What are your thoughts about being assigned BSN students doing their Community Health rotations?
I enjoy students and it can be fun to teach them some of the ins and outs of school nursing, BUT...
It's become assumed in my district that we'll do it. You know, you get asked the FIRST time and from then on you receive an email telling you when your students will be coming. And in spite of admin saying "you've got some extra help", in reality, if you're doing it right, it's more work.
Also, these students are paying big bucks for their tuition and their clinical instructors (who check in maybe once during the rotation) are certainly getting paid. Should we be doing this for free?
I look forward to the students coming in! We're chartered through the local university, so no stipend here. BUT! The students help me TREMENDOUSLY with all of my screenings. Being part time and having over 400 students to screen by myself in 3 different cities (that number will increase next year as we add grades to all of our campuses), I feel a little overwhelmed and their help takes a lot off of my shoulders. I've also never had a bad experience with the students either. I'm sure it will come, and I will cross that bridge when it gets here, but so far so good.
My students this year haven't been screening trained unfortunately.
We have several colleges in the city that have students do their pedi clinicals at our schools. For the most part I do not mind a student, as it is usually the same student Monday and Wednesday.
HOWEVER: this semester I have a DIFFERENT student EVERY DAY of the week! I HATE IT! And they all have different instructors, which is crazy as well. I seriously do not know who is coming and going, all I know is that when they are done, I am telling my nursing supervisor NO MORE than 1 student, I can't take it, they drive me crazy and I want to be alone again! I think they think it is helpful to us, which it is not, and I do not get any compensation for it either.
My students this year haven't been screening trained unfortunately.
Mine aren't either :/ therefore they do not do the actual screenings themselves. I typically have 4 at a time so I send 2 to pull kiddos from classes and 2 are in the screening room with me. We rotate half way through so they all get some experience with the screening process. I screen the students and tell the students what to write on my forms and where to write it. I explain what I'm looking for, what requires a rescreen/referral, why we do the screenings, and answer any questions they may have. It helps me so much by not having to stop between groups of kids to go pull the next, plus, when I have students on campus, I get to focus solely on screenings as opposed to having to stop to see every bandaid, icepack, and phone call request.
I love precepting nursing students! We sign up at the beginning of the semester for the days we are willing to have a nursing student, so I know in advance when they are coming. I enjoy talking to them, and most are interested in learning about my position, as well as interacting with the students. I don't get compensated for having them, but I truly enjoy the experience, and enjoy talking to their instructor. In my dreams, I would go back to school and become a nursing instructor.
Specializes in Sub-Acute, School Nursing, Dialysis.
I started refusing students a few years ago. I would not change my mind even if I was compensated. The disinterest, indifference, and lack of social skills of most of those who rotated through my clinic was alarming.
That stinks! I loved my school nurse rotation and remember it well. I was at a middle school that had two nurses. I remember helping them sort out all the meningococcal and tdap immunization records. Saw a lot of students that day. They were great nurses to learn from too.
Jedrnurse, BSN, RN
2,776 Posts
My students this year haven't been screening trained unfortunately.