Student looking busy

ann945n, RN · Feb 28, 2007

Being a student myself i know your problem, i had it in peds, i begged and bugged the nurses to put me to work, no one really had much for me to do a slow day, i just fill the day with doing assessments and trying to see as much as i can, feel out who the nurses are that love to have students and ask if you can follow them and just learn as much as you can and do what you can, whatever your instructer will allow even if its only vitals and feeding babies! also i asked to do paper work with the nurses, grab whatever form they are filling out or assessment forms ect do them along side them and compair after, good luck

Trauma Columnist · Feb 28, 2007

When I did clinicals I always made it known that I would help with anything! That helped to keep me busy. Plus, I did bring a small book that I could look at when there was absolutely nothing going on.

NeosynephRN · Feb 28, 2007

HOnestly I would do anything to help them out...take out the trash...help with meal trays...I mean they see you doing that stuff and they seem more willing to let you in on the good stuff...do vitals, and the everyday stuff if you can!! Ask lots of questions!! I was lucky cause in my OB clinicals we were able to be very hands on..as long as our RN was with us for the first time!! Good Luck!!

Roseyposey · Feb 28, 2007

I did every little "errand" that I could. I answered call lights, fetched ice chips, warm blankets, helped with ambulation, I even strained urine and grabbed the nurses sodas from the cafeteria...anything to help out. This served me well, as they did let me do some things - insert Foleys, start iv's, and every patient I assisted with let me observe the birth.

Gennaver, MSN · Feb 28, 2007

I am doing my OB rotation and we get only 1 day in L&D. Our instructor has told us to basically follow our nurses around and try to look like we have a purpose in the L&D room. We can't actually do anything so I was wondering if any of you lovely ladies could give me some ideas of how to look busy while not being able to actually do anything involving patient care.:monkeydance:

Oh my..."look busy" how on earth can you learn and participate if you are busy posing?

:) I suggest to approach it with enthusiasm, read up on your assignments and be curious enough to want to participate/anticipate and cooperate.

As a student I think it would be totally mind-numbing and useless to everyone invloved if I tried to waste my clinical time 'looking busy'.

Good luck,

Gen

TrudyRN · Feb 28, 2007

Oh my..."look busy" how on earth can you learn and participate if you are busy posing?
:) I suggest to approach it with enthusiasm, read up on your assignments and be curious enough to want to participate/anticipate and cooperate.
As a student I think it would be totally mind-numbing and useless to everyone invloved if I tried to waste my clinical time 'looking busy'.
Good luck,
Gen

How much can she expect to learn anyway in 1 lonely, only day? :eek:

Perhaps she should have worded her question differently. Maybe if she'd said, "How can I most effectively use this 1 short day to learn as much as possible about this fascinating area of Nursing?", it would have been better.

I recall having to do a lot of "looking busy" and keeping away from the N. Station when I was a student. I did the things the others have suggested - stuck my nose in everywhere, tried to do whatever I could to help the staff, made all the beds possible, ran errands, read charts, followed docs on rounds, etc. That's what I mean by "looking busy".

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 28, 2007

Just do what Traumanurse said: Offer to help in any way you can w/the staff's load. This is about all you can do. If the unit is slow, and nothing to do, have your textbooks handy and set yourself to study for your next exam or do any assigned homework/reports you have to. There is ALWAYS something do to in nursing school. When OB was slow and the staff wanted us out their way, I would just get my nose in my books and study or do whatever work I had to do for school. (careplans, notes, drug cards etc).

Good luck. Too bad, so many schools have nearly cut out OB altogether. That, to me, is a shame. Guess I was lucky cause in the late 90s when I was in school, we had 6 weeks of OB clinicals to do, and I got to see plenty.

OnTheRoad · Mar 1, 2007

Ann.... I get to do 2 clinicals nursery and 2 clinicals postpartum and will be able to be very hands on in both of those settings. I think paperwork will be a big part of what I do in L&D (and I don't mind that a bit.. paperwork is very important stuff )

Trauma, calla, and JKC.... I am willing to do anything, thanks for the ideas.

Genn.... Maybe I didn't describe the situation well enough. I WANT WANT WANT to get my hands on anything they will let me do, but at my hospital in L&D it is very restricted what we are allowed to do. If I am not allowed to participate but I want to at least watch everything that is going on and learn everything I can, I need to look like I have a purpose.

Trudy... thanks for the ideas

Smiling... We have 6 wks of OB (2 wks postpartum, 2 wks nursery, 1 wk L&D, 1 wk orientaation). It really seems way too short in my eyes. This is a unit with 3 different subunits and we will hardly get a taste of any of them. A grand total of 30 hrs actual clinical time when you take away the orientation. It really is a shame!

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 1, 2007

Well, hopefully, they will be busy enough to have things for you to do and observe. I wish you the best.

allthingsbright · Mar 1, 2007

Look up OB meds in a med book when you se them being given--memorize side effects and nursing interventions

Bring a pocket book on OB and read it when not busy--look up any procedures, etc (I like the Peds/OB pocket notes--it is easy to carry and has all kinds of info in it)

Ask a nurse, IF she has a spare moment, to explain a strip to you or a procedure. You will learn a ton by watching ANY nurse hang meds, start IV's, check a patient's cervix or fundus, hook up a TOCO monitor, etc, etc

Watch closely how the nurses do a head to toe assessment on a laboring woman and a newborn baby--take some notes

Bring a small nursing diagnosis book and look up diagnoses pertinent to the patients you are observing--come up with some interventions

Take notes on all you see and write out questions to ask your instructor

Then at post conference, share what you have learned and blow everyone else away!

Bring some notecards for backup study in case things are slow and you can study for a test!

I LOVED OB and you can learn so much by watching. Have fun!

OnTheRoad · Mar 2, 2007

Thank you so much for the tips all things. My first true clinical is tomorrow and I will bring my pocket notebook with me to write down notes and questions and try to remember I am still learning. Then maybe I will get a pocket book on OB before my next clinical. I have spent alot of time on the recieving end of this unit, I just hope I can do a good job on the other end of it.