some Grade school, middle schools and high schools often "teach to the test" for funding so we should not be surprised that some nursing schools do the same. Hospitals are flooded with schools trying to find clinical shifts for students so the students end up in nursing homes, geri-psych facilities and other nonacute settings to learn. Students at my facility last week had to be firmly asked to leave the desk computers where they were doing homework so the Drs could do their orders. This group of students weren't interested in helping with anything that was not for their one pt.
As for pts being sicker these days: "back in the day" when a pt had their GB removed they came to the floor with an NG, IV, Foley, T-tube and a huge incision. Laminectomy pts log rolled for a week ....and that meant they were basically total care because they had to be turned q2h, fed, etc. I know the expectations of nurses have changed over the years but basic nursing hasn't...
