CCRN2BE

I can completely relate...... I don't know when this shift to the following happened, but I know I, nor my fellow coworkers, appreciate it. Dump your student on my floor and tell them they're assigned to "me". Recently had a student "assigned" to me whose clinical instructor was not even present on the unit/floor. Did not see said CI at all throughout entire shift. Student shows up with no stethoscope, no books, no paper, not even so much as a pen and tells me they'll just be "following me around." For one, I cannot stand to be followed around (anywhere!) and don't appreciate when I can't even sneak away to the break room to shove some food in or to the bathroom without a student trailing me. The student gains no educational benefit from chasing around a nurse who just wants to get her own work done without being interrupted 5 million times with questions. I want to say, "go look it up!" or "where is your instructor?!?". If they'd put just a tiny bit of effort into thinking or attempting to learn, I might not be so irritated by it. But a student who shows up completely unprepared and then grills me with questions about every action I take or do not take and expects me to regurgitate the what, why and how of everything is just wasting both our time. I know I sound harsh, but this method leads to a poor experience for the student and the nurse both. I wish they'd realize they are not doing their students any favors by structuring clincials this way. With the exception of a few great students, we've had a rash of unmotivated and unprepared students with MIA clinical instructors from programs like this lately and it's caused a lot of frustration for all.

Thank you for sharing the story of your beautiful, though difficult journey. Having worked with LVAD/heart transplant patients, there is no greater part of my job than when we get an update that our patients are back home and able to live their lives again doing what is meaningful to them and being with the people dear to them. I wish you only the best in your health and career in the future! This experience has undoubtedly made you an even better nurse who has "been there" and can relate to your patients in a very unique way.

OP, do you know the rational for the applesauce, as in how it works? Just curious. I'm all for (safe) tricks to stay efficient.

I agree with the pp, I think the thicker the concoction the more likely to clog. A trick we sometimes use if a corpak is sluggish or clogged is to attempt to irrigate with a small amount of a carbonated drink, i.e. ginger ale. Of course, this is after the fact and used before more aggressive measures.

Agreed. At the end of the day, does what this random person think of you really matter in the grand scheme of your life? Rude people are everywhere.

No, it is not like that everywhere. You need to run the other way and refuse to get involved in that mess.

This. It is important to pass it on in report for the simple fact that it is present and the area around it needs to be assessed for developing problems.

I would guess that two factors will work in your favor, one being the time that has elapsed and the fact that you are no longer a teenager (as you mentioned). The other is that you were not arrested or charged with any violent crimes or causing direct harm to a victim (assault, rape, etc.) Good luck in the future.

Just wanted to say I can totally relate to the patient assignment thing. There were so many times at my previous job (ICU) where a nurse would have 2 incredibly sick and very busy patients, while another would have 2 that required much less hands on care, all because of the room numbers. It was all about the room numbers! I never could understand what the big deal was....I really don't mind walking a few extra feet between my assigned rooms if it means the workload is more evenly distributed so as to not overwhelm any one person. I know in a critical care setting, you don't want to give any one nurse 2 patients on opposite sides/ends of the unit, but come on! Where I work now does a much better job of factoring patient acuity into our assignments.

Well, obviously. My comment was an agreement to another poster and in reference to the patient in this situation.

Based on your end goal, I would think primary care experience would be more aligned, although beekee makes an excellent point also. Can you be involved in both along the way somehow as they would both be undoubtedly beneficial to you.

If you know that you counted and charted the patient's respirations accurately then let the others say and think what they may. Doesn't really matter at the end of the day. In this profession, you will constantly be questioned by others and that can be a good thing as it allows growth and learning. Overthinking trivial things will only lead to your own anxiety and stress. As one of my favorite sayings goes: "Let that s#$t go"

At the end of the day, you learned something from this experience and from the explanations provided by those here (that you unfortunately don't have readily available while at work). I see it as a sign of maturity that you acknowledge your shortcomings, learn from them and do it in a respectful and non-defensive manner. I bet you are a good nurse who will only get better with time and experience. Good luck to you in the future.

Omg, I don't think your horror story pales in comparison at ALL! I truly do not think I could have sat there and dug feces out of her fingernails!!! You're a saint, lol! Shudders....

That's what I was thinking also.