STUDENTS: what do you want out of staff nurses? NURSES: vice versa....

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

student nurses: What (realistically) would you like to see from the staff nurse you are with(either following, or you just have their patient)

Nurses: what would you like to see from "your" student with your patient?

AND, for both roles, do you feel you do well at the nurse/student relationship?

As a nurse, I would just like the student to be well prepared, of course. Ask questions, but not ones that you should already know (stuff you should have found out in your info gathering the day before).Don't be afraid to ask about anything you don't understand. DOn't act like you have superior knowledge we don't have. Be eager to try new things, even if nervous. Make the most of your learning experience.

And I do try to make good at the nurse/student relationship. I make sure the students know I am available to them, that they can ask questions. When I have good procedures (iv start, wound vac change, etc) I go to the students and ask if any of htem would like to do it. If the instructor is too busy, I walk them through it. I try to make chit chat w/ them, just to help make them comfortable.

i do feel like I am not so good at constructive criticism, though. If I am not pleased w/ something they did (poor documentation, for ex) I am not as good at talking about that. Especially to students older than me (I'm only 24)

How about you?

[Luv2BAnurse]

When I work with a student I don't mind answering questions. I agree with you about the superior knowledge, that's a total turnoff. I remember when I was in school, there was a particular nurse that our instructors didn't like to assign her patients to us because she just didn't seem to have it all together. Thinking back on it, I think she just simply couldn't relate well to students, but she knew what she was doing all right. Some of my classmates thought they knew much more than she did and I bet that didn't help matters any.

Last spring I had a student with just such attitude. I was giving him a report on two patients, and was interrupted at least eight times (not by him), when I finished, he mumbled something along the lines of "well, I guess that's a good enough report". Kinda sorta pizzed me a bit.

Most students are wonderful, and make a few hours of my day much better, just by their interest. It reminds me WHY I wanted to be a nurse.

[SFCardiacRN]

I like students that seem interested and eager to learn. When I get a student that is disinterested or has attitude, I don't hold it against fellow classmates. Students need to realize that not all nurses enjoy working with students and not to take it personal. You will have a lot of clinical experience-some good & some bad. Same as your job will be. Some good days and some bad.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I would like students that refrain from congregating in clumps at the nurses station to chat. My biggest pet peeve was students that would have one of my patients and not touch base with me at the beginning of the shift and identify themselves, and especially those that left without giving me report on what they had done.

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

One request, please do not remove the charts from the desk area.....not good.

[Momto3andNurse2B]

I am a new student, with limited clinical experience so far. At this point, I have only worked with 4 very different nurses. So far, I have to say my favorite was a new grad from the program I am in. I liked her attitude and the way she dealt with the patients in a very caring manner, but with some humor as well. What I liked best was the fact that she really seemed to WANT me to get something out of my clinical experience. She would grab me to go with her into a patient's room to watch something she was doing, even if it wasn't my own patient, and she was very helpful with any questions I had. It was a really good day for me.

Mainly, I think it's just nice to feel that you are wanted there, or at the very least accepted, and the nurse you are working with is willing to help as much as her/his busy schedule allows. I've been lucky in the fact that my classmates and I have been made to feel very welcome.

[PJMommy]

I like students who ask questions and are interested in learning. I also like it when they take the initiative to request the opportunity to do or see things. I'm happy to teach, happy to explain, happy to demonstrate.

However, I absolutely cannot stand it when a student nurse seems disinterested or arrogant. You were a paramedic before? Great...but it doesn't even come close to ICU nursing so get off your high horse and try to learn something. And, for the love of Pete, please quit acting like you know more than me about every patient and every topic.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

From the nurses standpoint: Be available, clinical time is not your homework time. (I had a student last week come in and do homework and miss a 6pm med. Technically, I made a med error because it was my patient.)

To both students and nurses: R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Be there for each other, respect how awkward it is to be a student, how much there is to learn and to know, how stressful it is. Students, respect how stressful it is to be a nurse and sometimes difficult to have students (and don't be so sensitive). :)

I'm very sorry that there are staff nurses that mistreat students. They give us all a bad name.

[mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP]

From a student: I just want to be treated like a human. I don't expect the red carpet to be pulled out when I arrive and I don't expect to have my day catered by the staff present at the hospital. But I do expect that when I have a question I will not be screamed at, made to feel like a moron for asking or made to feel smaller than the piece of lint of the floor beneth my feet.

[honeyb111]

I'm a student in an odd clinical assignment this semester - we are on a skilled unit at a LTCF, so there is 1 nurse, 1 med nurse, 2 CNAs, and a bath team for 40 residents on each wing - there are 2 skilled wings. And 1 wound nurse for the entire facility (we're responsible for dressing changes and have to hunt her down). Our instructor splits the 8 of us between the 2 wings but that still leaves 4 of us per nurse!!!!! We go in the night before to gather all our info and are turned loose at 7 am - no report or anything, no nurse to "follow". Our instructor tries to be there for us as much as possible but she's also busy with supervising our med passes and watching us perform procedures.

Nurses need to remember that we are nervous and scared especially since this is our first clinical rotation. Heck, we aren't even taught how to do a physical assessment - just a 2 hour lecture on it, no hands-on experience at all. We have no idea what we're doing!!!!! Our first week there, the nurse was horrible - I know we asked a bunch of stupid questions (where is linen at?) - but she was soooo rude to all of us, even our instructor (its her 1st time at this facility too). Our second week was so much better - we had a wonderful nurse this time, who really took the time to explain things to us and didn't seem irritated by anything.

On the flip side - we have a couple of students in our group that even drive me nuts!!!! They show up the night before for 10 mins - it took me an hour to gather all the info I needed - and are so unprepared in the morning. Then they come to the other students and ask questions (do you know what this medication is for?? We're supposed to research all meds the night before and no, I don't know - do you're own work!!!). I could go on but I won't.

Bottom line....

Nurses - be patient with us - we're nervous and scared and don't want to mess up. If something is done wrong don't snap at the student, talk to them and explain what should have been done.

Students - come to clinicals prepared for the day. Our instructor tells us exactly what we need to know, and please bring your supplies (i'm tired of hunting down my BP cuff). Remember the basic care that you were taught in skills lab (bathing, linen changes, etc...), that will get you through a big part of the day. If you're not sure how to do something, ask first.

And for both.....we're all human!!!!

Sorry this got so long - I guess a vent was needed

[gdelrosa]

I'm just about to finish up my first clinical rotation at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, MI and it has not been a good one. The nurses are downright mean. When you ask a question, they almost scream at you. I did have one that was pretty nice but her patient didn't need much nursing care. Mostly cleaning up and making her comfortable so I didn't learn much.

I've heard that the other group in the hospital has had even worse experiences with the nurses on their floor. One nurse even made fun of their uniforms and informed the group that they are wasting their time going to school to become nurses.

I guess I'm most pissed off because I actually drive 2 hours one way to get "abused" by the staff. I would love nurses on the floor to be at least accepting that I have to be there and learn. I would love the feeling that my questions are welcomed. (I do prepare by looking things up. If I ask something it's because it never came up in class or I never encountered it before. I mean, PICC line never came up in class. How would I know to look that up before clinical if I never even knew it existed). I expect not to be ridiculed or told that I'm making a bad career choice. If you hate your job as a nurse, keep it to yourself until I ask.

Sorry that this is such a long post. I expect you will get other "Suggestions" from students later.

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

If you are the type of student that is really there to jump in and learn, tell me that you are anxious to see anything interesting that's going on, even if it is not with your assigned patient.

If you do not make personal contact with me at all at shift start, I will probably assume that you are not a "go-getter", and will not seek you out for learning opportunities.

ASK FOR THE OPPORTUNITES! MAKE YOUR NEEDS KNOWN!

I love a "go-getter"!