Rude/ Inconsiderate nurses during clinicals

[Nonetheless]

How do you deal with rude/ inconsiderate nurses during clinical?

Things that really irritate me:

> not letting me see a specific patient without a good reason

I want to see *every* patient, not just the nice ones. If it's a danger to my safety or the patient's safety then I understand but some nurses don't give me a reason. The other day a nurse didn't let me see a patient because "she had a good relationship with him" and she spent most of the shift with him, leaving me out. I luckily just tagged along with a different nurse but I felt like she was rude and offered me a poor excuse.

EDIT: if the patient asks for no students then it's okay as well because of consent and such.

> Expecting me to know certain things then telling my instructor I don't know anything.

As a nursing student, I am clinical to learn. I am not going to right away have the skills go into action. It's like riding a bicycle--easy *once you get the hang of it*. Thankfully, my instructor is nice, but it's a mean thing for a nurse to just tell the instructor I know nothing when I am a student trying to learn the things I do not know. But now I am scared to ask my instructor for a rec letter in the future.

>Leaving the nurse's station to do a procedure/ task and not letting me know.

This bothers me to no extent. If I see the nurse I was assigned to for the day and kind of saunter off without telling me then I get up, chase her and follow her. If you don't want a nursing student with you then you should have worked at a facility that doesn't take students. I am going to follow you whether you like it or not. Even if you are just getting a blood glucose (which I am sort of an expert at doing now since I have done it so many times) or asking the patient if he needs anything.

> Saying things like "why didn't you become a doctor?"

Why didn't YOU become a doctor?

>Saying "you're timid, is this your first day?"

No. I am not timid or shy at all. I am comfortable going up to people and asking them if they need help. But these hospitals are potential employers and I am guarded in what I say or how I act in them. I am not going to chuckle at your jokes about the patient because I want a job next year.

>When the nurse doesn't introduce him/herself to me when I am assigned to that nurse for the day.

This is just rude.

What do you do in these situations? How do you handle them? I am just really mad, I had a bad experience this week. I know I am not supposed to be entitled but I am paying 20,000 plus a year out of pocket for nursing school.

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

You guys replying sure are on the defensive. Smh but some hit dogs will holler. OP I've seen everything you've mentioned. So what I do now is not bother my nurse. If she doesn't want to be bothered with me because 'she didn't know she was getting a student" and now is mad at me for the whole day, I just do patient care, do vitals, and shadow with my classmates nurse who doesn't mind having a student and let's us do skills and teaches as she's doing whatever she's doing. (My instructor doesn't mind and encourages this) The nurses I'm assigned to never introduce themselves to me either. I introduce myself, tell them what I can help them with, and look at their badge for their name. *shrug* I just laugh to myself and say 'grown people are really acting like this?" I just think to my self 1:15 pm must come. Cause that's when we report off and get outta there! Lol Yes, I've had nurses just leave and not say anything as I'm standing right next to them. I just follow them even though they seem annoyed. OH WELL! Lol Also if I'm doing my clinical paperwork I sometimes lose my nurse. So it's possible that you can lose them. Doesn't mean you don't want to learn and we're playing around that you didn't notice them leave. I've been told clinical you learn some, but you will learn more on the job. Just continue to be nice and smile. That's what I do. I kill em with kindness. Sometimes when you're so nice, they break and end up being a little nicer. Good luck.[/quote']

It's this attitude and the attitude of the OP that give us nursing students a bad name. We had a girl in my clinical group who said she wasn't doing the bed bath because that was the CNA's job. Come on!! You do realize that you are a guest. You don't know what else the nurse is dealing with that day. Her favorite patient may be dying, she may have 2 new admits, she may have been late getting to work and now is behind. Again, it's exhausting having someone following you everywhere you go and when you have 7-8 patients to take care of, the student nurse isn't her first priority. Just remember that one day you are going to need a job and if you burn bridges at your clinical site, you won't be getting the job there.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Forgot one: getting up to go do something with the patient. Sometimes new information needs to be acted on immediately. If you see me walking fast (or in some cases running), don't ask questions, just follow. You'll see for yourself as soon as we get in the room. Guaranteed. Even if it's not emergent, at any given time, I have five or more tasks being constantly shifted in priority in my mind. You don't. Just follow. Or not.

I remember something one of my clinical instructors once said to our class when we were waffling about doing things at clinical. She flat-out told us, "This is your learning experience. I already have my license."

And she was right.

If you want to join the educational ride, then get off of the chair and follow. If you don't want the ride, don't follow. You can question along the way and you may get an answer as we're walking or like dudette says, you'll find out once we get to the room.

But the choice is yours. It doesn't matter to me either way as I already have my license. You don't. So what you the student want to make of this is entirely up to you.

And don't worry: if we're going somewhere where we don't want you to join us--like to the bathroom--trust me, we will let you know

[pknurse]

I know the important things like meds, general patho, basic skills, etc. But this time apparently my nurse and I had a different method of doing subq injections and while she didn't express anything to me she apparently told my prof that I have no idea what I am doing. I do it this way http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu339/melanotanhq/peptide/subqlayer.jpg

and she did it this way http://www.skin-breath.com/subcutaneous.jpg. I always learned in school that both methods are acceptable as long as you reach the subcutaneous layer. But not to her. I am incompetent to her. >

What most nursing students do not know is that hospital policy/procedures overrides whatever you are taught in school. Nurses are held responsibility for following policy/procedure of the hospital - not what is in your nursing book. And often times they vary greatly. I have been to hospitals where aspirating during an IM injection is mandated by policy; my current hospital says that aspiration isn't necessary. A nurse can get fired for breaking policy even though their practice is consistent with "the book."

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

It's this attitude and the attitude of the OP that give us nursing students a bad name. We had a girl in my clinical group who said she wasn't doing the bed bath because that was the CNA's job. Come on!! You do realize that you are a guest. You don't know what else the nurse is dealing with that day. Her favorite patient may be dying, she may have 2 new admits, she may have been late getting to work and now is behind. Again, it's exhausting having someone following you everywhere you go and when you have 7-8 patients to take care of, the student nurse isn't her first priority. Just remember that one day you are going to need a job and if you burn bridges at your clinical site, you won't be getting the job there.

Thank you for this. Because I do remember what it's like to be a student, I have to chime in on the bed baths. I wish I knew then how much information you can glean from a bed bath. I didn't know what I didn't know back then. It's not just a skin assessment. You will be able to assess all systems with a bed bath, plus activity tolerance, pain, and strength. As a nurse, I'm often in the room during the bed bath doing nursing-only tasks and another head to toe, then repositioning or helping patient up to a chair.

Also, I can't express the importance of comfort for a patient enough. Bed baths, when done right, are so relaxing and contribute to a patient's well being. Yes, I got tired of doing them in my last clinical rotation, and I thought I wasn't learning as much as I wanted to learn, but it is one of my priorities to make sure it gets done. So, to the student nurses who do them without complaint, thank you. Your contribution is much more appreciated by the patient and the nurse than what it seems on first glance.

ETA: During the bed bath, if you see something that you didn't hear in report or you may think could benefit the nurse if she knew, speak up! Don't get flustered if the nurse says, "I know my patient!" In my experience with one particular coworker, that statement is just passive-aggressive ********, and no one pays attention to her blabbering anyway. The proper response from a nurse would be, "Thanks. Yeah, I already knew about it, and we are doing x." But, you're not always going to get that, and just don't worry too much about it.

See, I can acknowledge that some nurses need a 'tude adjustment, but I just don't see it in the OP.

[pookyp, LPN]

Have a great day.

I will! You too!

[pookyp, LPN]

We're not mad at you. We don't think enough about you to be angry with you. We are taking care of our patients! And we don't "break" and be nice to you. We get a few minutes of breathing room from our duties and have a chance to talk. Benefit of the doubt again.

Stop speaking for ALL nurses. I know mad when I see it. I know you guys are taking care of your patients. That;s why when I see that some nurses don't want to be bothered or flustered I stay out of their way. Nursing can be stressful. I get that.

[pookyp, LPN]

It's this attitude and the attitude of the OP that give us nursing students a bad name. We had a girl in my clinical group who said she wasn't doing the bed bath because that was the CNA's job. Come on!! You do realize that you are a guest. You don't know what else the nurse is dealing with that day. Her favorite patient may be dying, she may have 2 new admits, she may have been late getting to work and now is behind. Again, it's exhausting having someone following you everywhere you go and when you have 7-8 patients to take care of, the student nurse isn't her first priority. Just remember that one day you are going to need a job and if you burn bridges at your clinical site, you won't be getting the job there.

What part of my post did I 'burn my bridges' I said I smile, do my vitals, and do patient care. And when it's 1:15 I leave. What's bad about that?

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

What most nursing students do not know is that hospital policy/procedures overrides whatever you are taught in school. Nurses are held responsibility for following policy/procedure of the hospital - not what is in your nursing book. And often times they vary greatly. I have been to hospitals where aspirating during an IM injection is mandated by policy; my current hospital says that aspiration isn't necessary. A nurse can get fired for breaking policy even though their practice is consistent with "the book."

Yes, this!!!! I recently had a patient receiving ABX IM qid, the MAR specifically said "gluteal" for injection site. We weren't taught gluteal in nursing school b/c of the risk of hitting the sciatic nerve. What you learn in school and what is policy of the facility you end up working in could be very different!

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

What part of my post did I 'burn my bridges' I said I smile do my vitals, and do patient care. And when it's 1:15 I leave. What's bad about that?[/quote']

It's the attitude. You make the nurses out as unfriendly and almost hateful. "Kill them with kindness". "Sometimes when you're so nice,they break." You said you just wait until you can get out if there. Just seems like with that kind of attitude, it may burn some bridges.

[minniebrown]

I remember something one of my clinical instructors once said to our class when we were waffling about doing things at clinical. She flat-out told us, "This is your learning experience. I already have my license."

And she was right.

If you want to join the educational ride, then get off of the chair and follow. If you don't want the ride, don't follow. You can question along the way and you may get an answer as we're walking or like dudette says, you'll find out once we get to the room.

But the choice is yours. It doesn't matter to me either way as I already have my license. You don't. So what you the student want to make of this is entirely up to you.

And don't worry: if we're going somewhere where we don't want you to join us--like to the bathroom--trust me, we will let you know

I'm a student and I agree with this. Clinical is not meant to be the stuff dreams are made of. Go there to learn and try to be positive and grateful. Leave the negativity at the door.

[pookyp, LPN]

It's the attitude. You make the nurses out as unfriendly and almost hateful. "Kill them with kindness". "Sometimes when you're so nice,they break." You said you just wait until you can get out if there. Just seems like with that kind of attitude, it may burn some bridges.

Yes. sometimes I can't wait to get out of there. I'm telling the truth. But you will never know it. (I get complimented by nurses and my patients on my good work ethic and friendliness) So no, my attitude doesn't show at clinical. When I feel like I'm a burden to a nurse, I do sometimes just want to get the heck out of there! I too didn't get asked to be put with you, like you didn't get asked if you wanted a student. The nurses would probably like to get the heck out of there too. Lol Let's not act brand new. Not everyone likes every clinical site/experience. :)

I'm not implying all nurses are like this, but a lot of them are. I know some people know it's true. But won't admit it. One nurse last week told me "I may not say much because I'm busy. But if you see me go just tag along." Boom. Easy. Then you get a nurse who acts like you don't exist and when you talk to them they don't answer you. I even had one nurse hide from me in a patients room with the door closed laid out on the couch charting and watching the Wendy Williams show. She sent me to do a task and I couldn't find her anywhere for over 45 mins. Her supervisor kept asking me if I was ok and where was my nurse. I didn't even know what to say (I posted that experience here once I think) She was upset when I 'found' her.

Some nurses just aren't friendly and that's what I was trying to tell the OP. Just smile and take as much experience from it as you can. There are some unfriendly nurses so like I said 'kill them with kindness'. I know the difference between unfriendly and busy. :)

[pookyp, LPN]

Sorry to hi jack your thread OP. That was my last response! Sorry!