"Is it ok if the student stays in the room?" <-- ARRG

flightnurse2b, LPN · Feb 20, 2009

well, even when you graduate and pass boards, people can still refuse you to be in the room. it just happens sometimes.

with a psychotic pt, maybe she was just ensuring your safety. i did my psych rotation at a facility with a forensics unit and sat in on an interview where the nurse actually made me sit behind him so the pt wasn't focused on me the whole time.. he was worried about my safety.

don't be offended. student nurses are a part of the team. however, some patients have reservations about their privacy or about being "experimented on". i know when i was a student in the hospital, i had a pt flat out refuse me before he even met me. he just said he didn't want students near him... that's his right.

we have residents floating all over my hospital. there was one student today from UNC who was 4th yr and he wanted to come to the room with me to check on the colon CA pt he was doing a case study on. i always ask before i allow them in the room. the pt told him to go away bc she thinks she is too sick to have med students bothering her. i told him that i was sorry but i could not intervene with her choices. someone who feels that way, i don't have a right to lecture them and say "well he has to learn"... bc alot of pts will say "well he doesn't have to learn on me!"

i know it makes you feel very small when you are just referred to as the "student" or the "intern"... but don't take it personally hun. we all were students at one time. we all started out green. you'll have plenty of opportunities to learn outside of school too!

good luck with all your studies :)

Lunaticus, LPN · Feb 20, 2009

Another lowly student here, and while I too hate the "can the student blah blah" phrase, I have come to recognize it's value. While it may be true (I don't know, because I've never actually witnessed it) that other, assorted, medically trained students do not have to deal with this situation, I feel that it's really important for us nurses. We are the ones that are perceived as the true "care givers." We are there to both treat medically and also emotionally. Most doctors don't ever get the chance to devote the required time needed to tend the the patient's emotional needs; we do. By asking "is it okay if the student nurse blah blah. . . " we recognize the importance of treating the patient as somebody who actually has a say in their care. I'm certain that there have been many times where I've been allowed to perform a procedure on a patient simply because the nurse and I showed enough respect to ask first. :twocents:

chevyv, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2009

It doesn't bother me in the least. I can tell you that it does happen with med students. Everytime I take my son to see his cardiologist, we get at least one med student. We have to ok seeing them before they even come in the room. When they come in, they ask us again. My son has a pretty serious heart defect, so I guess that's why we always get the med students.

Feathers · Feb 20, 2009

I don't think it would bother me. I've been asked my doctor if it is ok if a med student sits in when I am the pt. I haven't heard anyone ask if I can stay in the room, but *I* have asked if I may stay in the room, or accompany them to therapy, or whatever.

FLmomof5 · Feb 20, 2009

When I was delivering my 3rd child....the hospital I was scheduled to deliver in was full! (There were 15 ladies in labor and 13 beds!) They transferred me to another hospital. When I was ready to move into the delivery room (remember....this was 20 yrs ago...), the doctor asked me if I objected to having nursing students in the delivery. I thought it was polite to ask me. Of course I said yes!

I had an epidural, so I was feeling no pain. I joked with the doc on the way in and during the delivery. One push and the baby popped out. The doc tell me later that I just spoiled those nursing students because they are going to believe all deliveries are that easy! LOLOLOL :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

amers_here · Feb 20, 2009

It doesn't bother me at all, especially when it involves something personal like a shower. As a patient, I'd sure appreciate being asked if it was alright. If it gets to the point when everyone is saying no to the nursing students being around, then it might be a problem, but most of them are just fine with it.

Freedom42 · Feb 20, 2009

I disagree: Doesn't bother me at all. As a patient, I'd want to be asked. As a student, I was usually the first person to introduce myself, explain that I was a student, and ask if the patient was OK with my being there. I never had a patient say no. More often than not, it opened up a dialogue. When possible and appropriate, I'd thank the patient for giving me the opportunity to learn. The status and identity of every other health care provider in the room is disclosed. Why not the student's?

back2thebooks · Feb 20, 2009

I agree with many of the above posters...try not to take it personally---every nurse was once a student and if you have ever been a patient, you can understand where needing the comfort level comes from.

I have been on the other side of it as a patient and asked if it was okay for a student nurse to perform a certain task/procedure on me. I have said yes and I have said no, so I totally understand the need for a patient to feel comfortable. Recently, I shadowed a friend of mine who is a CRNA and I left the pre-op area so that she could talk with her patient about her comfort level of me being there. Thankfully, the patient was a very kind and understanding woman and she allowed me to observe. I really appreciated that.

It really is an honor to be able to be in someone's 'business' when they don't have to let you, KWIM? Keep your chin up

Jolie, BSN · Feb 20, 2009

I respectfully disagree that this demonstrates a lack of respect of nursing students.

I believe it demonstrates the utmost respect for the patient.

FWIW, I use an OB/GYN NP who frequently precepts NP students, and a dermatologist who precepts med students. They both know me well, and know that I am always open to students, yet they still ask every time. I think it is because they want to demonstrate to their students that each patient should be given the option.

J9G2008 · Feb 20, 2009

I don't think med students get more respect...as a mom of a very sick kid, I have asked the residents to get me the attending because I wanted a "real doctor!" LOL Poor guys (and gals). They go through all this schooling and still get no respect.

Especially in psych, they are constantly taking the patient's emotional temperature, and I know I sure wouldn't want to be in a room they didn't want me in. Plus, if it were me having an invasive procedure done (Foley insertion, pelvic exam, what have you...) I don't think I want to feel like the curiosity of the day being watched like an animal in the zoo.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Feb 20, 2009

In the UK didn't matter what sort of student you was, the patient was asked once and if they said no they didn't want the student there then they didn't go in. I feel it doesn't matter who they are the choice should be with the patient and they should be respected on their decision.