What do you do if you see someone in your class that seems to be struggling? Do you offer to help? Or is that worse, because it makes you look patronizing and superior?
Yesterday, after I had finished observing in the OR, my instructor assigned me to help out another student that didn't yet have his assessment completed (4 hours after clinical had started and about an hour before post conference). He had told the instructor the patient didn't want to be bothered. I understand that, and it is the patient's right to refuse anything, and said as much to the other student before we went in. But I was able to get the assessment completed without any trouble or complaint from the patient. We finished, and I went back to the instructor to report completion. She asked me to spend the next clinical day with this student to help him out prioritizing and with time management. I felt really uncomfortable with that, and basically asked if I could do my ER rotation instead (not telling her I was uncomfortable, but just saying I didn't want to miss out on my ER opportunity). Later in post conference, this same student didn't know our case study was due this week, or what the case study consisted of. As if it had never been brought up or wasn't even on our schedule (it had and it is). I happened to be sitting next to him and showed him the case study grading sheet (which was in our class packet), and what I had completed on mine.
Part of me wants to help him, but I didn't want to do what the instructor SHOULD be doing. And I don't want to be the class know it all. At the same time, it seems this instructor and student just do not see eye to eye on things. I don't know if they started on the wrong foot, or it's a personality issue, and it doesn't matter. But I see threads on here about awful instructors, and I can see where someone like this student could feel he is being treated unfairly, when in all actuality it is just that this student just ISN'T GETTING IT. He's kind if mouthy too, sort of macho big talker, but without much to back it right now. The instructor mentioned that we should write on the back of our care plans any other skills we performed on patients not our own, or any help we gave to the nurses or to other students. He asked "Why?" She responded "So you get credit for it." He says " I don't need credit, it's enough that I know I helped out." She responded again "Well that's good, but so you get class credit, meaning graded for it, is what I mean."
Should I take the instructor up on her request? Should I stay the heck out of it? I do think I could help him, if he wants the help. I don't know if he does. I've just met him this rotation and so I've known him maybe 3 weeks.
I had a classmate like this. There were several people who believed this person should not have passed clinicals at all. Obviously, this person had the grades or they would have failed out but in clinical they were totally incompetent and made up reports and talked back to the instructors. While I was never asked to help this classmate, I agree with the middle of the road approach mentioned before. Help some but make sure you don't become stuck to your classmate throughout the program. You have to make sure you get your opportunities to learn and you aren't in charge of making sure everyone else passes. If they don't get it then they need to be allowed to fail on their own. Sometimes people learn more from failing than they would by other people passing them when they shouldn't have been. And we don't really need poor nurses out there anyway.
Did you working with this student help her? What happened with her? Did she pass clinical?
I tried to help this person by me shadowing her and her performing all of the skills that needed to be done with me there to help. She did whine and ask how I was so confident that I knew all of this when she was not confident at all and I told her to practice and to believe in herself. It did come out later that she didn't want to work and she wanted her husband to take care of her financially. At that point, I can't really help someone who doesn't want to help themselves. I'm not sure if she ever passed clinical. I know that she did not want to work in the healthcare field so I'm sure she didn't continue even IF she passed clinical!
Well, as one of the nurses from the dark ages, who lived in nurses' residence with my classmates......... I'd like to tell you that the experience then was very gratifying. There was one student, who never "got it", and seeing the puzzled look on her face, 3-4 of us would go to her room after class/clinicals, explain whatever it was, to her and drill her on it.
Without that, she would never have graduated with us, and we didn't want that to happen. She had good recall, once the material was understood, so we weren't sending someone into the world who was clueless and she had a good career in Home Health. We never thought less of her, because it took her longer to "get it". I guess that sounds like a page from "Little Women", but it really never occurred to anyone that it shouldn't or wouldn't be done.
The only drawback, was that we thought all other nurses would be helpful to us, and didn't hesitate to ask questions of nurses with whom we worked later. Oh dear! I was appalled with the unfriendliness, impatience, etc. So I learned that the whole world wasn't like our original nursing "family", yet I'd help anyone who asked me for it.
We'd go on 3 month "affiliations" each at a psych hospital, children's hospital, and hospital for communicable diseases (The "Alec"). Whoever went with her, worked with her. Sure, we held her up when she needed it, and boy, did she need it, but resentment wasn't a thought we had in that regard. She was very appreciative.
That experience was so rewarding, we have all kept in touch for all 49 years since our graduation, travelling across the country for reunions, "at the drop of a cap." Our adult children keep in touch with each other, too. Most of us had girls. None became nurses...... Most of our class dropped out of nursing after marriage, but not our pet project, she is still working, at 70 years of age.
I wish you modern nursing students could spend just a day back there in the late '50s with us. It was a kinder, gentler world.
I can see both sides on this topic. First of all, as nurses we should be compassionate with others and work as a team for the best care possible for ALL patients...not just our own. It could be that this other student is not getting it because of other things going on in his life. Maybe he just needs someone to take the time to bring him up to speed. I would not miss out on your own learning experiences to help this guy out, but if you are going to get credit for helping with his patients then why not do it?
On the other hand...if he is a slacker student, then you should not have to carry him. But the instructors should know based on his overall work if he is a slacker or not. The fact that you are the one being asked to help shows that the instructor knows you are a good student, capable of helping others...and that should be seen as a good thing!
In the end...I think we all know how tough nursing school is. If this guy can't make the grades then I would hope he would not graduate anyway.
I think there are two sides to this story as well. Without actually being there, I have no idea.
There are different types of people. There are the people that have all the drive and compassion in the world who want to take care of people and be the best they can be but have a hard time "getting" the information. These types of people I would help all day long.
On the other hand, in my situation, was a person who didn't WANT to help and didn't WANT to learn and didn't WANT to be there. While I did try helping her in the beginning, I learned quickly that she didn't want to help herself. The old saying is true, "You cannot help someone that doesn't want to help themselves".
did anyone stop to think that if this student didn't do his assignment and was willing to ride the coat tail of his fellow students and argue with the instructor, maybe he is not of nursing material, he is hoping to get high paying steady job and somehow thinks he is entitled to it. He might actually hurt the patient because he doesn't know enough to provide the basics. If the other students got the assignment done and within the time frame, he should have also. I say fail him for poor performance before he harms a patient!! I have read several of the other comments on this being a teaching and learning time and pairing a strong and a weak student and completely agree with those. BUT WHEN SOMEONE DOES NOT WANT to be helped you cannot help them until they want to be helped or are willing to help themselves. The old line of you can take a horse to the water but you cannot make him drink is very true
There may be a good reason why your instructor is asking you to help this person, and it may be because she thinks there is something there for YOU to learn. Remember that in professional practice as a nurse, you will have to work with patients, and their families, who are not unlike this guy.....
Nursing school is hard. Being a good nurse is harder. Of the 40 people who started with me in my ASN program, about a third left the program before graduation. That's a good thing. Sometimes you think you want to go into a field you're not cut out for. Or your timing isn't right. If this fellow isn't mature enough to take responsibility for the course work, blows off his clinical assignments, and feels he knows it all, he should not survive as a nursing student, let alone as a professional nurse.
I know how you feel. I have not read the previous posters responses so I am sorry if this is redundant, but I did not want to be influenced by what they were saying. For me I see nursing as a profession where one is constantly on their toes and need to be independant thinkers. If this student does not even know when projects are due... seriously they should not be a nurse. They will forget a patient, forget other things too. I know this is harsh, but do you want to work with this person when they graduate and pamper them too???? I know we are part of a team but we all have to put effort into what we are doing.
I have very little patience for people who do not keep up in a class. You should not have to miss the ER to help someone else!!! If I do not get something I work and work and work to understand it.
Pamper students and holding their hands is why people fail the boards I guess!!!
Don't agree with "Tangldyarn" post #33. I was an adult learner-half a century as a matter of fact. I ran circles (in clinicals) around the twenty to thirty year old students. I helped and guided so many. There is something to be said about age and wisdom as well as kindness. Lifes experiences also teach an adult learner how to be better at time management-that's what makes us good teachers.
Believe me, your instructor is evaluating both of you. Her input will be needed for your first job and one of the questions that will be asked of your instructors is "Leadership ability?" It's an answer that we always paid close attention to when considering new grads for hire. If someone feels that teaching others and taking time to be a leader to them isn't worth their time, then they weren't worthy of a job with any of the facilities that I hired nurses for.
Plain communication is a plus in this context. When your instructor asks you to take a weenie by the hand, you are justified in saying, "Thank you for this leadership opportunity. I hope I can justify your confidence in me when it comes time for our clinical evals." You put her on notice that you know that she knows that you know how, and you have a reasonable expection of compensation for your extra effort.
It's putting your cards on the table and playing square. You are an exceptional student; all of the players know that. Your leadership and communication skills are being tested. The "macho" student is irrelevant, an extra in your movie, the McGuffin to your Grace Kelly. (sorry about the Hitchcock references, I'm taking an elective film class this time around.)
Specializes in Rural, Midwifery, CCU, Ortho, Telemedicin.
I agree with tfleuter, helping out can have it's up side unless the person that you are attempting to help is ademately opposed to your assistance at which point you need to assist yourself. If you are uncomfortable assisting the other student you might have a talk with your instructor and have her tell the other student that he is going to be assigned a "buddy" as she is not sure that he is going to make it though the course otherwise.
When I was a student, and on the job, I have been in the assistance position many times. It can be VERY frustrating. But I keep remembering a time when I didn't "get it" in algerbra. I had taken the class 3 times and just could not comprehend even the basics. I ended up in a last ditch class aptly named "Algerbra for dummies". It was the last time that it was going to be taught. Without this class I was finished and my BSN down the drain. Some of the other students tries to help, but I truely could not comprehend. I went to math lab and was assigned a tutor. We worked for weeks on end, I just didn't get it. One week before finals I walked into lab and my tutor was out sick. My stomach was instantly sick also. But they had me work with another tutor. Within less than 20 minutes I comprehended algebra. It was just the WAY that she explained the concepts. I passed the course and graduated with highest honors. More than 20 years later I thank goodness for the intervention of that tutor. Perhaps your instructor feels that you will be able to get the other student over the hump so to speak. For you, you will feel exhilerated as you watch your "student" take off and run. Or you will know that you helped to the best of your ability.
I have taught in many venues since school and occasionally I have had students help other students. Students often are able to relate better than teacher-student. And sometimes, as you noted there is just not a good rapport between individuals.
But I would encourage you to speak with your instructor, or an alternate instructor if you are uncomfortable talking with the instructor who wishes you to assist, about your assignment to the task and the limitations that you feel need to be in place.
I am THAT male student! Been there, got the T-shirt! I am 52, earned my LPN in the Army back in 1980 (91C30). Earned my BS in Information Technology on the GI Bill in '87 and after the 9/11 tragedy lost my IT contract job. Thought I would get into the hot field of "Nursing Informatics" but everywhere I interviewed they all wanted an RN, preferably a MSN with critical care experience. No problem I thought, I'll go back and get my RN... FIVE heart-breaking years later I am finally graduating this May! But I struggled! I have always said, the problem with nursing is there are just too many women. They're catty and not team players. Every word I read just confirmed my feelings. And YES! I was a victim as the male nursing student you described. My Psych instructor failed me with a grade of 74.25 needing a 75 to pass. That was 75 on tests only. Papers like Ethics and data sheets and care plans and all that "extra" stuff helped pull you up to a "B" or "A" quite easily. But FIRST you needed that 75. So... I had to take the class over again... But here was the ball-buster. That class was tied to my Critical Care rotation so I had to take BOTH classes over again. I finally realized that what better way to set up a student. I did extraordinarily well in Critical Care coasting through it where the female students struggled. I discovered I was a "concrete thinker" whereas the opposite was true when it came to Psych. The female students breezed through as I struggled, simply because they were more an "abstract thinker" and they easily "got it". I offered substantial help to my female peers on Critical Care and helped several get through. When I asked for help with my Psych rotation those same students basically crapped on me!
But hey... SECOND time around... Though it took me FIVE years to complete a TWO-year program I am finally graduating and have three monster books on psych nursing diagnoses that I will NEVER use for the rest of my life.
Now, deep in debt... I look forward to a career on a critical care unit and eventually Nursing Informatics...
FINALLY! I "get it"...
The moral of the story... Go ahead and ignore your peers. Don't help them. Let them struggle. If they don't get it, who cares right? If they REALLY want it, they will figure it out on their own and keep plugging away until they do or just give up because of heartless instructors. After all, isn't that how nursing REALLY works. Nursing is the ONLY profession that, if you haven't heard this one yet - you will... "EATS THEIR YOUNG"!
references, I'm taking an elective film class this time around.)
RNMariposa
65 Posts
I had a classmate like this. There were several people who believed this person should not have passed clinicals at all. Obviously, this person had the grades or they would have failed out but in clinical they were totally incompetent and made up reports and talked back to the instructors. While I was never asked to help this classmate, I agree with the middle of the road approach mentioned before. Help some but make sure you don't become stuck to your classmate throughout the program. You have to make sure you get your opportunities to learn and you aren't in charge of making sure everyone else passes. If they don't get it then they need to be allowed to fail on their own. Sometimes people learn more from failing than they would by other people passing them when they shouldn't have been. And we don't really need poor nurses out there anyway.