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I'd like to know why students hide in the break room or hide at the nurse's station while call lights are going off and the RNs are running around like chickens w/their heads cut off. They'll even sit right next to a ringing phone while you're in the middle of doing something important. I never did this as a student. And why do they get to the hospital the same time as I do and want report from me instead of listening to it w/the rest of us?

Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

When I am in clinical, I am there to learn. I am an adult, paying for my education by working while also in school, and through student loans and scholarships. This is a second career for me; I have a previous college degree, and gave up my professional career to become a CNA in order to get into nursing school. Being a CNA was a very good experience. It taught me a great deal of humility and appreciation for the human spirit. But it was, for me, an avenue into nursing school, not a job that I ever wanted to have long term.

I have a great deal of respect for the limitations set forth for me by my nursing program. I am NOT to be answering call lights and providing care for patients other than those assigned to me. It is an issue of liability, and the hospital where I have my clinicals is in full agreement with this policy. So am I. It would be irresponsible for me to provide care to patients that I know nothing about.

For many aspects of patient care, I must have my clinical instructor present. I am not allowed to simply act without involving the patient's nurse or my CI. My patient's nurse has three or four other patients to care for, and thus is busy. My CI has several other students to supervise, and thus is busy. This means that I spend a lot of my clinical time waiting for one of them to be available to assist me.

If you see me standing around, you might make an assumption that I am being lazy. But in reality, it could be that I just paged my CI to come and observe me perform a procedure, and am waiting for my CI to appear. Or it could be that I need a medication or a flush out of the pyxis, and since I am not allowed to access the pyxis, I have to wait for the nurse I have been assigned to work with or my CI to come and get it out of the pyxis for me.

If I can make someone's job easier by being there, that's fantastic. I like to be helpful. But that is not my focus. Learning is my focus.

As 1st semester students, we were told to not do anything with patients other than those assigned to us because we do not know what restrictions might apply (i.e. needing assistance to get up...). I will go into a patient's room if they see me and call me in and try to find out what they need...but then I go to my CI and the patient's nurse to see if it is ok to do what they want. I'm not being lazy but am trying to protect the patient from harm and following my CI's wishes.

In the nursing program I am in, if you are not there for report you are sent home. Unless you are doing your charting, If the nursing instructor sees you sitting, she will give you something to do.

I totally agree with the points Pixie has succinctly made. To the original poster, I would tell you that I've seen more lazy nurses in their breakrooms once the students hit the floor. Mine was in there 45 minutes this week while I was on the floor, giving meds to her patients. Some things I was not allowed to do, so I had to tell her. It's pretty frustrating trying to talk to her while she's got a muffin in her mouth. She could have cared less what I was telling her....which brough out my litle passive-agressive streak, prompting me to go in there two more times to bother her. Please....the nurses flee the floor more than the students.

Students don't answer your hospital phone, Period. I've never seen this, ever. We're not in report because we're in pre-conference with our CI, who is our boss, not the nurse.

And Daytonite? What's up with the petty comments? "Live their little lives...."?? Is this the same Daytonite that is so helpful with student nurses on this forum? Is this how you really feel? Living our little lives? We're just trying to get through nursing school, darlin'. Remember that? You must not, just as most nurses don't remember their early days. If you all did, you wouldn't treat the students in such a demeaning way during their clinical rotations.

I hate clinical. I get little from it, except learning who's got the power on the unit. I get more education and respect from my extern job than any day in a hospital clinical, dodging the bad moods of the unhappy nurses we're stuck with.

Bah!

Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
And why do they get to the hospital the same time as I do and want report from me instead of listening to it w/the rest of us?

If the intention of this OP was to raise a lively discussion, it certainly has been accomplished.

The more I thought about this statement, the more annoyed I got....let's see, last semester we spent WAY too much time pre-conference with our CI who allowed folks to talk about their kids, pets, personal medical issues, etc., which usually put us on the floor anywhere from 15 -30 minutes late. So, yes, I do need to get report from you as that's the instruction we're given as part of our tasks for the day or we can be sent home w/an unsatisfactory clinical performance. This semester we would get up to the floor at a decent time, but usually you were already in the middle of report and since we don't want to annoy the nurses, we try to quietly figure out who our nurse for each assigned pt, then try to track each of YOU down in your hiding places and listen in without irritating you and the RN you're getting report from. Then perhaps once I found my first pt's nurse and waited for report on that one, the second pt's RN has already received report or is telling me she hasn't gotten it yet while glaring at me for bothering her.

I think this is one, big, vicious circle with no one on the winning end. I feel like a lot of RNs have forgotten what it's like to be in NS and to be feeling so helpless and frustrated in the clinical setting.

What I think is interesting is reading on these boards how some schools are doing less skills instructing and expecting that some of these things will be taught while on the job. I understand I may not have the opportunity to start a thousand IVs while a student, but I can't imagine not having had the theory and basic ideas behind doing so introduced while I am still a student. I'm a 3rd semester student who can't imagine that I'll be graduating in 5 months with what I feel is such a lack of knowledge about overall pt care!! :uhoh3:

I don't think the intent of the OP was to start a lively discussion - I think it was to gripe and complain. I say this because I checked back on other responses she has made to others' posts, and they all have the same general tone to them: complaints, gripes, and sarcasm about others not doing what she wants them to do. A student must have recently annoyed her in some way recently.

I'm still chuckling about the gripe that students don't answer the phones. LOL!

I don't think the intent of the OP was to start a lively discussion - I think it was to gripe and complain. I say this because I checked back on other responses she has made to others' posts, and they all have the same general tone to them: complaints, gripes, and sarcasm about others not doing what she wants them to do. A student must have recently annoyed her in some way recently.

I'm still chuckling about the gripe that students don't answer the phones. LOL!

Exactly ^^^^

If she is as pleasant to the students as she is in this post then its likely that they are hiding from her. I doubt that all of her co-workers are having similar experiences with the students. No, it is not a busy RNs job to coddle the students, we aren't asking for you to hold our hands and make us a nice cup of hot chocolate. However, there are some nurses who are so incredibly rude and nasty that there is no way on Earth that an intimidated student is going to volunteer do a thing outside of what their CI has instructed them to do and this may be for one of two reasons:

1. Fear that they will have their head chewed off by that nurse, their CI, or some other staff person.

or if you are like me and not intimidated but annoyed

2. Why bother? If people are going to be that nasty then let them fend for themselves the way that they HAVE to when I am not there....tough cookies.

There is this "wonderful" nurse at our clinical site and she has the same complaints. Well let me tell you on the second day of clinical as I was walking down the hall she was right behind me talking to "herself"

She said: Oh, look at these babies...they think they are going to be nurse's but after one month on the floor they will run crying and want to go into administration.

Um, ok :uhoh3:so I looked behind me to see who she is talking to and there is no one there but me and her so I have to assume that this comment is indirectly directed at me.

So you think that I will ever do anything to help this woman? Nope, not going to happen. She works nights but is routinely still there long after we get to the floor sometimes until 9am and even later charting and finishing up...not my problem.

No I am not a nurse yet but that doesn't make me an idiot or a baby. That woman doesn't know have a clue about where I have been in life before I came to nursing school and has no right to make those types of judgments.

There are some really good nurses at my clinical site...notice I didn't say nice, friendly, or pleasant because that is not that important to me. They are merely courteous and have manners. They are willing to teach and for them I will jump through hoops. These are the nurses that I will get a set of vitals on for all of their patient's not just the ones I am assigned to. These are the nurses that I will toilet their patients or change a brief for or feed their patient's when the CNAs are too busy or absent to do it.

Now that cannot be expected of all of the students because some of us were CNAs or other health care workers and are used to working in a hospital so we can do the work. If you have NO experience in a health care setting you will not know now where to tread so it's best you stay out of the way because the most important thing is that we do NOT impede any nurse from doing her job. So if you don't know what you are doing it's best to stay out of the way until you do.

That said...I am not free labor I am merely filling a contractual agreement between your facility and my school. If you don't want students on the floor and if you don't want to teach then speak to your nurse manager and don't take it out on me.

Attitude will take you a long way in life or it will hold you back. So if everyone around you is a problem then it just might be...just maybe...you that is the problem and you need to exam your our attitudes and actions.

OP - where'd you go? If you're going to insult all of us, come back and explain, please.

From a post later on the same day the OP posted it sounds like she is in a slump.

Boy, can I relate and I'm sure millions of others can, too. I used to love being a nurse and now I hate it. I love caring for patients who don't treat me like dirt. I love when I'm working w/enough staff that is good at their job. These things are too rare these days. It's all about the money and turning hospitals into hotels and nursing administration is all for it. And don't even get me started about ridiculous documentation and JCAHO and clipboard nurses. If it weren't for patients and co-workers complimenting me on a job well done, I'd really lose it. If I were younger and didn't have kids, I'd go to school for something else in a heartbeat. I strongly encourage anyone who asks not to become a nurse. I think as a group we have to put an end to all this but that will never happen.

I'm a student and I know we all have our ups and downs, but the OP shouldn't be taking it out on us, we are just getting our feet wet. It's a shame that someone who hates their job so much must make everyone else's day so bad. I would recommend a new job asap, because if you can't stand us more than likely everyone around can't stand you!

I'd like to know why students hide in the break room or hide at the nurse's station while call lights are going off and the RNs are running around like chickens w/their heads cut off. They'll even sit right next to a ringing phone while you're in the middle of doing something important. I never did this as a student. And why do they get to the hospital the same time as I do and want report from me instead of listening to it w/the rest of us?

I can't address the "hiding" because I never do it and haven't seen any of my classmates do it either, but the phone thing is something that I have done frequently. We were told by several teachers that it is best not to answer the phone (We don't know the answer to most questions that are asked anyway, and HIPAA is a big concern). I am usually doing my charting (computerized) if I am in the nursing station for any length of time anyway so it isn't like I am just hanging out in there. I suggest that if you see a student "hiding" out at the nurse's station you mention to them that a call light is going off and suggest that since they are not busy at the moment they could take care of it. (Politely and professionally of course). If that doesn't do the trick, talk with the student's assigned nurse of charge nurse about the issue so that it can be mentioned to the clinical instructor.

Oh and, WHen I was a first semester student, we were not allowed to answer call lights or do things for any other patients than those for whom we were assigned. As a senior this is not the case for me any longer and I frequently answer call lights, but now that I have a pretty full patient load and am doing most things "on my own" I can't go and get stuck in a patient's room doing things that aren't a high priority, when I have my patient's to care for. So I do anwer call lights now, but I can't function as a CNA. That is not what I am there for. SOunds like a good old fashion lack of communication in regards to the nursing student's role on the floor. There are rules and regulations and the students must follow them. Sorry you seem to be having a rough time.

I'm the OP and the reason I havn't responded in a few days is b/c I've been working a lot and taking care of my three kids and my big old house. I'm sure you can all relate to being busy.

As to the poster who said that people around me probably can't stand me, I don't think so. I've had nurses tell me many times that they're happy to come in and take on my assignment b/c I usually have everything done and my pts are usually in a good mood and their needs have been taken care of. The only thing I've been accused of that's negative is that sometimes I give to pts too much, but I find that killing w/kindness goes a long way. Being patient w/the pts isn't a bad thing., I don't think. I have never been written up for anything.

To the poster who said that I hate my job. Yes, I do. I do love caring for my pts and even the grumpy ones I can usually get to chuckle. I just hate that hospitals have their first priority as making money instead of taking care of sick people. I also hate that a main objective by admin is to kiss JCAHO's butt.

As for the students-the phone thing: when I was a student and the phone rang and no one was around to answer it, I'd answer it and say, "PACU, this is Amy." Whoever was on the other line would ask for so and so and I'd put the phone down on the counter after I asked the person to please hold and tell the first staff member that so and so had a phone call and where could I find that person.

At our hospital and at the school where we get students, the students are allowed to answer lights. Depeding on the need of the pt, they are allowed to help the pt. For ex, if a pt asks for a student to please hand him a book on his nightstand, the student can do it. In MA, if you have passed a semester of nsg school, it's the same as having a CNA license and you can perform all of the duties of a CNA. The school approves this. I always ask the students what they can and cannot do and tell them I'm sorry that they can't do certain things and that I will find them so that they can watch me do things they're not allowed to do.

I've had students tell me that their primary nurse is off the flr and that their pt needed pain med. I always tell them that it's no problem and I do it. I document that I did it in the MAR. I don't need the student to tell me that I need to document it in the nurse's note RIGHT AWAY before I do something else. If I need to take stat orders off a chart and I tell a student this and could I please have the chart, I don't need the student to tell me that she'll give it to me when she's done w/it. If I need to look up labs on the computer and a student is in front of it and I ask the student if I could please steal that seat for a minute to look up labs, I don't need attitude. If a doctor is about to do something interesting and I ask the pt if she'd mind if students came in, you'd think they'd want to observe, esp when their teacher encourages them to do so.

When students come in to get their assignment and they ask me for interesting pts, I love to help. I enjoy helping them find all their info b/c it must be hard finding it all when all the flrs are different. If a student needs help w/a pt, I feel flatterred that they ask me. When I see them struggling over stupid paperwork that the school makes them do (even though they won't learn anything useful from it) I like to help them. I frequently have students come up to for help and they sometimes say that they chose to approach me b/c I haven't been mean to them. I know I'm going to get slammed for this, but I still insist that fully 25% of students are lazy.

75% are great-I even ask them questions! And I'm no dummy-I know that many will be my future co-workers so I try to kiss butt just a little bit and teach them what I can.

And for the person with the hot chocolate comment-I nver make students hot chocolate, but I do make them coffee and buy them donuts.

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