Today I had lunch with some of my pre-nursing buddies after class and big mouth me started ranting about some of the rampant cheating I saw on the last exam. One of the students said that the cheating didn't bother her and that she thought cheating was ok b/c if she was nervous blah blah blah blah and then, amazingly, "nurses don't make decisions anyway." whaaa???
Half of me wishes there was a way I could torpedo her career, thus preventing her from ever getting near me or anyone i care about or heck ANY patient ever with a syringe or ANYTHING in her hand. The other half wants to convince her she's mistaken. But no matter what "this nurse saved this patient's life" story we related, she had an answer. Everything was an "exception." And because nurses work in teams she felt there was no need for her to develop any critical thinking or decision making skills.
What would you have said to convince this RN wannabe that RNs DO make decisions? Or am I the idiot here??? Are there any book recommendations? I was thinking maybe I could give her a book as an end of the semester present.
A nephrology patient has collapsed on his way out the door of the hospital. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first upon discovering the patient?
turn him around so it looks like he is just coming in?
First she is taking her pre reqs. secondly, She doesn't sound smart enough to get into nursing school. And Third, if god forbid she does get there, if rn teachers are anything like my lpn vo-tech teachers were, she'll be out on her butt in no time. But she will probably drop out of the program.
Today I had lunch with some of my pre-nursing buddies after class and big mouth me started ranting about some of the rampant cheating I saw on the last exam. One of the students said that the cheating didn't bother her and that she thought cheating was ok b/c if she was nervous blah blah blah blah and then, amazingly, "nurses don't make decisions anyway." whaaa???
Half of me wishes there was a way I could torpedo her career, thus preventing her from ever getting near me or anyone i care about or heck ANY patient ever with a syringe or ANYTHING in her hand. The other half wants to convince her she's mistaken. But no matter what "this nurse saved this patient's life" story we related, she had an answer. Everything was an "exception." And because nurses work in teams she felt there was no need for her to develop any critical thinking or decision making skills.
What would you have said to convince this RN wannabe that RNs DO make decisions? Or am I the idiot here??? Are there any book recommendations? I was thinking maybe I could give her a book as an end of the semester present.
Thanks a bunch.
This dim bulb probably won't make it- and if she does, she's in for one Hell of a rude awakening.
Don't teach a pig to whistle- it wastes your time and annoys the pig. This young lady is either playing devils advocate by purposfully taking the antagonistic side of a conversation just to keep it going, or she is remarkably misinformed about the role of the nurse in todays health care. If it is the former- don't rise to the bait, if it's the latter- don't rise to the bait- Universities are pretty broke right now and this young lady is donating large amounts of $$$ to the undergraduate program by way of her tuition. I can't imaging her getting through the interview process to get into the College of Nursing and taking a space that someone needs. Even if she does- I think she will have a hard time passing clinical, not to mention Boards without problem solving and critical thinking skills. All in all, I can't imaging her harming anyone but herself. There are just too many roadblocks to her completing a nursing program with that attitude.
I make decisions all day long. yesterday lab work indicated that on of my residents potassium level was dangerously high... Fax MD that I was holding K+ until I hear from him... on rounds yesterday I asked MD if he had seen my fax. He said yes and he held it for two more days and ordered another BMP. That was just one of many one any given day.
Today I had lunch with some of my pre-nursing buddies after class and big mouth me started ranting about some of the rampant cheating I saw on the last exam. One of the students said that the cheating didn't bother her and that she thought cheating was ok b/c if she was nervous blah blah blah blah and then, amazingly, "nurses don't make decisions anyway." whaaa???
Half of me wishes there was a way I could torpedo her career, thus preventing her from ever getting near me or anyone i care about or heck ANY patient ever with a syringe or ANYTHING in her hand. The other half wants to convince her she's mistaken. But no matter what "this nurse saved this patient's life" story we related, she had an answer. Everything was an "exception." And because nurses work in teams she felt there was no need for her to develop any critical thinking or decision making skills.
What would you have said to convince this RN wannabe that RNs DO make decisions? Or am I the idiot here??? Are there any book recommendations? I was thinking maybe I could give her a book as an end of the semester present.
Thanks a bunch.
I doubt that a book or other rational source will persuade this idiot. It sounds like much more a character issue than a difference in informed opinion. She's just lazy, and uses excuses to justify her cheating, etc.
Perhaps she could be convinced to start writing novels. No one will be harmed with one more bad novel out there, and she might starve as she deserves.
Thanks for this thread. I'm taking my prenursing requirements right now, and I before tough tests I sometimes hear "we don't need to know this stuff, since we won't be the ones making decisions!"
I'm sure they'll get with it when they need to, but why would someone who thinks of nurses as they are popularly portrayed even want to be a nurse at all? If I thought I was training to be someone's handmaiden, I'd quit in a second!
It sounds like much more a character issue than a difference in informed opinion. She's just lazy, and uses excuses to justify her cheating, etc. 
Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN
1,790 Posts
turn him around so it looks like he is just coming in?