The student nurse

Lynx25, LPN · Apr 3, 2012

No you can't have my whole load. I will be behind for weeks.

SN's tend to believe they are 'helping'. Sorry, 9/10 they aren't- and while I don't mind teaching, they do tend to get in the way.

I'd be OK with them taking a patient or two, and doing everything for just that small load with supervision.

GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

unquestionably, i'm totally comfortable and confident as a season nurse therefore, i wouldn't have any problem with this situation. in addition, i sincerely enjoy teaching and what better situation for the student to have someone to offer constructed guidance and support while performing pt. care. undoubtedly, i would be the one making sure that the student will deliver the highest caliber of nursing care to my patients, while he/she is adhering to the protocol of the facility where i work. having said that, i would teach the student the proper short cuts in order to deliver an efficient prompt total pt. care, it would be a win/win situation in this case for me and the student:d

wish_me_luck, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

I want to weigh in. I am a SN. I know I have never taken a full load, if you are allowing them to take that, then that's your problem. We usually have one patient and the others we just went with the nurse and only did what she/he wanted us to do. If the nurse didn't feel comfortable allowing us to do something, they always told us and we got our instructor or the nurse did it instead. Also, you don't just observe. You have an obligation to the patient still. That means if I were to assess the patient, just because I assessed them doesn't mean you don't have to. As far as meds, my nurse I was with always watched me closely and I checked the meds when I got them from the Omnicell; I checked the meds against the computer; I checked the patient's arm band and asked the patient's name and date of birth. As far as paperwork, I always had the nurse double check it and if I didn't know something, I didn't record it or I asked. Plus, we had to have our stuff co-signed.

My thing is, if you don't want a SN, say so. The nurses have said that before...and it wasn't to the instructor, we would be standing right with the instructor when they said that.

My apologies if I sound hateful; but I get tired of nurses saying how much they hate students. You don't have to take them. Just remember, you weren't born a nurse; you at one time were a student too.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

My apologies if I sound hateful; but I get tired of nurses saying how much they hate students. You don't have to take them. Just remember, you weren't born a nurse; you at one time were a student too.

Since I'm not the one to whom this post was directed, I can't accept or refuse your apology, but I must say you not only sound hateful, but your comment about "nurses saying how much they hate students" is really off-target.

I don't know a single nurse who "hates" student nurses. But you, the student, really should remember that your very presence as a student creates additional work for the nurse to whom you are assigned (or, to whom you have patients SHE'S already got as her assignment).

You say you have the nurse double-check your paperwork...that's great, but that means she stopped what she was doing to check your work. You say you have your paperwork co-signed....again, that's fine, but once again, a nurse stopped her work TO co-sign your paperwork. The meds you gave after checking and rechecking were also likely checked by that same nurse, as she knows that after you leave, SHE will be responsible for whatever falls from the sky because of any possible error you might have made.

All most nurses want who seem to have the "hateful" attitude you speak of is the recognition that your learning experience does cost them time, as they are either teaching you themselves (something that certainly takes FAR more time than doing it themselves) or they have to spend a fair amount of time going over what you've already done (or are about to do). It isn't fair on your part to suggest that they haven't done extra (without pay, btw) to help YOU get your clinical time done.

Beyond ALL that, how about the fact that the OP's question was in no way directed toward you, for you or any other student to answer, yet you took it upon yourself to do just that. Something else that creates resentment....the OP clearly was asking NURSES what they thought about taking students, etc etc, and instead of letting that happen, you felt the need to jump in and offer unsolicited thoughts from a student.

Do I sound hateful? I don't think so....just tired of having students declare how much we, as nurses, should be grateful to have them around, and any aggravation they cause is "our problem". Yes, we were students too, but we're trying to give you the benefit of that experience, not have you tell us how it should be, now that you're here.

wish_me_luck, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

RNsRWe, I can tell you of one. The days we were sent to peds floor; the nurses would flat tell us that they did not want students and disliked working with them. Needless to say, it became a running joke who would be rejected the following week. We would cringe having that day and sometimes would find other areas to go to. So, yes, unfortunately, some nurses do hate students. Actually, when we did practicum as well, if there was a preceptor that didn't want a student, we switched preceptors too.

wish_me_luck, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

Also, the first two med-surg clinicals we were actually with our instructor, not a nurse. So, we helped the nurses by doing some of their med passes. Of course we could only have 5 students on the floor because that is the only safe number pf patients the instructor could take.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

How do you feel about working with a student nurse? How comfortable are you with the student nurse basically taking over your patients and paper work while you observe? If you are not comfortable with the student taking your patient load what do you like your student nurse to do while assigned to you and your patients.

My turn :)

I have always enjoyed having students, some students definitely more than others. Which students have I liked the best? The ones who impress me with intelligent questions, ones that didn't pop out of their mouths not two minutes after I said something that would have preempted the answer, had they been listening. I love students who ask me to show them something they haven't seen, or explain why I did something they didn't understand. The ones that offer to help with or do a task that they DO know how to do, and are eager for the chance to reinforce what they've learned.

Which students do I make sure don't come my way again, and the instructor will know why? Those would be the students who try to BS me with how much they know (when they clearly don't know what they're talking about, but love to talk). The students who don't ask "why" in an effort to learn, but rather as an argumentative, confrontational tool to try to "teach me" that what I'm doing is wrong. Not gonna happen.

No good nurse is going to let a student take over her patient assignment and just observe. That's actually rather dangerous, as the instructor that is supposed to be overseeing said student nurse is also overseeing all the others in the group, and mistakes can happen. I'm going to be right nearby, making sure my patients are safe and well-kept while the student is "in charge" of them, you can be certain. And I'm also right there to help with anything they don't know, so that my patient doesn't suffer a mistake during the learning process.

Overall, I do love teaching students that some day, might just be on my own staff :)

RADIATION_RN · Apr 3, 2012

I'm a student nurse also who graduates this December. I'm kind of surprised that there are programs out there who allow a student nurse to assume everything while the primary staff RN "observes". The maximum number of patients I have cared for was three and that was at the end of my second semester on a Med/Surg floor. I was allowed to pass meds after being checked off by my instructor and I did chart assessments but my primary RN was still assessing the patients and she would document something like "Agree with student assessment" and then add things if she needed to. I was always in constant communication with the primary RN. Our last semester I believe we assume care of a total of 4 patients with the same guidelines.

Being a member of this forum for about 4 years now I can definitely see how student nurses can give the staff RN's more work. I am a little nervous about assuming care of 4 patients next semester because that could be the staff RN's total assignment. As students, we really aren't given a choice of how many patients we can or cannot take. I also believe that at some facilities it is very hard for the primary RN's to refuse students due to their facility being considered a "teaching hospital". Although during my pedi rotation a few weeks ago we definitely had some newer nurses refuse students which is completely understandable considering we were on a neuro floor.

My mindset thanks to this board is to be respectful, keep the primary RN informed of patient status at all times, and be aware of when and when not to ask questions.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

RNsRWe, I can tell you of one. The days we were sent to peds floor; the nurses would flat tell us that they did not want students and disliked working with them. Needless to say, it became a running joke who would be rejected the following week. We would cringe having that day and sometimes would find other areas to go to. So, yes, unfortunately, some nurses do hate students. Actually, when we did practicum as well, if there was a preceptor that didn't want a student, we switched preceptors too.

So you found a group of nurses, not just one, who would flat out tell you that they disliked working with students....and no one asked why? I find that to be a very strange thing, that not just one, but all the peds nurses hated to see students coming. Could it be that the attitude of the student group left a bad taste in their mouths? That the attitude of "we're helping you guys, you should be happy to see us" might have caused a resentment like I mentioned in my post?

I would more believe that a group of nurses who refused students had a valid reason for doing so than they just "hated students". Just doesn't make sense.

Morainey, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

I'm a new nurse, and it feels like AGES ago that I was a student. I got SO EXCITED when I saw my alma mater student assignment list on my floor!! Didn't even see them, because I work nights, but I have this weird nostalgia for student nursing and how, looking back, it all seems so easy.

wish_me_luck, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2012

I never told my nurse I was with what to do. She/he would ask what the med was (like what drug class) and why it was given and I told them. Plus, the paperwork and co-signing was done by my instructor mainly. I think there was only once that it was done by the nurse. If we were doing something the first time, we always had to have our instructor.