Ok, So I am second semester of a four semester ADN program and I am loving clinicals which we have every Tues and Thurs now. So I was at the nursing station looking at my pt. chart when a fellow student came to me with a question. She had the same pt. I had the week before and had a question for me about one of his pills. The pill was .5 mg and the desired dose was.25mg. She wanted to know if she should give him a quarter of a pill???:icon_roll So I explained to her how to find the right dose and that it was a half a pill to get the desired dose. So the other student trots off, and I am left thinking what a simple dose question that was and that she should have been able to do that independently.
The charge nurse had overheard the conversation, she told me I should have not answered her question and should have sent her to the instructor. In hindsight, I agree and have learned my lesson. Charge nurse went on about the student being dangerous and that she would not want a nurse like that on her floor. And that by me helping her, I had inadvertantly covered for her , which had not been my intent at all, because she is not my fav. So she gave me much to think about . SO , what do you think? what would you have done? By answering, did I cover for her without even knowing?
Thanks, and I don't know if these things are even relevant to the issue at hand or not, but this particular student also asked me on Tues. to come and see why her pt.s feeding tube was leaking. So I went in there and began assessing the tube from site to pump. Site was fine, the clamp was still shut with the pump on, and it made quite the mess.
Also, I had to help her reposition same pt.. when I lifted the top sheet to grasp the pull sheet, I noticed he had had a messy BM and told her and she had said she didn't have time to clean him up and she would tell the nurse she couldn't. She could have cleaned him, I just think didn't want to and the nurse didn't seem too happy with her. Thoughts on pertinance?
uhhhhhh.............this student wants to be a nurse? This is very disturbing. Obviously, there are no critical skills being employed to figure out the pump. And to leave a pt in a mess...yuck!!!! She should have at least delegated the mess to the nurse assistant if there was one on the floor. YOU really need to say something to your instructor. I know it seems mean to the student but think of the patients. What would you do if this was an RN? You would go to the nurse supervisor. And as a student, that would be your instructor.
One question is okay, but the other incidents show she is avoiding asking the instructor anything. She isn't doing what she is there for, she obviously does not care about her patient. Take your instructor aside, ask her to keep your name out of it, but tell her exactly what happened, the wrong dose calculation, the charge nurse scolding you, the inability to find a closed clamp and a soiled patient. She will know who told, but the rest of your group doesn't need to know. Nurses advocate for all patients, and hers need you to stand up for them.
I think answering her question was exactly what you should have done. As nurses, helping each other out is an important part of the process. The charge nurse was a little right- that was a very simple calculation. Before I would go to the instructor I think I might approach your fellow student and offer to help her with her med-math. If you find she is really inept she needs to know that and brush up before she does make a mistake. Everyone is entitled to a momentary "brain fart"-as long as she knows when she dosen't know the answer she won't cause too much harm. At least she knew enough to double check with the "more experienced" person around.
I think that this is nursing school, she is a student, you are a student, it isn't your place to question anothers intellectual capacity unless she directly endangered a patient. I think that the charge nurse was overdoing it and possibly just didn't like the other student. I think the fact that questions like this one are being asked on a forum after the fact shows that nursing education as a whole isn't really made to be conducive to learning. No offense or anything but give me a break. This is why a good deal of students are afraid to ask questions for fear of instructors or fellow nursing students leaping on them.
Isn't that what a forum like this is for? To bounce ideas and thoughts off of each other, to gain others insights and opinions? To the last poster, would you have preferred I went straight to the instructor without giving this thought?
I would suggest that you mind your own business and not cause trouble for another student over something so terribly minor, but that's just me, I tend to try not to cause unnecessary trouble for others.
I would suggest that you mind your own business and not cause trouble for another student over something so terribly minor, but that's just me, I tend to try not to cause unnecessary trouble for others.
Thanks for the suggestion, but it does become quite difficult to mind my own business when it starts to involve ME. I tend also to try to not cause trouble for others, including pts. in the hospital. Thanks for your input.
I will end on this note...have you ever had a duh moment were you couldn't remember a common knowledge question? I'm sure you have. Right now I have just about one of the highest grades in my program at the tier 2 level, but I still occasionally ask "dumb" questions just because it is human nature to occasionally do so. What is cause for concern is if i DONT seek clarity from another regarding my question. There will come a time when you ask a "dumb" question. My question to you is, do you want some other nurse or student running to tattle on you to an instructor or supervisor over a question? Not an action that causes harm, not even an action that is PLANNED, but a question specifically designed to seek clarity? The shoe will be on the other foot one day, and all I can say is..karma is a B, but I will leave it at that, just my
I don't think you did anything wrong. If the charge nurse had an issue with it she should have told the instructor. I can see her point but another thing is you are in school, you are learning and some people may need a little more reassurance becasue they have not built up confidence. Confiddence is so huge with nursing that it comes with time.
If I were you I would have done the same thing. I am sure in an interview the charge nurse does not ask dosage questions which would sway her decision for employment. Seems she was just trying to be critical and find something to complain about. Nurses on the floor seem to get annoyed by students. It's like they forget when they were new.
hopefornursing
87 Posts
Thanks, and I don't know if these things are even relevant to the issue at hand or not, but this particular student also asked me on Tues. to come and see why her pt.s feeding tube was leaking. So I went in there and began assessing the tube from site to pump. Site was fine, the clamp was still shut with the pump on, and it made quite the mess.
Also, I had to help her reposition same pt.. when I lifted the top sheet to grasp the pull sheet, I noticed he had had a messy BM and told her and she had said she didn't have time to clean him up and she would tell the nurse she couldn't. She could have cleaned him, I just think didn't want to and the nurse didn't seem too happy with her. Thoughts on pertinance?