treatment of student nurses on the floor

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After my first few days of clinical I have notice that student nurses are either barked at or avoided all together and rarely does a nurse on her own accord try to educate the student nurse. I know that is the job of our clinical instructor but it would be nice to ask me if I want to tag along to a interesting/important procedure/task. One time a neurologist asked me if I wanted to observe a spinal tap and another time a nurse asked me if i wanted to watch her change a dressing. Other than that the majority of the nurses I have seen are my age with expressionless faces staring into their computer screen and attending their patients in the same manner. What's up with that? Don't they realize one day I may be their nurse and will taking care of them or one of their family members? Besides, they have all be through nursing school and may have had a lot of the same experiences as we will. Where is these peoples love of the world and all it's people. I hope I never become that kind of nurse, that's ONE lesson they HAVE taught me.

Specializes in Cardiac, Rehab.
i was with you until i got to the portion of your post i've bolded. one thing i've noticed after my first few decades of nursing is that student nurses are either entitled or know-it-alls . . . .

doesn't sound very nice, does it? after reading that, you might conclude that i'm a horrible nurse and a horrible person. after reading what you've written, i might conclude that you're an entitled know-it-all. i realize that you posted this in a student nurse forum and are not necessarily looking for input from real nurses, but here goes . . . .

the nursing unit does not revolve around students or their learning needs. actual patient care comes first.

nurses are usually not compensated extra for working with a student, nor are they consulted about their preferences as to whether or not they work with a student. nurses who have been working with students or new grads every shift for the past year are probably burned out on precepting. guess what. they still have to do it.

many students are rude and dismissive to the same nurses they're castigating for "mistreating" them. i offered to help a student practice her iv skills and her response was "i've done that." when we were placing an emergent balloon pump, i asked a student if he wanted to watch. he replied that it was his lunch break. after a few such experiences, most of us are unwilling to extend ourselves for a student again. another disappeared and i didn't see her again until the end of the shift.

i do remember what it was like to be a student. so do most of my colleagues. you, however, have no idea what it's like to be an experienced nurse confronted with an overwhelming assignment and a student who is not especially interested in learning anything or one who thinks his learning is the priority of the day.

ruby

i'm sorry you're so burnt out on students, but if the op was venting a bit, you are too and you should know better. i guess i'm lucky, i have never had a truly bad experience with with any of the primary nurses i've had to work with, but then again i'm male and probably as old as you are. i've done my share of ojt with new folks on different jobs, its part of the territory. many of my classmates are also well past their 20's, some in the 30's and 40's and would jump at the chance for an experienced nurse like yourself to show us a thing or two. so before you go stereotyping all students as know-it-alls or self-entitled children who think the staff is there only for their edification, try just talking to us first, because what most of my peers and i want to do is to put our training to use by helping a patient and getting our hands dirty with a new procedure or technique. its the only way we can really learn and we need folks like you to make it happen.

bob

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after my first few days of clinical i have notice that student nurses are either barked at or avoided all together and rarely does a nurse on her own accord try to educate the student nurse. i know that is the job of our clinical instructor but it would be nice to ask me if i want to tag along to a interesting/important procedure/task. one time a neurologist asked me if i wanted to observe a spinal tap and another time a nurse asked me if i wanted to watch her change a dressing. other than that the majority of the nurses i have seen are my age with expressionless faces staring into their computer screen and attending their patients in the same manner. what's up with that? don't they realize one day i may be their nurse and will taking care of them or one of their family members? besides, they have all be through nursing school and may have had a lot of the same experiences as we will. where is these peoples love of the world and all it's people. i hope i never become that kind of nurse, that's one lesson they have taught me.

the bolded statement above is your problem. i am a nursing student in my last semester. it is not the nurse's job to find you when something good is happening, it is your job to know what's happening with your patient and be there for it! i constantly ask my patients real nurses, is there anything going on with your other patients that i can help with/do. i left my lunch break just last week because i heard an overhead page for a translator, which i thought might be for my patient, good thing i did because the translator was for my patient.

clinical's are what you make them; it's your responsibility to learn as much as you can from as many resources as you can on the floor. i asked a random floor nurse if i could suction a patient's trachea next time, just to get it checked off for my list. take the lead and ask for what you want to see, i.e. who is getting a foley put in today. and can i do it?

your nurses will love you for this and more importantly, you will learn more this way.

good luck with the rest of your clinical's.

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Specializes in LTC.

the bolded statement above is your problem. i am a nursing student in my last semester. it is not the nurse’s job to find you when something good is happening, it is your job to know what’s happening with your patient and be there for it! i constantly ask my patients real nurses, is there anything going on with your other patients that i can help with/do. i left my lunch break just last week because i heard an overhead page for a translator, which i thought might be for my patient, good thing i did because the translator was for my patient.

clinical’s are what you make them; it’s your responsibility to learn as much as you can from as many resources as you can on the floor. i asked a random floor nurse if i could suction a patient’s trachea next time, just to get it checked off for my list. take the lead and ask for what you want to see, i.e. who is getting a foley put in today. and can i do it?

your nurses will love you for this and more importantly, you will learn more this way.

good luck with the rest of your clinical’s.

i agree. the op must be very proactive in his/her learning. most nurses are not going to ask for you to tag along you have to ask them !

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i find the first responders post offensive. Student nurses attend clinicals at "teaching hospitals" Meaning that the nurses there are involved with educating us. NO its not their primary job and concern. Obviously their patient is. Our instructor is our primary teacher BUT lending out a smile and even trying to look approachable wouldnt hurt anyone. Im pretty sure that there are alot of student nurses that think they know it all and may be lazy.... but there are even more of us that are EAGER to learn and experience new things even if it is just to watch. And i would like to point out that all of us brand new SNs are terrified.... If the nurses on the floor wont even acknowledge you are there and bark at you when you speak it makes it very hard to ask that nurse if you can view some of her procedures. Noone wants to be shot down in a situation where they already feel inadequate and out of place. A little bit of friendly can go a long way on BOTH sides.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

As a nurse educator, I can finally see this from several sides.

As a student, I felt hurt when it was obvious that we were not a part of the team or welcome. How you can help as a student: be proactive, let the staff know what skills you can/would like to perform, what your plan of care is, and anything you do with the patient (ex- take vitals, chart, etc). Ask how you can best work together and assist. Remember that this is just one of a zillion tasks a nurse must complete in a day. Thank the nurse for his/her time. Most importantly, as a student it's easy to feel insecure, so the tendency is to point out the things that the nurse does "wrong" or to pretend that you know it all. I used to be terrified to ask questions. Don't make this mistake, you are there to learn. Look up information when you can, but clarify when you need to. Just relax and realize you're not supposed to know it all. And please don't ever say "It's not my job!" or "I already did that once." This type of student is rare, but they are out there, and it is frustrating. Be excited to learn. If you are sitting on your butt at the nurses' station, I will assume that the following is true: all patients on the floor have all needs met, you know all your patients' meds/diagnoses/treatment plans, you have a complete understanding of the pathophysiology behind each disorder your patient has, all patients on the floor have no education needs, no nurses on the floor have any needs. If one of these is not true, then why sit? Ask to help, and pitch in. But I digress, as most students aren't lazy, just unsure where to start.

As a staff nurse, I loved having motivated students. They are a lot of fun to work with, and I enjoy seeing their progress. However, some days are just incredibly stressful. If I am having one of those days (ex- multiple patient codes or emergencies), I often say "I can't talk right now, but remember any questions you have, and we can talk about them together later." I try to communicate my expectations with the students. How staff nurses can help: be welcoming, and remember we all started somewhere. If a student is lazy (rare, but it does happen), communicate with the instructor instead of generalizing that all students are lazy/inept. Realize that students shouldn't know it all. It is really hard once you get years of experience to remember what it was like to be a brand new, green student!

As an educator- I can see how pressured the staff can be. They are expected to do too much with too few resources. New "responsibilities" are added on an almost daily basis. I see that many students are insecure and hang back, reluctant and unsure on how to jump in. I see a few instructors contribute to the problem by hiding out in the cafeteria and not being present with their students. We can't be everywhere at once, but we should be available, not on the phone or the computer. How instructors can help: communicate to the staff that we appreciate them, that we know they are overwhelmed and overworked, and STAY AVAILABLE to your students. Have a love for teaching. Encourage your students to excel, to be confident, and to learn new things within their scope. Teach with extremely high expectations, but with kindness. Recognize the expertise of the staff nurse in that area of practice. Don't assign students to an already overwhelmed nurse. I've found that willingness to jump in and help the staff goes a long way. My primary job is to teach, and to be available to my students. However, you will never see me sitting on my butt. If I am not actively involved in speaking with a student, I help out the staff in any way I can (ex- go with student to start an IV, help with transfer or patients, etc).

The majority of the time, it is many factors that contribute to either a poor or excellent clinical experience. 99% of the clinical facilities we visit are first rate. However, I will also say that clinical sites are hard to come by, and some are not the best. For example, my students go to many wonderful facilities. I have been there for years, and the staff are like my family. We get along well. However, I have one site where the staff is very hostile, to each other, to me, and to the students. The floor has very poor morale, frequent turnover, frequent absenteeism, etc. Almost none of the nurses get along. Despite all efforts to work with staff, it remains a poor experience. We are currently developing new clinical sites to avoid this issue, but this takes time, and in some states, Board of Nursing approval.

Sorry for the long-winded post. All I really mean to say is that I sympathize, can relate. If we all do our best to contribute to a positive work climate (students, staff, and faculty) I do believe that the majority of sites offer a positive learning environment. Even if things will never change, you can still learn, as you have, what NOT to do. This is also valuable knowledge.

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Specializes in LTC.
As a nurse educator, I can finally see this from several sides.

As a student, I felt hurt when it was obvious that we were not a part of the team or welcome. How you can help as a student: be proactive, let the staff know what skills you can/would like to perform, what your plan of care is, and anything you do with the patient (ex- take vitals, chart, etc). Ask how you can best work together and assist. Remember that this is just one of a zillion tasks a nurse must complete in a day. Thank the nurse for his/her time. Most importantly, as a student it's easy to feel insecure, so the tendency is to point out the things that the nurse does "wrong" or to pretend that you know it all. I used to be terrified to ask questions. Don't make this mistake, you are there to learn. Look up information when you can, but clarify when you need to. Just relax and realize you're not supposed to know it all.

As a staff nurse, I loved having motivated students. They are a lot of fun to work with, and I enjoy seeing their progress. However, some days are just incredibly stressful. If I am having one of those days (ex- multiple patient codes or emergencies), I often say "I can't talk right now, but remember any questions you have, and we can talk about them together later." I try to communicate my expectations with the students. How staff nurses can help: be welcoming, and remember we all started somewhere. If a student is lazy (rare, but it does happen), communicate with the instructor instead of generalizing that all students are lazy/inept. Realize that students shouldn't know it all. It is really hard once you get years of experience to remember what it was like to be a brand new, green student!

As an educator- I can see how pressured the staff can be. They are expected to do too much with too few resources. New "responsibilities" are added on an almost daily basis. I see that many students are insecure and hang back, reluctant and unsure on how to jump in. I see a few instructors contribute to the problem by hiding out in the cafeteria and not being present with their students. We can't be everywhere at once, but we should be available, not on the phone or the computer. How instructors can help: communicate to the staff that we appreciate them, that we know they are overwhelmed and overworked, and STAY AVAILABLE to your students. Have a love for teaching. Encourage your students to excel, to be confident, and to learn new things within their scope. Teach with extremely high expectations, but with kindness. Recognize the expertise of the staff nurse in that area of practice.

The majority of the time, it is many factors that contribute to either a poor or excellent clinical experience. 99% of the clinical facilities we visit are first rate. However, I will also say that clinical sites are hard to come by, and some are not the best. For example, my students go to many wonderful facilities. I have been there for years, and the staff are like my family. We get along well. However, I have one site where the staff is very hostile, to each other, to me, and to the students. The floor has very poor morale, frequent turnover, frequent absenteeism, etc. Almost none of the nurses get along. Despite all efforts to work with staff, it remains a poor experience. We are currently developing new clinical sites to avoid this issue, but this takes time, and in some states, Board of Nursing approval.

Sorry for the long-winded post. All I really mean to say is that I sympathize, can relate. If we all do our best to contribute to a positive work climate (students, staff, and faculty) I do believe that the majority of sites offer a positive learning environment. Even if things will never change, you can still learn, as you have, what NOT to do. This is also valuable knowledge.

Very nice post. The end.

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where I'm doing my clinicals right now (and of course this is 1st semester so its mostly fundamentals) there really aren't any procedures right now - or if there are they leave them for the clinical instructor - most of the patients already have a Foley (so we get to empty them), I've changed a PEG tube dressing and spiked an IV bag of D5%W with the CI's help but I'm finding that most of the med/surg is little old people that need total care (bathing, oral, peri care etc) or ambulatory people with MRSA - although I did get to watch a code last week when my patient's roommate coded and was intubated at the bedside before being whisked off to ICU.

the nurses I've been co-assigned with have ranged from just ok (not mean just kind of brusque) to really chipper...

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many students are rude and dismissive to the same nurses they're castigating for "mistreating" them. i offered to help a student practice her iv skills and her response was "i've done that." when we were placing an emergent balloon pump, i asked a student if he wanted to watch. he replied that it was his lunch break. after a few such experiences, most of us are unwilling to extend ourselves for a student again. another disappeared and i didn't see her again until the end of the shift.

wow! i can tell that my instructor would have our rears! if i have down time (rare) i always ask our nurses what they need help with - even if it is a bed change or removing a hep-lock - it is chance to learn and practice my skills! i am thankful for all the experience that our rn's have been giving us!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

awww don't worry all experiences are different and next semester it will hopefully be better. I have so far been very lucky because I have had very enthusiastic and friendly nurses on my floor this semester. I know a classmate of mine has had a few not so happy to have her ones. The nurses I've worked with have taught and included me in everything. I know it won't always be this lucky but I figure you just gotta take the good with bad and make teh best of the bad.

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As a fellow student, I have to agree!

I think, though, that it depends on the facility and the specific nurses you are working with. Right now we're at LTC, and the RNs are, well, basically paper-pushers, so we're mainly with CNAs on the floor. On the rare occassion that we see an actual nurse (other than our instructor) it's an LPN; now, don't get me wrong, I know that I'm a student and an LPN is a licensed professional that I can learn from, but it would be nice to actually see what someone with the degree I am working toward would be doing there.

With that said, last year (I'm a repeater...) at the hospital, our nurses were wonderful! The nurse that I worked most with had actually graduated from our school about 5 or 6 years before, so she knew exactly what I was going through, even down to some of the instructors being "hard-nosed," lol! She pulled me into the room when she was doing dressing changes, doing IVs, etc. She said she wanted me to see what was going on, so when I got into lab, I would have already seen it once and have a general idea of what was happening. On more than one occassion, she would even pull some of the other students when their assigned nurse was handling things students weren't privy too.

So, with all of that in mind, my opinion is this: it depends on a lot of things:

- The nurse: maybe she's just not the teaching type, maybe she's super busy, or maybe she's just having a bad day because she broke up with her boyfriend over the weekend...

- The facility: maybe the nurse is simply too busy to worry about you and your learning, I mean, sometimes she may bearly get to pee, let alone worry about you learning

- Your attitude: if we, as students, walk around like we only want to see "intersting" stuff, we'll probably not see anything at all, but if we have the opinion that even standing in the corner can be a learning experience, and we're nice about it, without making faces, rude comments, etc., then we're more likely to get asked if we'd like to see XYZ!

Again, this is just my opinion, based on my experiences and the experiences of my classmates! I hope that you get some better experiences soon!

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I hope that the experiences get better too. I know as a student i'm terrified. I want someone there to help facilitate my learning or at least someone there who doesn't think i'm a "know it all" or entitled. The person that said that just really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know about everyone else but I worked extremely hard to get where into nursing school and there isn't a thing about my thinking that is entitled.

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awww don't worry all experiences are different and next semester it will hopefully be better. i have so far been very lucky because i have had very enthusiastic and friendly nurses on my floor this semester. i know a classmate of mine has had a few not so happy to have her ones. the nurses i've worked with have taught and included me in everything. i know it won't always be this lucky but i figure you just gotta take the good with bad and make teh (sp) best of the bad.

sorry again to disagree, but some of the best nurses i have worked with as a student have been the nurses that other nursing students say is a mean *****. if you work hard the nurses will see that and be encouraged to engage you and teach more.

being timid may be acceptable in your first semester, but you need to get over it quick. clinical's will be over much too soon, and you could be the new grade nurse who has students following them around.

as an example, i hate charting, i hate my hand writing and i can't spell simply words right half the time (i live for spell check). before i would always write my narrative note on lined paper and run it by my nurse or ci before writing it down. this being my last semester, i stopped that practice and now freely write in the charts as i need to. i have never been told my charting needs work this semester.

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