with MA degrees but such positions are usually temporary. If this is your passion start preparing now. For perspective, my DH started his BA in the fall of 1999 and will (hopefully) finish his PhD in 2010. You have to be in for the long haul to make it work.

My first clinical is in two weeks. I was wondering if any nursing students would be willing to share their experiences. I'm on the cautious side anyway, and fear of the unknown sharpens this trait. I've been spending lots of time practicing with mannequins but it's not the same. I would greatly appreciate any words of wisdom. :uhoh21: