I just want to know what are things that nursing students do that irritate the RN staff and things that you like that get students on your good side.
I'm a first semester student and today was my first day of clinical and I would appreciate tips and advice of things to avoid and things to go for while in nursing school.
Thanks for any replies.
(I wasn't sure if this was the appropriate place to ask my question but I thought more RNs would see it than if I had posted it in the student forum).
Thanks for all the great advice. I'm starting school this August, and of course, I'm nervous about clinicals. I will try to remember everything here and not be nervous and annoying.
Go ahead and be annoying. It's better than being apathetic. Really. Being self-aware is a good thing in nursing. Nerves are natural.
I am also appalled with some of the students I have been seeing on my floor from multiple different schools lately. I'm trying to figure out what they even do for their clinicals. They don't give meds, they don't bathe the patients, they don't help pass out trays, they don't answer call bells. I can be up to my elbows with patient care and they don't offer to help, they merely tell me they are going on break (which can sometimes be more than an hour). I don't know if I should be blaming the students or their instructors for their lack of willingness to do Nythkng more than congregate and talk to themselves at my nursing station??? All I know is that I hope I never have to work with any of them!!! I think people are going into nursing for all of the wrong reasons and I highly doubt that even half of these students nowadays would make it even a year in the hospital.
Okay so I must admit that my group does a little bit of this but it is not because we want to be this way. My first two weeks just felt like we were some place very unfamiliar and we felt useless because the staff made us feel useless by not giving us any responsibilities and because we have little experience being in a hospital in general. My instructor is usually working with one of us at a time and can't be everywhere at once. She is always ready to answer questions and is very patient. She does tell us to look things up first before asking RNs who are busy and to give help where needed.
Okay,
I've been doing my best to be productive and proactive by asking "Is there anything I can help you with at all?" "No." is what I get all day. I walk around and look for something to do and only the CNA's actually say yes ex. "please help me bathe this patient."
I've been reading the posts on here and there is great advice. Today I did something that worked well. I let the RN I was working with know that if she needed any help or anything to just let me know. I let her know if she is doing any dressing changes, injections, or anything else to let me know what time they were scheduled so I could be present to assist or to perform. By being very specific and showing her I was there to learn she gave me the schedule and everything worked out great. =]
I'll make sure that when I'm a nurse I won't ever forget that I was a student one day.
-i was super tired and sleepy when I wrote this so if my language, grammar, or spelling doesn't make sense sorry!-
I am also appalled with some of the students I have been seeing on my floor from multiple different schools lately. I'm trying to figure out what they even do for their clinicals. They don't give meds, they don't bathe the patients, they don't help pass out trays, they don't answer call bells. I can be up to my elbows with patient care and they don't offer to help, they merely tell me they are going on break (which can sometimes be more than an hour). I don't know if I should be blaming the students or their instructors for their lack of willingness to do Nythkng more than congregate and talk to themselves at my nursing station??? All I know is that I hope I never have to work with any of them!!! I think people are going into nursing for all of the wrong reasons and I highly doubt that even half of these students nowadays would make it even a year in the hospital.
I just also had to say that I am going into nursing for the right reason. Today the only reason I felt good about being in the hospital was because when I left the patients they were fed, bathed, and comfortable. I gave many bed baths and cleaned poop and I don't mind doing this I just know that it has to be done so that this person won't get an infection or get worse.
I asked all RN's if they needed help with something "no" was all i got all day.
CNA's on the other hand let me do 5 bed baths and clean up poop and feeding. I'm glad i got to have patient interaction.
Today I emptied the trash like you said because I kept asking around if RN's needed help with anything and they kept saying no so I found a full trash can to empty it.. So when I emptied the trash can they looked at me like I was crazy and said "Honey you don't need to empty the trash can!? Let the garbage people and CNA's do it."
If the nurse doesn't have anything to do, definitely go help out the cna. When I was a new grad the things I felt most I'll- prepared for we're things like bathing patients, transfers, helping people ambulate, etc.
Let's see, what else? Don't empty any urine without measuring and recording it. Don't take away a tray without noting how much was eaten and drunk. Don't give anyone something to eat or drink unless you're sure they're not npo. And for goodness sakes, don't take that little old lady out of the wrist restraints no matter how sweetly she asks! Lol
Totally obnoxious reply from Davey Don't. Let me apologize as an RN. Is it really that important to stroke the ego by pointing out that one is an RN and one is a student? Bullies are making the nursing "profession" look less and less professional. More like Middle School. Saying High School would give it too much credit.
What irritates me is that when a student asks RNs for examples of rude and irritating behavior and is given one by an RN, another student feels the need to justify this rude behavior...there is no justification for rude behavior.
Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.
I don't get to work with many students, because I work nights, but I was a student not that long ago and here are my suggestions!
Don't tie up the computers please! We're lucky on my unit to have enough computers all over the place, but please take turns and share!
Guess what... if your meds are due at 0900... they probably won't be going into your patient's mouth at exactly 0900. When you are an RN, and have 5 patients who all have meds due at 0900, you can't be in 5 places at once. What about when you have 7-8 patients, all with IV meds, at 0000. Don't fret so much if they're ten minutes late!
I heard a fellow classmate say, he's not "going to school to be a nurse just so I can do CNA ****". Well, guess what... I am an RN and still do "CNA ****" like taking people to the bathroom, cleaning them up, helping them brush their teeth. It's part of nursing care! Learn it in nursing school, or when you graduate you'll look REALLY clueless.
arallenrn11
21 Posts
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