nursingstudent85

Mine are fairly new (less than 2 months old) so I don't want to toss them just yet. How often should I be replacing them?

Thanks for your reply student4lyf_LPN. I am going to discuss this with my instructors this week. I've made some notes and points to discuss; I am practising a tactful approach. I am trying for the best and also preparing for the worst (in case something can't be worked out). Like I said, my school is not very accommodating at all. I know a classmate who had a medical emergency last semester (she offered to provide the school with required documentation) and they were unsympathetic towards her need to reschedule a quiz. They basically told her to write the quiz as scheduled or forfeit her mark. Unfortunately, they work us so hard that she never had the energy to fight for her rights as a student. I am currently working on improving the situation as much as I can. Like I said, I am trying to better my situation but preparing for the worst, just in case.

I have a pair of white leather nursng shoes that I usually machine wash with detergent + bleach, and then let them air dry. I was wondering if it was safe to put them in the dryer to speed up the process? Or will they fall apart? What are some of your methods for cleaning your shoes?

Hey, ro2878... I am in my final year of nursing school and the treatment hasn't improved for my peers or I. We still encounter really belligerent faculty that make you wonder why these people still remain in a "caring" profession such as nursing or why they’re even teaching. They're terrible to their students and they're equally terrible to their patients and some of their methods severely contradict some of nursing’s professional standards. For all their knowledge, it's still hard to admire them for much else... being so bitter towards the world and all. However, since we are just subordinates there is very little we can do about it without expected risks and repercussions. From now on, I'm trying to refocus my attention to the positives. I want to be the kind of nurse people look up to and not the one people dread to work with. I've been dwelling on the negatives for the past little while and I need to stop this. You know what makes it all worth while... when once in a blue moon you meet a nursing prof. who, after decades of experience, is still passionate about his or her work and tries to inspire others. I had the privilege of having such a prof. last semester. I was so grateful to this prof. that I made sure at the end of our semester to have our entire student body compose letters of thanks to her for inspiring us all to be better nurses and for helping us succeed academically. I'm going to aspire to be more like this particular nursng prof. and stop my negative train of thought asap!! Whatever happens this semester, I'll deal with it. Even if I have to sleep in a bus shelter. I'll deal with it and work every shift with a smile on my face. I love taking care of people and, despite all of the bull$#*!, I really do feel that this is the best job in the world. I think the negative experiences I’ve encountered are part of the reason why I’d like to be a nursing instructor one day... to be an advocate for students. I'm still going to take not.done.yet's advice and ask if the hospital can spare somewhere for me to sleep though Well, here's to hoping!!

Hi not.done.yet, Unfortunately, (as previously mentioned) I do not own a car, I can't afford to buy a car and can't afford to rent a motel room. If these things were options I would be exploiting them already. Sorry, I do appreciate that you took the time to share your thoughts and I don't mean to sound b*&chy... I sincerely apologise if I do. I'm just at the end of my rope. As you suggested, I will look into whether or not the hospital has a spare room or even a bed to spare. Thanks for that tip! I've never heard of this before regarding nursing students, but I know it's an option for medical students. This would be amazing if it could actually work out. Has this ever been an option for nursing students (with extenuating circumstances) where you work? If so, what would be the best way for me to discuss this with my clinical instructor? In the meantime, I continue to ask my peers if anyone has a couch or floor I can crash and in exchange I've been offering to help with research papers, editing or babysitting... So far, I have had no luck. I have exhausted all the options i can think of and have no other choice but to struggle with my difficult commute, for now. I will look into whether the hospital can provide a bed or office or even a chair I can use to sleep over. Fingers crossed!!

I realize that I am very likely going to have to "deal with it"; I suppose now I am just venting because I am REALLY frustrated. I have a 4.0 GPA, I am never late or disrespectful and I ask this one time to be accommodated and I'm pretty much ignored. Anyway... Hopefully (whilst I'm waiting in a dark bust shelter at 3am; b/c there is only one bus in my city that begins its route @ 3am and then runs once an hour)... Hopefully, while I am waiting there no one will assault, rape or murder me. If someone does, well... that will be really bad PR for my school and maybe then they'll think about student safety and consider more reasonable placements in the future.

I know that nursing school (and education in general) is all about sacrifices. I earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry before I entered this nursing program so I do have experience with post-secondary institutions... but I have never encountered so many administrative issues and abusive behavior as I have in nursing school. It seems excessive and unique to nursing programs! Why is that? For example, the RN in charge of our clinical screening lost half of my health record documents that I submitted to her several months ago and instructed me to get certain tests done which I later learned from my dean were never required in the first place. My point is this... I am ultimately accountable for everything! even the errors of my faculty. It's my responsibility to replace the documents the clinical screening RN lost and let go of my anger over all the wasted time and money spent on unnecessary tests; and it's my responsibility to make it my clinical placement on time. By asking for a placement change I am trying to ensure that I make it to my clinical site on time so I do not let my patient's down or let anyone else down that is relying on me that day. I cannot afford to rent an apartment because all of my money has been spent on tuition, books, uniforms, etc... I've already looked into carpooling and unfortunately it just couldn't work. I would be willing to sleep on someone's floor just to make it to the hospital on time, but again unfortunately it just couldn't be worked out. For this nursing program, I have already scarified financially; I continue to sacrifice sleep, social life and rarely spend time with my family. My husband and I have even delayed having children so that I can focus on my educational priorities. That was my choice to put nursing school first and I am happy to do so, but I still can't fathom why most students are never accommodated in my program. I do understand what it is all about. I would never, as another member insinuated, be so presumptuous as to expect the shift time to be adjusted for myself alone. I just happen to know that a lot of students in my clinical group are struggling with the start time already. They took students who live nowhere near our hospital site and placed us together. I've learnt that students have been placed randomly, so whether or not you live in an entirely different city is none of the school's concern. I have no problem taking public transportation to and from my clinical site, but to suggest that I should just accept waking up at 2:30am and going to bed at 12am is kind of irrational. The reason I even asked to be accommodated is because I may not be able to reach the hospital in time because public transportation in my area doesn't run 24hours a day. I have sacrificed everything for this program and while I don't expect my faculty to move heaven and earth for me... I wouldn't mind being accommodated a little considering a) I asked well in advance, c) I am a good student who, up until now, never asked for any favors and c) I am paying several thousand dollars in tuition alone. As a student we pay a lot of money for this education, so some accommodation would be nice. Sometimes I feel like (some) members of the faculty feel as if they are doing students a favor by just showing up. Whatever happened to leading by example? How does this reflect everything we're being taught about building inter-professional and therapeutic relationships. It feels more dog eat dog to me. Ultimately, I will accept whatever placement I am given because I am powerless and want to succeed in this program. I will do it with a smile on my face because I am professional, but I don't think it's a positive learning experience for anyone.

I use this site (http://www.howjsay.com/) whenever I need a reference for/to know how to correctly pronounced any words... medical terms or common (vernacular) terms. It's fabulous and it's FREE! You type in the word you want to hear, click submit and it annunciates it for you. I love it!

I would approach her somewhere private and ask her about the situation. After you've spoken with her document your conversation (date/time/nature of what was discussed/your co-worker's retorts); keep personal notes of what is going on in case things escalate. If you feel like things can't be resolved after speaking with her, leave it alone. In most cases, these situations die out on their own after a few weeks. Whatever you do, do not contribute to the gossip by speaking to other staff about her or the situation. Doing so could make you appear unprofessional and as if you've had a hand in the whole gossip pool. Also, even if you did attempt to resolve it people will think what they what to think about you despite your best efforts. If you call too much attenton to the situation you may be perceived as insecure and this might help validate your associates' false claims about you being weak or a "pushover". In my experience, with situations like this, it's best to put on a brave face and ignore the gossip. Keep doing a fabulous job and the naysayers eventually fall to the wayside. People notice their BS and distance themselves from them. I'm speaking from personal experience with workplace bullies. More often then not, the bullies gossip their way right out of a job. If things continue after a month or so, or if it's really hurting your morale, then I would address it (with your documented notes in tow) with senior staff. Is there a nurse manager or charge nurse you could talk to? I really hope things work out for you and I'm sorry you were put in this situation in the first place.

Hearing about horizontal violence makes me feel so sad and dissappointed. Why are these people nurses in the first place? I'm sorry you have to go through this at all.

I see what you're saying. Well, I'll happily work at the placement I've been given if I have to... I'll do anything to accomplish my goal. Thanks for your insight.

I'll ask and if I can’t be accommodated then I will just “buck up” and do my job. I really don’t want to generate any negativity and would prefer to maintain congenial working relationships. I feel genuinely guilty for having to ask because I know how busy my coordinator is. I really wish I could make this situation work somehow. Oh boy... I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface of nursing. I really love taking care of people. I just hope I can survive and find a happy medium without being completely devoured. I would love to have career longevity. Thank you so much everyone for all of your advice and thoughts! I appreciate it more than you know :)

I can't afford to rent a room. But I'll start asking classmates who live nearby if they can offer a couch to sleep on for clinical days. How about this as an option... I was thinking instead of asking for a placement change perhaps I ask my clinical instructor if there is any possibility of changing our start time by an hour or two (to 8am or 9am instead of 7am). That would be a tremendous help! If this is a good idea... Should I send her an email tonight or speak to her in person when I meet her on Tuesday? Would that be shooting for the moon or do you think this would be a reasonable request? One of my classmates has a clinical instructor who has instituted a later start time (9:45am) to accomodate students who commute.

I do work in addition to going to school. I get home from work around 10pm most nights and then do homework and get about 3-5 hours of sleep, if i'm lucky. Thanks for you insight and the tips. You're right about alot of it. I suppose I'll just deal with it because I don't want to rub my faculty the wrong way by asking again...'cause that will open up a whole new set of problems. Unfortunetly, public transit isn't always reliable (here in Toronto/GTA there are always delays) and I am just worried about being late. I don't want to let my patient(s) and my clinical instructor down, or set a bad impression.

I would be working Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 7 hour shifts each day