Rude Clinical Student

Nurses General Nursing

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Rude Clinical Student

Any tips?

I've been assigned a last-semester clinical student who is a mature student. She's great with patients care because she has been a CNA/PSW for many years. However, she has some issues with organization, professionalism, and ATTITUDE. 

1. In terms of organization, she often misplaces her sheets, needs to borrow a pen, or doesn't have the proper paper work ready for me such as her hours sheet that she's supposed to hand in every week. 

2. In terms of professionalism, she's been late a couple of times with no communication. She just shows up in the middle of report or often several minutes late. Never early. (Although most nurses on my unit unfortunately show up late, I think she's picked up on it and is proudly doing the same). She's also picked up several personal calls on her cellphone while she's charting. 

3. Her attitude is the worse... the way she talks, it's as if she's the boss of me or something. She would say things like "Open this" or "Read this for me" or "Come with me to this room" literally without a please or thanks or even phrasing it as a question. She's literally just making demands. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt as I figured communication is not her best suit but she is also very relaxed and chatty and loves to say things like "yeah, I know I know" since she's been a CNA for many years.  She's also made it clear that she doesn't want to be a nurse but yet she's here, spending her time on clinical with a chip on her shoulder it seems, doing the bare minimum. She's voiced that she's mostly just here to learn to give medication as she seems to know everything's else. 

Has anyone else experienced students like this?

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.

Does she have specific criteria that she is supposed to be meeting?

If she is not meeting those then give it to her straight, ensure you have a witness though. 

I had one of my recent student nurses who didn't seem to be meeting the criteria and needed to be drip fed on everything. So in the formative  assessment I gave her my expectations that she needed to be formulating her provision of care and seeking out her preceptor and to acknowledge the fear and do it anyway (or words to that effect"

End of placement she was like a completely different student. I was so dam proud as by that time I knew more about what she had been through in her life and how much of an achievment this was for her

I'll give it all I can to drag a student across the finish line that said if they arent safe to practice as a novice nurse, they arent same. In NZ if you sign someone off as safe when they arent and royally screw up and hurt/kill a patient it has the potential come back on my registration. 

Let her know where she needs to up her game and do it with a witness eg academic staff member from her program

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

I would definitely approach the clinical instructor and ask that the three of you meet together to go over things like expectations. Is this student arriving with a group or do you have a student that isn't near her clinical faculty during the rotation? Some of her behavior doesn't seem like something that faculty would tolerate. I know that if we were not on the floor ten minutes before the shift start, that was a problem. 

I don't understand coming to clinical with an attitude of anything other than wanting to work hard and learn as much as possible. If we had our cell phone out for a personal call during clinical hours that would have been grounds for dismissal from that day of clinical. (Two of those and you're out of the program)

You are her key to success, and she has to meet your expectations to pass the course. This should be made clear to her and hopefully she will shape up. Good luck!

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

"You can not get someone into more trouble than they can get themselves into."
-Edgar Cayce

"With these oxen we must plow."
-Bill Hess

"No matter how objectively factual you are about someone's negative qualities, those with no insight will never appreciate hearing it."
-Davey Do

 

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Specializes in ER.

I'll never forget a nursing student who was assigned to my patient one day. The patient was an obvious opioid seeker. The student had obviously had the unit on patient advocacy and meeting the pain goals of the patient. She totally fed into the patient's manipulative behavior. It made my shift a lot more difficult because she failed to consult me before trying to placate this patient. She was self-righteous and interfering of   my plan of care.

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Specializes in CEN, Firefighter/Paramedic.
Emergent said:

I'll never forget a nursing student who was assigned to my patient one day. The patient was an obvious opioid seeker. The student had obviously had the unit on patient advocacy and meeting the pain goals of the patient. She totally fed into the patient's manipulative behavior. It made my shift a lot more difficult because she failed to consult me before trying to placate this patient. She was self-righteous and interfering of   my plan of care.

Cut her a break, it's hard to differentiate those patients from the legit ones in the beginning.  We've all been roped in.

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This student has contacted their coordinator regarding taking the semester off. That answered a lot of the questions. 
Is anyone else not able to edit or delete their posts?

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Specializes in Medsurg.
JBMmom said:

I would definitely approach the clinical instructor and ask that the three of you meet together to go over things like expectations. Is this student arriving with a group or do you have a student that isn't near her clinical faculty during the rotation? Some of her behavior doesn't seem like something that faculty would tolerate. I know that if we were not on the floor ten minutes before the shift start, that was a problem. 

I don't understand coming to clinical with an attitude of anything other than wanting to work hard and learn as much as possible. If we had our cell phone out for a personal call during clinical hours that would have been grounds for dismissal from that day of clinical. (Two of those and you're out of the program)

You are her key to success, and she has to meet your expectations to pass the course. This should be made clear to her and hopefully she will shape up. Good luck!

Great advice.

 

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I wonder if she might have ADHD? 

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CPhT2RNstudent said:

I wonder if she might have ADHD? 

Possibly. Maybe the attitude was a cover-up? I doubt it. I think some people may just have "strong" personalities. Very odd for a student though.
No offense to anyone but I think the STANDARDS (or lack of) of some nursing schools have also significantly decreased during the pandemic. This wasn't the first student we've seen who seems to have just gotten by by taking online tests and never going to class, reading their books, and interacting with anyone. Maybe having their school-aged children write their papers for them. I remember having a lot of essays to write during school and it's surprising to see people who can barely type or organize their notes, make it to their last semesters ?


 

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

You've already lost.

This should have been nipped in the bud in the beginning. 
I've sent students home for things like this and they have had to make up the clinical day. Expectation is set, if they aren't professional and representing the school with the best foot forward, they are out. One bad berry poisons the batch. Attitudes are extremely communicable, and pretty soon the entire class will walk all over you. Good luck.

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Report them to their clinical instructor(s). 

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