"Its not my patient" VENT

[JnJTyson]

ARG!! Sometimes school makes me so mad..not the course work, not the clinicals, but the other students!! We are currently in our 2nd rotation, and have just now started to give meds and injections (makes me feel like a nurse now! woohoo!) but...we only have 1 assigned patient. OK...so from 800 to 1430 we have 1 pt to take care of. Morning time is a little hectic, since we are still kind of new at the assessment, plus we have meds, and baths for our pt. But once thats all done, its kind of..blah from there. I run around trying to find things to do. I can't stand sitting around chatting to pass the time..sometimes its nice, but I would rather be doing something more. But what bugs me, is the other students sit around chatting and doing homework that was assigned 3 weeks ago that is due Monday. And if a nurse says "hey susie-Q student, can you get Mr. 98-year-old some warm prune juice? I'm in the middle of double checking a chemo treatment" And the student groans a huge, audible sigh, rolls their eyes, and says "OK" after the nurse leaves, they say "She should be doing that, thats not my patient, I'm a student, I have to study" Is it THAT trivial to get off your rear and take 3 seconds to heat some prune juice in the microwave?? Is that going to ruin your grade-point average??

It makes me mad because I'm running around asking any nurse I can find...anyone with an RN/LPN on their name badge asking them if I can do anything for them.

I guess it pays off in the end. I got a 48 out of 50 points in my first clinical evaluation. my points marked off were for being 10 mins late one day. But I found out that the repeat offenders of "Its not my patient" had gotten 1 point out of 6 for professionalism.

Have you guys run across that? I admit, I've had to say "no" to a nurse asking me to do something, because I was just about to prepare meds. And it was something that had to be done stat.

It just makes me mad..I'll hate to see them in the real nursing world where they'll have 5+ patients.

Guess I'm wierd...I love that running around with 18000 things to do. By the time you finish your day, and you finally sit down you can think to yourself "I've done a heck of a lot of stuff today...I've earned my paycheck, my night to rest, and my feet rubbed"..lol

Although, I must say, that "I'm a student" phrase does come in handy sometimes...gets the cranky family members off your back!! LOL

Jules

[Nurse-o-Matic]

Being a team player is essential in the nursing field. Hopefully those "not my patient" students will open up thier eyes and smell the coffee when they get jammed up and require assistance. If they have not been helpful to others they will find out in a hurry why team playing is best for all.

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

Jules-

First, THANK YOU from all nurses everywhere for jumping in where you see a need. I can't tell you how grateful and relieved I am when a little bit of much-needed extra help materializes on a bad day.

Second- you rock if you are already organized enough to have time to spare this early in the game. I am thrilled to know you will be "in our ranks" in the near future. Keep it up!

Chaya

[Rapheal]

Those students who are lazy need to realize that if they apply for a position at the hospital where they do clinicals- they might be in for a rude awakening. Nurses will be asked if they have observed student so and so and what they thought of them. Seen it happen. We had one student who crowed that when she graduated she was going to work in the ER. The ER staff let the charge nurse know that she was a huge know it all and they did not want her hired after graduation. She was not offered the ER position. They gave it to a very deserving young man who had a lower GPA but a better attitude. (Boy was she mad!).

Anyways..... at the very least keeping busy helps you learn more and usually the instructors do not quiz the busy student. Standing around during clinical usually calls attention to yourself and some instructors will be looking harder at those students who have so much free time on their hands. Good luck in school and in your new career. You seem like the type of person I would love to work with.

[colleen10]

I agree with all the other posters. With your attitude you will get to see and experience a lot more, the nurses will see your interest and willingness to learn all that you can and seek you out to show you various things, you will also get a good reputation from the other staff.

I have not had this experience in my clinical group. We all take care of our own patients but have no trouble asking each other or helping each other out if a patient needs moved, toileted, etc. In the end it's all about helping the patient, not the nurse, instructor or fellow students.

Our instructor would have a fit if she caught any of us lolly gagging around or doing homework, and with good reason.

Hopefully your instructor has had a nice little talk with these students and reprimended them for their poor behavior. I hope that this will deter their "attitudes" in the future.

[TrudyRN]

"It's not my patient" is a particular gripe of mine . . . Whether it comes from students, RNS or MDs. If the patient needs something, and someone is sitting on their butt -- go and take care of it already!!!

I get "it's not my patient" from residents frequently -- usually when I've called to report a change in condition and request an order. So you have to call around to find the RIGHT resident to order your 40 mEq of KCL for a K+ of 2.6! Come on, guys -- 2.6 is low and unless you can think of a really good reason NOT to replace it (HD patient dialyzing against a 2 K+ bath) just give the order already!!!!!

The SNs that are sitting around without helping out are probably not going to get hired on that particular unit.

You guys need a way to have the charts labeled with who the right resident is. It would save you a lot of time and upset to know who to call right off.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

"It's not my patient" is a particular gripe of mine . . . Whether it comes from students, RNS or MDs. If the patient needs something, and someone is sitting on their butt -- go and take care of it already!!!

I get "it's not my patient" from residents frequently -- usually when I've called to report a change in condition and request an order. So you have to call around to find the RIGHT resident to order your 40 mEq of KCL for a K+ of 2.6! Come on, guys -- 2.6 is low and unless you can think of a really good reason NOT to replace it (HD patient dialyzing against a 2 K+ bath) just give the order already!!!!!

The SNs that are sitting around without helping out are probably not going to get hired on that particular unit.

It doesn't work that way, doctors can't just order stuff on patients they know nothing about, at least not in my workplace.

[JBudd, MSN]

It doesn't work that way, doctors can't just order stuff on patients they know nothing about, at least not in my workplace.

Ditto here.

[metrohealth]

I have not run across this type of attitude in my clinical rotation. Howerver, I have worked at various nursing homes as a STNA and some people has that attitude. I belive in treating people with respect and dignity. In the nursing field helpng each other is imparative to giving our patients the best care possible. You are on the right track keep up your positive attitude.

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

I HATE that kind of attitude. I always do what I can, in clinical, and at work. I'm a student nurse tech on an adult medicine unit, and usually when I work nights, we pick sides of the floor (to do the vitals, fingersticks, etc) and the nurses will always say "Oh I know you're not on that side, but can you help me with so and so." I always tell them, when it comes to people needing help with procedures, answering call lights, etc, it doesn't matter to me which side I'm on, I'll help anyone on the whole floor, as long as I'm not doing something else already. And it's paid off, because the nurses will let me help them with their dressings, etc (and in certain cases, DO the dressings myself) because they know I've got the right attitude.