students and instructors crossing boundaries

christinemj · Feb 27, 2004

First and foremost, the hospital policy MUST be followed. The hospital is granting you and the instructor the PRIVILEGE of being on the floor to hone your skills. Fail to follow hospital policy and you may not have a place FOR clinical!

BTW - Many hospital policies are "vague" on issues that allow leeway and interpretation by the nurse dependent upon the facts of the case. In these instances, guided direction from the instructor should be welcomed, and the instuctor will know the appropriate measure to take in this instance.

If it's a set in stone policy, for example, stating that 4 mg of Zofran can be pushed IV, but 8 mg must be piggybacked.... then that's the rule to follow regardless of the instructor's "opinion" on the matter.

mattsmom81 · Feb 27, 2004

The nursing instructor should NEVER expect a student to break hospital policy while performing a procedure in the hospital. Lab simulations, OK, but 'when in the hospital do as the hospital nurses do'...and follow policies. They are there for a reason and I doubt the hospital would appreciate the nursing school disregarding them.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 27, 2004

I wound up getting an instructor wrote up for a dressing change that was supposed to be sterile but wasn't. She touched my sterile gauze with her bare fingers and i refused to use those on my pt. and went and got the stuff to start all over again. She was furious, but i wasn't about to risk it. That pt. is paying for a STERILE dressing, they are going to get a STERILE dressing. (They also had a compromised immune system). Needless to say i got ripped a new one on my clinical grade, which i don't think is a coincidence. The program directors stand by me for standing up to her, and i submitted my clinical paper to the head instructor to regrade.

The basic rule: go by what's right.

hmccartn · Feb 27, 2004

follow hospital policy.....might put you in a tough spot with the instructor but you can then argue your rationale to the hospital/nursing program. if you follow the instructor then all you have to say is "but she told me to"..which one sounds better? good luck.

unknown99, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2004

Hospital policy is the way to go!!!

IamRN · Feb 28, 2004

If you went to court for whatever issue for which you followed the instructor's "way" and that was contrary to hospital policy you would not have a leg to stand on (barring the rare "prudent nurse" incidents).

Agnus · Feb 28, 2004

I wound up getting an instructor wrote up for a dressing change that was supposed to be sterile but wasn't. She touched my sterile gauze with her bare fingers and i refused to use those on my pt. and went and got the stuff to start all over again. She was furious, but i wasn't about to risk it. That pt. is paying for a STERILE dressing, they are going to get a STERILE dressing. (They also had a compromised immune system). Needless to say i got ripped a new one on my clinical grade, which i don't think is a coincidence. The program directors stand by me for standing up to her, and i submitted my clinical paper to the head instructor to regrade.
The basic rule: go by what's right.

I salute you. :saint:

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Feb 28, 2004

Definitely follow hospital P & P. This is Nursing 110 stuff. You did the right thing and are to be commended. Instructors and students are basically "guests" on the hospital unit. We should all do our utmost to make sure we are "safe" during our visit, and following facility policy is BASIC to this. :)

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 28, 2004

Now that i think of it, i should have said "the pt. NEEDS a sterile dressing, the pt. is going to GET a sterile dressing". Pay has nothing to do with it.