Quiting clinicals because of bad work envirnoment

[Matucm]

I am a second year male nursing student of a 4 year nursing program an this is my story:

I had a bad experience in the hospital I chose because they were not used to teach students, they just gave me their work and sit around with their mobiles without teaching me anything. I felt like a slave. They didnt pay me attention, i was trying to integrate myself but i didnt get any response from them, they felt offended all the time with all I said.

I am not from USA, I am from Europe and my school offers me another opportunity in june in another hospital for the clinicals.

I dont want to quit nursing, i really enjoy my time with my patients, but I dont know how to deal with a bad work enviornment when i am the student and i am even more vulnerable in that situation. So now after quiting clinicals i am doubting myself about my hability to cope with these situations.

I need any advice and some encouragement.

Thanks a lot

[emmjayy, BSN, RN]

Why are you taking this personally? I'm a second semester student and I'm self-aware enough to know that students are kind of a huge pain in the butt for the nursing staff. The staff has no idea who you are, what you know, or how conscientious you are about doing your work so they have to check up on what you've done to make sure it's proper and timely. I'm a tiny baby when it comes to assessments still, of course - so if I see even the slightest thing that's not normal I run and report it to the charge nurse and sometimes that can definitely be a pain, especially if the abnormal thing I assessed is totally benign and I'm just too wet around the ears to realize it. Any time a staff member says something nice to me it's like a gift, I don't expect them to fall all over themselves including me and making me feel comfortable - that is not their job.

As for feeling like a slave, I imagine that means you're being left to do grunt work such as bed baths, vitals, positioning, feeding, toileting, etc. Well, that's how you learn. I've found that practice with these very basic tasks has greatly increased my confidence in dealing with patients and being efficient in my work, so even though it feels pretty crappy at times when my back hurts and I'm tired and I can't deal with the thought of wiping stool off of yet another patient, the experience is very valuable. Embrace the suck

[quitor1moretry]

Many nursing schools no longer require nursing students to take a CNA coorifice. I have mixed feelings about this, but it takes a lot of nerve to try to knock this guy when he is in a program, and you are in the second semester of your general courses. Just you wait my pretty. It is hard... mentally, emotionally, and physically.

[amoLucia]

You are not in America? Then where are you? Wouldn't you get a better selection of answers that you want to hear if you posted your threads in a nursing website that is primarily based where you actually reside? Yes, we do things differently in America. That could very well explain why some people are so surprised that you say you get a "do-over" for your clinical instead of being removed from the nursing program, which happens to most "quitters", at least in AMERICA.

This explains a lot of respondents' posts (mine included).

Still, there is much to be said for OP to consider perseverance rather the avoidance.

[Kuriin, BSN, RN]

I've taken a gander - unfortunately - of your previous (all) threads and all you come across is a whiner with no backbone. You have a complaint that there's too many women and not enough guys. You have a complaint that a friend told you about this one instructor who was mean to your friend.

Tell ya what. Nursing isn't easy. We have nurses on our unit with over twenty years of experience, and when they get a difficult assignment, it shows and we are all there to help. This is a team sport. It's not about gender.

Just based off of the previous threads, I feel that either you should grow a thicker skin, or just quit nursing altogether. Tough love.

[emmjayy, BSN, RN]

Many nursing schools no longer require nursing students to take a CNA coorifice. I have mixed feelings about this, but it takes a lot of nerve to try to knock this guy when he is in a program, and you are in the second semester of your general courses. Just you wait my pretty. It is hard... mentally, emotionally, and physically.

I wasn't clear... I am in the second semester of my nursing courses. OP and I are likely at the same or close to the same spot in terms of nursing courses/clinicals, if he's in a 4 year program that has you taking general courses the first year followed by nursing courses beginning second year. I have been on clinical in the hospital for six months. I also work at the hospital as a nurse assistant - basically a CNA. Please don't condescend to me while you're making assumptions about my level of familiarity with being on the floor in the hospital/dealing with nursing staff who aren't exactly happy to have students there.

[pixierose, BSN, RN]

I wasn't clear... I am in the second semester of my nursing courses. OP and I are likely at the same or close to the same spot in terms of nursing courses/clinicals, if he's in a 4 year program that has you taking general courses the first year followed by nursing courses beginning second year. I have been on clinical in the hospital for six months. I also work at the hospital as a nurse assistant - basically a CNA. Please don't condescend to me while you're making assumptions about my level of familiarity with being on the floor in the hospital/dealing with nursing staff who aren't exactly happy to have students there.

Emmjayy, your other post summarizes what many a nursing student experiences, including myself. "Embrace the suck" is a good mentality" and it certainly got me through nursing school. Not sure why the other poster thought you were "knocking" the other guy down; I didn't get this impression at all.

[caliotter3]

This explains a lot of respondents' posts (mine included).

Still, there is much to be said for OP to consider perseverance rather the avoidance.

Unfortunately, the information provided by the OP has never reached the level of problems that I have seen encountered by students. Yet they never gave up dealing with their situations until they had exhausted all avenues available to them to pass their courses. They did not provide reasons to be removed from their programs. Attitude comes to mind first. I hesitate to think how this individual would have reacted in similar circumstances.

[caliotter3]

I've taken a gander - unfortunately - of your previous (all) threads and all you come across is a whiner with no backbone. You have a complaint that there's too many women and not enough guys. You have a complaint that a friend told you about this one instructor who was mean to your friend.

Tell ya what. Nursing isn't easy. We have nurses on our unit with over twenty years of experience, and when they get a difficult assignment, it shows and we are all there to help. This is a team sport. It's not about gender.

Just based off of the previous threads, I feel that either you should grow a thicker skin, or just quit nursing altogether. Tough love.

Thanks for saying what needs to be said.

[Mavrick, BSN, RN]

Seems to me the problem is with the school. That's who you are paying to educate you. If they dump you onto unwilling-to-teach staff nurses, complain to the school.

Just keep searching for that perfect clinical scenario. Who knows, maybe you will find it. Then start looking for a perfect job situation, just don't come to America and try that. Here you will be surrounded by many different personalities and not so much accommodation from individuals who won't always be nice to you. It will be expected that you get along with them and do your job.

Your attitude that everyone has to accommodate to you will make it difficult to get along with people. Based on your posting history I wouldn't want to work with you.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

In Europe you go alone to a hospital and work with the staff.

It was my first experience in the hospital and they let me alone with the staff, people are judging me saying that i have thin skin when they dont have any idea what i have been going through.h

I had to integrate myself to a staff that had been working together for a long time and the majority of them didnt want to teach just finish their work and leave.

They didnt assign me anybody to teach me, they give me their work while they were playing with their mobile.

Anyway I just want to say that I AM NOT IN AMERICA, so dont judge me like if i was there.

I believe that the consensus here is that you do indeed have very thin skin. American, European, whatever kind of skin you're in, it needs some work. As has been said, quitting is not an option in our programs. I hope you have not been led to believe that you have unlimited quitting options because I seriously doubt that is the case.

And please do remember that you asked us, on an American forum, for our opinions.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I've had a few terrible clinical experiences. I actually learned the most from them, but it was very, very hard to go through.

I'm sorry that you have had a bad experience. My advice for the next one is that you make a committment to stay with it, no matter what. Be determined to learn as much as you can possibly learn, even if the nurses at the new place are just as bad.

You may have to learn a lot on your own.

[DiplomaNurseRN]

Well, if your gonna quit, do it now than leave us short staffed at some point in the future. Tired of dividing up the work loads of slackers and whiners amongst the 'tried and true' ...

BTW - I am a male and started my career when male nurses were less than 1% of the nursing work force. Talk about 'proving yourself' and abilities in a dominant female profession and reverse prejudice! Especially among those in leadership and nursing administrative positions. Most of whom had gone to school in the 1930s and 40s and thought of all male nurses as orderlies who should be assigned to mental health or orthopaedic floors.