organichombre

One has to wonder, what motivates this behavior and how can it be tolerated? It still amazes me that bullied nurses have not become more aggressive in response to this sort of treatment.

One of my nursing students recently had a run in with the darkness. Had it not been for her colleagues, myself and the nursing staff, she may have imploded. She wants to be a mother baby nurse and had never the occasion to experience death. She told me that she did not like adults and was much better with kids and moms. She actually texted me and said that she thought we should not be on the floor while this was happening. We took a long walk outside around the campus and among other things I told her that death is not partial to the elderly. She recounted a family member of a friend who she had witnessed some of the grief with and said it was like she knew it was there but until that day she had kept it at bay. As we all know, who have had patients die despite our best efforts, the more we talk about it doesn't make it go away either, but it does help our psyche's heal enough to continue caring. Thank you for that wonderful story.

You have hit the nail on the head! "I feel like 7 patient is too much and how can you expect to give quality care for patient when you have that much patient." Management usually does not care about the compassionate, caring aspect of nursing...they see numbers. How easy is your documentation system to navigate, have you completed all of the new little addendum's and add ons to programs, do you have missed or late meds and why,transfers, discharges, new admits? All of these things create unrealistic expectations for some of us and we are stuck after shift completing paperwork, missing lunch/breaks and so it goes. A lot of new nurses see this workload and say, "Ok, I can get all the paperwork done and my patients will look great on paper, but I'll be damned if I can spend time with such and such or so and so". Delegation is key to so much and many nurses fail to use this acquired skill and resource properly. Good luck out there!

It is wonderful to read all these inspiring stories of holism and your positive stories.I have been on the fringe of holistic practice for many years with yoga, visualization and meditation but have always been firmly rooted in traditional ICU until 31/2 years ago when I retired and took a clinical teaching job in an ADN program.Now I find myself wanting to encourage these folks to pursue more holistic paths and use the natural world. About as far as I have gotten is to intro meditation into their experience in order to help with situational awareness in their schooling and future practice. Thank you

Curious about any other infusions and uop?

There is a major difference between teaching clinical and lab vs. the didactic portion of nursing school when it comes to keeping current. At clinical I see new things everyday and can help integrate that into student learning. The didactic educator does not need to work at the bedside to stay current per se because his/her job is to teach nursing theory and all the absolutes involved. Whether an educator has worked at the bedside or not is moot. I once thought that in order to teach one must first practice the work that you have learned. But a I became older and yes an educator I have realized that now I am helping someone learn how to be a nurse whether I'm at the bedside or not. At the bedside I have 28+ years of experience which translates into how best to get the job done. The same person with multiple years of teaching is helping the student see what needs to be done. It's like apples and oranges...we need to eat both of them.

Take the test already!! No really, I am trying to get ready for the exam myself and you have prepared well I would imagine. When I took the certification exam for CCRN I took a similar tact and it worked out great. Good luck and thanks for the encouragement!

It's been a while since I was in school but I recorded lectures once when my writing hand was injured and then later on for patho. Students learn how they learn and I think it is a disservice to not allow recording. I'm sure that your teaching is multifaceted judging by your post and some students are just not all that interested in anything but the essential facts.

Absolutely. No other comment needed.

True that...I was trying to be nice.

cURIOUS? wHY ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE HAVING ISSUES?

Being a guy I know the routine. We reveal ourselves in bits and pieces yet depending on how long and intense the relationship, we eventually figure out that she is the best person for us and we dive right in. I cannot stress this next point enough as I have seen it happen hundreds of times before...DO NOT LET A MAN HOLD YOU BACK FROM WHAT YOU WANT! PAX

How about having Education come up with a 1-2 page document for those patients whom are aa&0x4 that tells them all their tests results, orders, plans for the day, etc. Give them it late in the evening telling them it will shorten things in the morning plus help everyone communicate. As for the rest of that nonsense...good luck!

My wife has been a nurse for 30 years. This spring she lost her daughter and grandson. Grieve as you have loved and please if you feel the need, find a grief support group and attend. God bless you

You are obviously committed to your students...wonderful. Students learn baths in their first quarter and beyond that most do not need a refresher. Like I tell the staff and students, if there is a lot going on with the patient at the beside's the bath my students will assist with the bath because as we know, we nurses make some big messes when performing procedures skills, etc.And besides it's a great time to do the skin assessment, but we do not do all the baths!!There seems to always be that nurse whom takes it upon herself to be what he/she perceives to be as the voice of the unit.And they often have the support of the lazy pca or the nosey secretary. As a male I have watched this dynamic for years and find it tirelessly unprofessional, too passive aggressive and a hindrance to patient care.Frankly, I call people out when their behavior warrants review whether I see myself in the right or not. "What is it about my students or myself that you find not in the best interest of the floor"? "Do you not have enough help from your PCA's?" "My students are nursing students and must get as much experience with medications, protocols, computer charting, prioritization and DELEGATION as possible for transition to practice"? Do you have the support of the Education Dept.? If one to one dialogue does not touch this person's sensibilities then Education needs to know that there is a disruptive influence on the floor. Hospitals want students to be on the floor because this represents an early orientation period for the ones who may apply there in the future. Each semester is a learning opportunity with my students and how best to get them the best possible experience on the floor. The more constructive criticism the staff gives me the better for everyone, especially the patient.