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 Public Health.

IMO the student nurses seem to think the nurses are being mean because they aren't sympathizing but please believe if you are caught on the wrong day you just might be the nurse "offending" a new student nurse. Nursing is probably the hardest thing you could ever do! Its not all daisies and sunshine. Nurses are people too and no they don't HAVE to be warm and receiving if they don't want to be. It is refreshing to get a kind nurse but sometimes you just don't feel like being a shiny sparkling rainbow nurse. Not everybody has the ability to turn off their feelings and put in MORE work to help you learn. ASK and you shall RECEIVE...remember that always.

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Specializes in ED, Telemetry,Hospice, ICU, Supervisor.

Don't take it personally, out in clinicals I barely see my clinical instructor unless I have a question. I was allowed to do a Foley catheter because the RN I was working with had a patient that needed it. Most of the stuff on med-surg are really routine. Finger sticks, urine/stool sample, bed bath/change, and a ton more other stuff are very routine. Maybe they don't have much to teach you this week because all the patients have been really easy. Think about a heavily sedated patient or a post operative patient heading home today. Not much you can do in terms of learning brand new procedures if there is no need to perform them. They understand you are on the floor to learn, but they are not gonna go out of their way to make more work for themselves just to teach you something.

Just relax, the pace will pick up. Wait till you are working alone with 4 patients and I promise you that your gonna start looking forward to the non-combative, ambulatory, A/O x3, checking out to day patient. :)

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I have to say that so far I have been fortunate that I have not experienced this but some of my fellow students have. I am a second career "student" so I am older. Maybe it is age but I try not to let things bother me. Everyone is human and has good and bad days. If I feel I am really being mistreated then I will address that with my clinical instructor. Until then there isn't anything anyone is going to do or say to me to ruin my clincial experience. If I can't get it from one person I will move on and follow someone else. I am not doing this for job security or the money, I want to do this because it is something that I love and I will not let anyone ruin this experience for me. You are going to deal with mean people no matter where you work. Don't take it personally and just make the best of it!!!

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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 am a student and i do not dismiss any nurse's attempt to reach out and teach me. i don't think experienced nurses should pigeon hole us into that category because it is not by any means conducive to our learning. i know it may sounds cliche but we are going to be working with you seasoned vets side by side. now tell me, wouldn't you rather have someone with adequate skills to be working with you? or taking care of your family? or even taking care of you!? i feel like it's part of a nurse's job to take the inexperienced under their wing and teach them the ins and outs of nursing practice. if it wasn't then they would be compensated for taking on a student. i personally want to learn so bad! i want to be a good nurse and i don't want to have to second guess myself. i am currently at a clinical site that does not welcome us at all! i have had two nurses tell me that they didn't want a student when i went to introduce myself already and it's only my second week there! it's so bad the way they treat us that i went home crying today. i'm trying so hard and it's very discouraging because i do not want to become that kind of person, not only that kind of nurse, that kind of person in general. i'm rethinking my career choice because i do not want any part of that kind of mentality.

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Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.
I hope I never become that kind of nurse, that's ONE lesson they HAVE taught me.

I know I say this a lot, but boy am I thankful to work where I do. I am fairly fresh off orientation and I had two student nurses with me tonight. They are in their last semester of an ADN program.

I had them do every assessment and care I could. They were eager to learn, eager to demonstrate skills, listened intently, asked questions, and took direction well.

It would be a drag to have students every single shift, but I really enjoyed working with them. Two of my patients were fairly heavy and they definitely benefited from having an extra pair of hands around. I had to call a Rapid Response on my third patient and the student nurse kept her cool and assisted during the episode.

I really like this job.

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There definitely can be a disconnect between the students and the floor nurses. Don't let it get you down. Listen to report and try to anticipate the kinds of things your nurse might have going on with her patients, even if they're not the ones you've been assigned to. Ask if you can watch procedures her patients will be having done.

If you don't get anywhere with your own nurse, ask others, preferably those who don't also have students, or your classmates might get peeved that you're shadowing "their" nurse.

Keep your eyes and ears open. Look for people going into the supply room for Foley kits and other things that say something interesting might be coming up.

If you see a full linen bag, take care of it. Appear interested in things that are happening without getting underfoot. Make whatever connections you can, even if it's nothing more than noticing someone got their hair cut or is wearing scrubs that are a nice color.

If they still give you the cold shoulder, it's them, not you. Hopefully, your next clinical will be better.

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Specializes in LTC.
I am a student and I DO NOT dismiss any nurse's attempt to reach out and teach me. I don't think experienced nurses should pigeon hole us into that category because it is not by any means conducive to our learning. I know it may sounds cliche but we are going to be working with you seasoned vets side by side. Now tell me, wouldn't you rather have someone with adequate skills to be working with you? Or taking care of your family? Or even taking care of YOU!? I feel like it's part of a nurse's job to take the inexperienced under their wing and teach them the ins and outs of nursing practice. If it wasn't then they WOULD be compensated for taking on a student. I personally want to learn SO BAD! I want to be a good nurse and I don't want to have to second guess myself. I am currently at a clinical site that does not welcome us at all! I have had two nurses tell me that they didn't want a student when I went to introduce myself already AND it's only my second week there! It's so bad the way they treat us that I went home crying today. I'm trying so hard and it's very discouraging because I do not want to become that kind of person, not only that kind of nurse, that kind of PERSON in general. I'm rethinking my career choice because I do not want any part of that kind of mentality.

I'm sorry that you are having a hard time in clinical. Honestly if a few dried up, burnt out nurses are causing you to rethink your career maybe you should. Nursing is just like any other profession, where there are going to be rude people. As a nurse you will have to put up with rudeness from other nurses, docs, family members, and patients. You have to have a tough skin. If nursing truly is your passion and goal I would stick to it and just become the best nurse you can be. Good luck and stay encouraged. :heartbeat

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Specializes in Obstetrics.
I'm sorry that you are having a hard time in clinical. Honestly if a few dried up, burnt out nurses are causing you to rethink your career maybe you should. Nursing is just like any other profession, where there are going to be rude people. As a nurse you will have to put up with rudeness from other nurses, docs, family members, and patients. You have to have a tough skin. If nursing truly is your passion and goal I would stick to it and just become the best nurse you can be. Good luck and stay encouraged. :heartbeat

I agree, they're not worth deciding your career. If you truly want this, don't let them decide for you.

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Specializes in Neuro, Neuro ICU.

I'm sorry you feel this way, and that this thread got "catty" for a bit. It doesn't matter where you work, you'll encounter conflicting viewpoints and personalities.

Its been said before, but basically just be assertive make yourself available for your nurse any chance you get. Let them know you are eager. Ask questions (when they aren't busy), offer to help them with their other patients, if an opportunity comes up. I see that most of the time nurses are running their butts off with things to do, and theres never enough time (i feel like that at clinical most of the time), so I just try to do any task I can for them to make their day easier, and in turn it shows them I'm a hard worker, eager to learn, and they'll come find me, or mention to one of the other students what they are doing, and to let me know if they see me.

thankfully at the hospital i'm at right now, our nurses like having us there (most of the time), because we do med passes, and when you have 1-2 nursing students, who each have 2 patients, thats 4 people they aren't giving meds on that day, and that saves a lot of time (especially when they have 19 meds or need them 4-5 times through out the shift!) :)

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Specializes in ED; Med Surg.

Here is some input from someone who is both a nursing student as well as a nursing tech working on the floor. Unfortunately some nursing students ruin things for all of us. They act bored and interested, and are unengaged. They stand around the nurses station and talk about what they did last night. The ones who have a positive experience are helpful and excited to be there -- even if they don't feel it, they act it. YOU are responsible for your clinical experience. YOU need to go and ask if there is something you want to watch. Listen, be helpful and engage. And be nice to the secretaries and the techs -- they will find you and let you know about interesting things. Offer to do things for them as well -- it will pay off, I promise.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

There's a whole-lotta stereotyping going on in this thread. About students and nurses alike (and I'm sure there was some insrtructor-bashing in here that I didn't see :uhoh: . And it's wrong. We all know it's wrong. it's like putting a label on people different race, religion, age and gender. Stupid, ugly, mean and lazy knows no boundaries :)

Having said that, one thing that I have noticed on AN (and in real life) is an increased level of sensitivity amongst the new generation of nurses. So many posts here tell tales of "this nurse was mean to me" or "my instructor hates me". If there's one thing I've learned in my years of nursing (and life in general), is just because someone doesn't welcome you with open arms, hugs, respect and manners, it doesn't mean they hate you. And if they really don't like me, that leads to lesson #2: not everyone is going to like me. It's great that we all want to live in a world where everyone gets along and is nice to each other, but it's not realistic.

Another thing that I wholeheartedly agree with RubyVee on: perspective. I think any experience nurse here (who was posting as a student) can look back at their old posts and say "wow, what was I thinking? I was sooo naive about what working as a nurse was really like." Even a little instructor like me can offer perspective: not only was I once a student, but yeah, I was a floor nurse. But a student cannot fully appreciate what it's like to manage a district of patients, having to answer to her patients, family members, managers, doctors and anyone else that is asking for answers. Now, add to that equation a student. Nursing is extremely stressful. You feel like you have to be "on" for 12+ hours while at work. All I can say is, it's not easy. And it has NOTHING to do with you students. Do you really think the nurses are spending their time thinking about how to ruin your experience? My guess is no.

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Specializes in Renal.

I (like a few others on here) have the experience of being on both sides of the situation. I'm a nursing student, but I'm a clinical teacher for CNAs. Yes, it does get stressful when you have tons of patients to care for and a new student every week. I do understand that. However, to any nurse out there who is saying it isn't their job to teach the students--it sorta is. At the end of the day, the students of today are the nurses of next year. Unless we want poorly qualified nurses taking care of patients (and yourself, eventually), everyone needs to help them. That's how nurses learn--clinical experiences. While it's difficult, I always try to remember that every skill I have to teach, someone taught me. And that person was also probably incredibly busy and stressed out, but they did it anyway. Because otherwise, I might not have learned.

Also, I find in my practice that I have an easier time once I take the time to teach a student something. Because then, the next time it needs to be done---they can do it without me. It becomes one less thing for me to worry about. I could see how this would be the case for a lot of nursing student preceptors as well, especially at the senior level. For example, in my latest rotation we were pretty much independent. The RN would have 4 or 6 kids, and I would take 2-3. I would do all the VS, assessments, meds, etc. So in that sense, I really think that it helps the nurse out and the nurse should be able to find the time to walk through a new procedure with me. But hey, that's just my opinion.

I do agree that there is a lot of streotyping going on. I have had some nurses who are absolutely incredible--who are meant to teach, and can weave it into their care incredibly well. I've also worked with nurses who are bullies. I've had peers who work hard, go the extra mile, and are incredibly eager to learn anything they can...but I've had peers who take extra long lunches and slack off as much as possible. But at the end of the day, we can only be responsible for ourselves and our interactions.

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