Regarding nursing students- was this too much to ask?

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I have a new nursing student starting with me next week. She'll spend 50 hours with me. She emailed me to introduce her self and asked what the unit was like. I work on a BMT unit. I wrote her back telling her that, and telling her that we give a lot of medications. I gave her a list of a dozen of our most common meds and asked her to come familiar with them. Now that I think about it, though, I'm not sure that was appropriate. I feel like I gave her a homework assignment, and that's not really my job. I'm sure she already has enough homework as it is. However, in nursing school I was expected to be familiar with the meds I have and I think all nurses should be. If I try and teach her about all of the meds on the unit I fear we'll be giving 10am meds at 3pm, but I want to be able to involve her. What do you think?

Makes sense to me. Now she'll feel a little more prepared...hopefully

As a student, I would appreciate your insightful-ness

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Specializes in None.

I don't think it was too much at all. :up:

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Specializes in Allergy/Immunology.

Speaking as a student, I'd really appreciate you taking the time to tell me that. I'd love to arrive prepared and hopefully saving you some time as well by you not having to explain this to me when I get there. Good luck with everything!

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

Since my first clinical, I had to know all about the meds I was giving. So 12 meds isn't a big deal to me. I did get my butt stumped on acetylcysteine the other day in my practicum, and the MAR offered no explanation whatsoever. Turns out, in this situation, it protects the kidneys while passing IV contrast dye from a cath procedure.

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I would totally appreciate the opportunity to show up having at least one competency to my name, I'm sure she did, too.

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What were the medications on the list?

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

IMO you didn't ask too much. Heck, I would have loved it if the nurse I precepted with as a student gave me such "homework" because it could only have helped me during my rotation.

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For myself, I would have been grateful to have been given a 'heads-up' & be able to come in a tad prepared. Just the fact that you are giving her this consideration says alot about the type of preceptor you are. That's awesome.

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I agree with the others. And really, it's a very serious kind of unit in which to work. The particular kinds of chemo there, and how it can be given, is a huge part of it--and all that goes along with it. I mean, as you know, you have to be careful all the way to whatever comes of the patients. This is a great opportunity for learning for the student. Who knows. She may even end up interested in your particular area.

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I agree with the other comments. I'm a 1st semester nursing student and we begin our clinicals in a few weeks. I think it would be GREAT to have the information ahead of time to research and learn what is necessary before going in, and not be caught on the spot. I hope who I shadow is as giving. Well done, I say!

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That's cool, I wish I could have worked 1:1 with a nurse in school.

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Specializes in Oncology.
What were the medications on the list?

They were a variety of antibiotics and immunosuppresants we give, along with a few other things we give a lot- protonix, ursodiol, lovenox. Thinking about it, I could about double the length of the list and we still would have given all of them by the end of the first day. Hopefully she is familiar with things like Benadryl and Zofran.

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