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.

Actual patient care comes first on a hospital floor? Really? With all the texting, eye-rolling, and gossip that nurses do on the floor, I'm surprised they have TIME to take care of patients! Isn't that what the indentured serva...oh I meant PCT's are for? Nurses that don't get paid extra for helping educate student nurses? If they were paid for what they actually do, they'd be making BELOW minimum wage...And the cycle continues. Nursing is all about being in a "grown up" clique. It's all drama like the nursing students. The "I've been here longer, so therefore I outrank you" nonsense. Why is it that nurses whine when they have (horrors!) 6 patients? Didn't they know this BEFORE getting the job? If the student doesn't WANT to learn or is too engrossed in their I-phone, tell their instructor what you've observed and let them deal with it. It also has to do with the "nursing student entitlement"--they'll be singing a different tune oncwe they get out there in their "real" nursing job and are shunned by their co-workers. It's called karma.

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Specializes in Gerontology.

Dear Students.

I'm sorry I'm not all smiles and full of joy to teach you. You see, this is my 5th shift in a row with a very annoying, emotionally draining patient and I am just trying to figure out how to get through the shift without wanting to throttle him.

I am also trying to figure out how to care for the extra pt just dumped on me because someone called in sick and we are now working short.

Or maybe I'm depressed because it the anniversary of my Mother's death and I'm feeling very blue because I still miss her.

Or maybe I'm exhaused because I was up all night with a screaming baby.

Or maybe I"m just tired of having a gaggle of students standing around the nursing station, getting under foot. And when I ask them if they want to wash this patient, give an enema to this patient, or suggested they go around and help pts with their breakfast, the students just look at me and say that they only want to do "cool things" not basic patient care. Because they've already "passed that" and don't need to practise it any more.

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Dear Students.

Or maybe I"m just tired of having a gaggle of students standing around the nursing station, getting under foot. And when I ask them if they want to wash this patient, give an enema to this patient, or suggested they go around and help pts with their breakfast, the students just look at me and say that they only want to do "cool things" not basic patient care. Because they've already "passed that" and don't need to practise it any more.

not picking on you or your post (it just happens to be the last one posted) I see this recurring theme where students refuse assignments? Our clinical instructor would hand us our asses after she finished chewing on it and spitting it out...I can't believe that there are are students out there like that - or clinical instructors that allow that to happen...My clinical group (and in fact the majority of my class of 64) would leap at the chance to help out - with anything...perhaps it is because we are all 1st year, 1st semester students - do students get jaded after a while too?

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not picking on you or your post (it just happens to be the last one posted) I see this recurring theme where students refuse assignments? Our clinical instructor would hand us our asses after she finished chewing on it and spitting it out...I can't believe that there are are students out there like that - or clinical instructors that allow that to happen...My clinical group (and in fact the majority of my class of 64) would leap at the chance to help out - with anything...perhaps it is because we are all 1st year, 1st semester students - do students get jaded after a while too?

I would hope not, but it seems that way - halfway though my school (2 semesters left) and I'll do anything i know how to do with little more than "Okay, right away!" if i am unsure about something and i know that the RN's i is really busy and cannot do it with me, I'll grab my CI and she'll be more than happy to walk me though it all! If i ever said "i already know that!" my CI would kick me out of clinic and would send a delinquency over to school as she should.

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Specializes in Gerontology.
not picking on you or your post (it just happens to be the last one posted) I see this recurring theme where students refuse assignments? Our clinical instructor would hand us our asses after she finished chewing on it and spitting it out...I can't believe that there are are students out there like that - or clinical instructors that allow that to happen...My clinical group (and in fact the majority of my class of 64) would leap at the chance to help out - with anything...perhaps it is because we are all 1st year, 1st semester students - do students get jaded after a while too?

Unfortunately, this seems to be the newest trend.

We have clinical group right now that is causing a lot of trouble - they are refusing to remove their rings and bracelets as per our Infection Control policy. They had to arrange a meeting with the clinical instructor, the head clinical instructor of the program, and in the infection control nurse. I'm not sure of the outcome, but I believe it ended up with a few of the students being removed from the clinical placement.

And yes, I've had students refuse to do things. They seem to think that if they've done a skill once or twice they are good. It is no wonder we have new grads that don't know how to do skills or take 3 times as long to do something as they should - they've never taken the opportunity to work on those skills.

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Specializes in Obstetrics.

Nurses eat their young. End of story.

The very best nurse is the one who remembers what it's like to be a student and takes the time to be NICE and teach the student, because every single one of us has been through it and are the only ones who understand. If the student doesn't want to learn or isn't interested, at least the nurse can say she tried. It's their education, not yours. But being mean about it? Ridiculous.

To the OP: my recommendation is to just go with the flow. There were some nurses I worked with during clinical that I could tell had a rough morning before coming in, weren't particularly pleased with their assignments etc. I did my best to help them out as much as I could; assisting with whatever it was I was allowed to do, including tech work. Be assertive but know where your place is. Clinical is to get experience in doing things you've learned about. So ask; let your nurse know "I'm really looking forward to giving IV meds so if any of your patients have them, please let me know!" or "We've been studying vent settings and chest tubes, I'd love to learn more about that when we go in to see the pt in 227".

Not every nurse is mean. And if you get stuck with someone who is, just remember it's only for the x amount of hours you're on the floor. Then take THAT experience and when YOU become a nurse, don't treat a student that way. GL!

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Yes it would be more nurses that came and told you when they were doing something you may want to see or do, but you should be more assertive. We are assigned two patients and I tell my nurse or nurses that I would love to know if they are doing anything special or interesting. I ask them to let me know if they need to start an IV for instance. When I'm going through the hallway I'll even ask other nurses especially if I see them or overhear that they are going to do something. Once I heard they were going to access an implanted port and I introduced myself and said I'd love to watch, she let me do it!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
Dear Students.

I'm sorry I'm not all smiles and full of joy to teach you. You see, this is my 5th shift in a row with a very annoying, emotionally draining patient and I am just trying to figure out how to get through the shift without wanting to throttle him.

I am also trying to figure out how to care for the extra pt just dumped on me because someone called in sick and we are now working short.

Or maybe I'm depressed because it the anniversary of my Mother's death and I'm feeling very blue because I still miss her.

Or maybe I'm exhaused because I was up all night with a screaming baby.

Or maybe I"m just tired of having a gaggle of students standing around the nursing station, getting under foot. And when I ask them if they want to wash this patient, give an enema to this patient, or suggested they go around and help pts with their breakfast, the students just look at me and say that they only want to do "cool things" not basic patient care. Because they've already "passed that" and don't need to practise it any more.

You know this is so incredibly aggravating and hypocritical. If a student dares post in the nursing section they get a million posts attacking them or telling them not post there so why are you nurse, not students, posting on this thread. It's one person venting from a rough clinical experience, and unless you can say that you absolutely never once complained to anyone, I mean anyone, about having a rough time during a clinical then you shouldn't be posting on here with the rude prejudiced comments about students.

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab.

Well, OP is not coming back it seems...:icon_roll

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Specializes in LTC.
You know this is so incredibly aggravating and hypocritical. If a student dares post in the nursing section they get a million posts attacking them or telling them not post there so why are you nurse, not students, posting on this thread. It's one person venting from a rough clinical experience, and unless you can say that you absolutely never once complained to anyone, I mean anyone, about having a rough time during a clinical then you shouldn't be posting on here with the rude prejudiced comments about students.

:yeah::yeah::yeah: If I could I would give you 1000 thousand kudos. Students Can't win these days. If we complain ONE time on a Nurses forum about nurses we would get ours butts chewed off. Soooo we complain here on the students forum and still get our butts chewed off.

Once again, the student was venting. Just like nurses vent about students, patients, docs and whoever. Wow. I'm just so over it.

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Exactly. I'm a student and this really got me fired up. It's completely irritating that we can't find a place to just express that we had a bad day without being called idiots and morons. Who do they think they are?

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You are making a big assumption with that statement. The vast majority of students that I have precepted have been in NONTEACHING facilities, and virtually all hospitals where I was a student were also nonteaching facilities.

The OP was venting and RV vented back. The OP does not know the pressures that the average RN works with on the floor.

I teach a lot of students, and keep a smile on my face, but sometimes it feels pasted on. I have missed more lunches and stayed over for hours after shift, because the time that I could have been eating or charting was taken up by "teaching".

I do not have time always to chase students down, and sometimes if I am not clear/experienced on a new procedure, I do not need several pairs of eyes watching my every move because it is a "interesting" experience. It takes me 5 minutes to do a foley,2 minutes to do an IM. It will take me 30 or more to talk a student through it, answer questions and have them do it with me having to direct when they hesitate or get nervous. Trust me that smile starts to wear of after several shifts of no lunch and unpaid OT.

where I live ONLY hospitals that are teaching hospitals will allow student nurses.

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