Staff and clinical students

[Lainie B]

Are any of you in teaching hospitals that have experience dealing with nursing students? What would you suggest to the instructor to make it a more positive/productive experience for EVERYONE involved?

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

Make sure the teacher stays with her students, if not directly with them make sure they can be reached via pager.

[Annisme]

As a student (albeit a mature student:D), I hope you don't mind if I comment from my perspective.

As a student,

care plans: it is helpful for me to know what is expected up front, how it is to be done. When you go over them, PLEASE use constructive criticism! I have the opportunity to improve when I know where it is needed.

On the floor: If you are going in with me to do a new procedure, a calm, quiet conversation prior is most helpful. Ask me if I have everything I need (and make sure I do), explain what you will do and what I will do. Staying with me with words of encouragement and letting me accomplish the task will gain you the worship of your students! :bowingpur

Please remember I am just learning and may be very nervous. Firing questions at me without a breath in between will embarrass me and frustrate you when I need a second to think before I answer. I do come prepared to clinical, but especially in the beginning, my organization may not be up to speed yet.

Please do not embarrass me in front of the hospital staff or other students. If I need correction, a calm, private conversation will be the best way for me to hear and understand what you are saying.

A sense of humor is necessary (isn't that true for nursing in general?) and please, please, please, be who you are. As students, we want you to be yourself. It makes all of us more comfortable. If you are the first clinical instructor someone has, you will have an impact for their entire career!

I loved my first clinical instructor (she did all of the above). I have even changed to weekend clinicals for advanced med/surg to be with her again. I learned so much!

Thank you for letting me put in my . Just by asking, you have already shown that you care about your students. I be willing to bet you will be great!!!

Ann

[iteachob, MSN, RN]

From an instructor's point of view: I know that staff really appreciate it when they know ahead of time what the students are capable of (what level they are at). It's important to make clear what the student will be responsible for. Staff need to realize that we are not there to do their job, but instead are seeking (and assigning) learning experiences to meet the objectives of the course.

[hikernurse]

It's also nice when the CI introduces her/himself to the nurse. Sometimes I'll get a student and never see the CI. I love students and try to be the nurse they want to be when they're done.

Maybe tell the students to stick around; if they've disappeared and I'm doing something interesting, I don't have time to chase them so they can participate.

[Jules A, MSN]

The situations I like the best are when the instructor is a member of my team. Since they already work on our unit they know the ropes and who is a good nurse fit with students. Having an instructor that hasn't ever been on the unit isn't very helpful and sometimes is as much work as adding extra students, imo. Definitely being specific as to what the students are allowed and capable of doing is important.

Most times I really enjoy having students and the extra attention that my patients get from them but it is extra work for me so the ones that act like they are doing my job are way offbase. I also get tired of reading here about how entitled they feel to have certain experiences while at clinicals. It is great that they are interested in doing things and learning more but the truth is these are my patients and I don't know you from Adam so there are times when my gut just says I need to be the one doing a certain task. Some clinical experiences and/or some days are just better learning experiences than others and that is something they need to realize and have a good attitude about, imo.

P.S. sorry this turned into my personal pet peeve list about students and kudos to you for seeking ways to make the whole process work the best for everyone. :)