RNs on my clinical unit are mean!

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Yikes, this is the 4th clinical day on the unit I have been assigned to and our co-assigned RNs are really mean and unhelpful. They really dont want to be bothered with students. They are nice to us when our instructors are around but when we are alone with them they snub us and are really un-cooperative and dont really seem to want to help us. At first I thought they were just busy but its been like this for 4 wks now. Did anyone inform them that they were going to be working in a teaching hospital?????

Have any other students encountered this? or am I just over sensitive? When I go into the unit to do pre-clinical analysis, the night shift team are really nice and always come over and ask me what I need and who is my patient and they give me alot of info and help.

Yikes, ???!

Of course some are going to be helpful and some are going to be snotty. I just started my clinicals and this one nurse in particular, from the moment we got there, has given nothing but dirty looks to us. Anytime we asked a question she was curt. Anytime we were around she looked annoyed because she had to do "the right thing" going on with a pt who was upset (dementia unit) and it took time away from doing her meds. It just seemed like she was mad because now she had to do everything the way she was taught. Little does she know she is actually helping me learn. She's teaching me how to deal with jerks in the workplace. I'm sure i'll use this lesson time and time again!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Just a couple thoughts:

If the ones who lock up the supplies have sufficient time to watch the results, their problem is NOT being too busy to treat others decently.

I would likely go up to the offenders at the end of a day and thank them for the wonderful lesson in unprofessional conduct.

What would it prove? Don't get involved with such conflicts. First, it's beneath you. 2nd, as I posted above, it's a common situation. Life's too short to take on the world, Don Quixote style. And it's not like you can't find enough stress to invest in during your time in nursing school. 3rd, don't give them the satisfaction. It would only reinforce the behavior.

The real nursing world is NOT a utopian place. That itself is a learning experience worth learning.

Chalk it up as a learning experience about the type of nurse YOU want to be. BAD examples are JUST as illuminating as good ones.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Home Health.

maybe they are just idiots and are afraid that you will ask them something they SHOULD know, but don't...

Don't take it personal. There are alot of idiots in every field...

Personally, I LOVE students. So eager and hungry to learn...

it's refreshing, especially when you work with a bunch of idiots, for

the most part LOL

atlantarn

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Yikes, this is the 4th clinical day on the unit I have been assigned to and our co-assigned RNs are really mean and unhelpful. They really dont want to be bothered with students. They are nice to us when our instructors are around but when we are alone with them they snub us and are really un-cooperative and dont really seem to want to help us. At first I thought they were just busy but its been like this for 4 wks now. Did anyone inform them that they were going to be working in a teaching hospital?????

Have any other students encountered this? or am I just over sensitive? When I go into the unit to do pre-clinical analysis, the night shift team are really nice and always come over and ask me what I need and who is my patient and they give me alot of info and help.

Yikes, ???!

some people are just like that. Try not to interact with them except to say good morning etc... If you have a patient care need tah has to be handled then you have to put on your patient advocate hat and let them know. I always preface my question/info with "excuse me, I know you're busy but I just needed to ______". Usually gets a civil reposnse. If it is not emergent then wait until they are less busy, if it is a question that yu could look up for yoursef, do so. If you see that they have call lights going off while you are waiting to talk to them, then try to answer them. Now some folks are just ridiculous and you can do all of the above plus turn cartwheels and they will still act like you have the plague. It is their problem. You just focus on what you need to do to get patient care done.

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sometimes it is just perception too. 2x this morning my instructor saw me going into the break room and another student as well and kind of gave us the "look", well my primary nurse was in there and I was just asking her relevant questions, and letting her know about new orders etc... But then again if my instructor really thought I was a poor student she could have seen the situation and thought "what a lazy student!". Also had a CNA who made a snarky comment to me and another student today about "i can see that you just have LOADS to do (in a snarky, sarcastic tone) How about helping me change briefs, or are you too busy. Now mind you I had run about 4 hours straight at this point with a very demanding patient and was finally getting a quiet minute to chart my assessment (2 hours after the fact) and I had done my share of extra call lights and done total care on my patient, but to her we just don't "do anything". Frustrating I know, but I have been trying really hard not to let other peoples problems and attitudes become my own. Maybe it is something about turning 30. The need to be everyones best friend and the most popular person around just isn't there anymore...

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I live in a small town. Our instructor when asked about mean nurses we were assigned to stated that maybe the nurses saw us as competition. Kinda makes sense......but as for me....I think you get more bees with honey than vinegar.

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

I said it before on another post that was similar, but I honestly just don't get it....I understand they're busy, but Angie said it best:

"Whoa! I guess those folks are going to stay short-staffed. I cannot imagine any students actually wanting to work there once they get licensed, can you?"

That's my thought exactly....I figure if the nurses where we are currently doing clinicals are so unhappy, then it's definately a place I plan on avoiding post-graduation!! UGH!! Only 4 more clinical weeks to go with this bunch!!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Tanzanite: I HEAR YA!!!

So many of nurses are the same way on my clinical floor. They don't want us in the nurses station, they don't want us in the hallway to do charting, they've asked us to use this little side room, but we can hear them moan & complain that we're sitting on our butts, not in patient rooms. We get shot dirty looks when we go to pick up our patient assignments the night before, we're not allowed to have the chart in our hands, even to document.....'cause they always have to go find it. Well how the heck am I supposed to document? They will never actually engage us in a conversation during downtime, even to explain something. Just "what do you want?" and a yes/no/not now answer. One nurse will have a "talk" with our instructor about how we're all doing this or that wrong, so she'll pass on the message, then the next day it's someone else saying the opposite. A number of the nurses will also just hand us their patient(s), let us do everything, and not even go see the patient all day, so when we need help they're clueless or have magically disappeared. Then our instructor is running around trying to help us get everything done for 7-14 patients.

Our clinical instructors for several terms have noticed it too. But in the end, we're told theres nothing they can do about it, because our nsg school needs clinical spots. The students are all really frusterated, but it's nice to know that our clinical instructor supports us, and is just as frusterated with the system as we are.

But the amazing difference? One floor up, same type of medical floor has more new grads for more than half of their staff. Staff on that floor remember what its like to be a student and are SOOOO helpful to the students there. Even providing information, tips/tricks without needing to be asked, and coming to find students for new/cool things.

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Specializes in cardiac/education.

I think for clinicals they put you on the floors that have the most critical shortage/turnover. The hospital does this on purpose but then it backfires cuz you see how miserable and bit#$! those nurses are. THEY ARE OVERWORKED oftentimes. I understand their frustration but I also have had a few nurses say things to me that were only meant to hurt. Sad really.It is like they don't even think that you are a human being with feelings! If they met you on the street, chances are you would be treated better!

I have never been treated as crappy as I have in nursing school. It has made me a tougher person, really. People being rude doesn't faze me as much as before. Now I just EXPECT it! When I talk to any floor nurse I just EXPECT that she is going to treat me like crap and when she doesn't....I am just pleasantly suprised.:lol2: But I always SMILE and try to "kill em with kindness".:uhoh3: They also like you more when you get up there in semesters. This first thing I get, after the rude "hello" is "what block are you??" and then "what can you do??".:uhoh3: It makes a big difference to the nurse that you can pass PO meds ALONE and do three of her assessments/charting and accuchecks. If you can do all that without whining or crawling down her neck all shift, usually they are really appreciative by the end of the day.....

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

My only piece of advice, as harsh as it may sound, is to ride it out. You are only going to be there for a limited time, and believe me there is no way you are going to change the nurses attitudes. Learn what you can and be as pleasant as possible. Don't let theri attitudes and behavior distract you from learning!! We had the same problem with some of our rotations so I know how you feel. After one of the worst rotations we had our instructor had us buy the unit a gift basket with candies and cookies and stuff, the look on the nurses faces when we gave it to them and thanked them for all their help was truly priceless. They knew that they were mean and rude to us but it surely made us look like the bigger person!!! BUT it didn't change them in any way, the class behind us had the same difficulties with them as we did.

Good Luck and just remember....This to shall pass....

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

An update from my perspective -- we had clinicals this morning and my pt's RN was a 23-year veteran who is a floater in this hospital....I had the most POSITIVE experience working with her...she asked what I would be doing today, asked how long I had been in school, and when I had a question or wanted to give an update, she listened and seemed to CARE and appreciate it....when she was doing a procedure she knew I wasn't familiar with, she made sure I was there and explained everything....she was also quick to point out the few irregularities with our pt during assessments....I was in RN-student heaven today!! Too bad she's off tomorrow :( .

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