Yeah, you're probably reading the title and are thinking: *eye roll* "Another Nursing student who thinks they deserve a better grade than they earned." I promise you, it's not that.
I am at a clinical site for clinicals, and the evaluations I am getting are absolutely nit-picky and I am wondering if this potentially could constitute as harassment. Why? Because it is negatively affecting my grades. I have gotten written up for the following:
-"Student takes too many notes."
-"Student carries around notebook everywhere. This shows the student is 'carrying around notebook excessively to avoid patient-care encounters'". WTH???
-"Student asked about the IV procedures regarding another clinical site." (They didn't like that I asked that).
-"Student doesn't show initiative." Even though I do! I ask to do things. I insert IVs in patients, I do vitals, I perform tests, I put ECG 12 leads on, assessments, etc. My previous clinical site gave me great evaluations, and this site it's ridiculous.
-"Student made nurses appear stupid to patient by asking to retrieve a warm compress on a patient with difficult veins (Yes, you read that correctly). Additionally, student suggested looking on different areas of an arm before proceeding with contacting an I.V. team, making the nurse appear as though she did not know what she was doing." I was trying to be helpful, and as you can see, taking initiative at this point gets me in trouble (again!)
I've had it with my clinical site, and my director is not helping me whatsoever and I'm tired of it all. I've had so much anxiety around these people it's not even funny. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I can't take it anymore! Please, anyone have any advice? I ask my director, she says, "Learn to be adaptable." I AM. Some Nurses let me do things, some don't, and the ones that don't write me up for not doing anything. And the worst part is: it's going to drop my average :(.
Sure, the system may be a problem. Though I would have been very frustrated with my education if I had to wait for my instructor in order to complete med passes, do procedures, or ask questions. With one instructor overseeing eight students there would be no way that all eight students would have rich or engaging learning experiences if they were all waiting for one person.
All of this is, however, beside the point. No matter the problems of the system, we should all be able to agree that a nurse potentially taking out their frustration on a student is wrong, and not speaking directly with a student if they feel there is a problem is also wrong. I would expect my manager, charge nurse, or peers to address me directly if I was acting inappropriately, I would feel terrible if no one said anything until a yearly review. I think students deserve the same level of professional courtesy and respect.
Specializes in Surgical Specialty Clinic - Ambulatory Care.
If you can’t handle this you should not be a nurse. It does not get better. Unfortunately it is not about who is right. It is about if you are likeable and do you appear to appreciate everything done for you....even if it isn’t right. Sound stupid? Make you go, “Well if I can’t ask questions and do what I think is right without getting into trouble, how can I possibly take good care of my patients?” Well, yeah, that’s the name of the game. How much do I have to suck up to get you to listen to me?
If you can’t handle this you should not be a nurse. It does not get better.
Woah, calm down. No one said I 'couldn't handle it'. I am certainly not quitting over people---that's part of life. I have received great reviews from other clinical sites, but experiencing challenges with this one. As a student, I am taking this as a learning opportunity and I am not going to give up at a site of struggle. As other commenters have noted, although some of these critiques may seem unfair or flat-out 'wrong', it is in my position as a student to adapt and that is what I am going to do. Keep my nose clean, do when asked. If I have issues, take it up with them. And I'm leaving it at that.
If you can’t handle this you should not be a nurse. It does not get better. Unfortunately it is not about who is right. It is about if you are likeable and do you appear to appreciate everything done for you....even if it isn’t right. Sound stupid? Make you go, “Well if I can’t ask questions and do what I think is right without getting into trouble, how can I possibly take good care of my patients?” Well, yeah, that’s the name of the game. How much do I have to suck up to get you to listen to me?
Sad, but true.. This post is the essence of another aspect of the situation. When you go on the job, if the people with power pick up on a nonlikeability factor with you, you will be just as gone as if you had really done something wrong. Increased self-awareness on your part is called for all the way around.
Specializes in Surgical Specialty Clinic - Ambulatory Care.
4 minutes ago, Scorio said:
Woah, calm down. No one said I 'couldn't handle it'. I am certainly not quitting over people---that's part of life. I have received great reviews from other clinical sites, but experiencing challenges with this one. As a student, I am taking this as a learning opportunity and I am not going to give up at a site of struggle. As other commenters have noted, although some of these critiques may seem unfair or flat-out 'wrong', it is in my position as a student to adapt and that is what I am going to do. Keep my nose clean, do when asked. If I have issues, take it up with them. And I'm leaving it at that.
I’m not saying that in attempt to be rude. I am sure you are probably good nurse material. But the healthcare system is SERIOUSLY set against us and we propagate this by doing it to young nurses. I honestly mean if you don’t like how this is making you feel, if you think of having to deal with what you are going through right now daily for years at a time sounds bad, get out now while you can. Do something different. I recommend nursing to no one.
I’m not saying that in attempt to be rude. I am sure you are probably good nurse material. But the healthcare system is SERIOUSLY set against us and we propagate this by doing it to young nurses. I honestly mean if you don’t like how this is making you feel, if you think of having to deal with what you are going through right now daily for years at a time sounds bad, get out now while you can. Do something different. I recommend nursing to no one.
Oh okay! I thought it was meant that way, haha. It's hard to distinguish these things over the internet,
Specializes in 26 yrs ER, Dialysis, HH, Education.
When I was in nursing school way back when, it was the same way. All the students were on the same unit under the direction of our instructor. From my understanding, it is under the discretion of the State board of nursing as to how clinicals are done now. I do think that there are less errors, less confusion, and more understanding when it's done the way it was when we both went to school versus this way.
Specializes in 26 yrs ER, Dialysis, HH, Education.
Scorio, the bottom line is you seem to have a good attitude about the whole situation. Yes there could be some adjustments made on your part, as well as adjustments made on your preceptor's part. However, as it has been stated, nursing is unfortunately and eat your young profession. I have always hated that term and have really dislike working with some of the nurses that had that mentality. One response was get out of it now while you can, and they don't refer anyone to choose nursing as a career; I can't get on board with that mentality either. If you get into nursing for the right reasons, to help people and to enrich someone else's life, nursing can be very rewarding. I can honestly say with 100% certainty I still like what I do.
I truly hope everything works out for you and you get through the semester holding your head high.
I'm a little confused - did/do most of you get taught and reviewed by the nurses at your clinical sites or the instructor? At my school the instructors are basically like Superwoman and are supervising all 5-6 of us throughout the entire shift. The good nurses will pull us into other rooms if they are doing something interesting, and add some teaching on top of what our instructor is working on with us, but for the most part it is our instructor who is doing meds with us (until later in the clinical after she has watched us a couple of times), who is going over our charting, who is asking us questions about why this and that on all the patients - and they are always very well prepped on all of our patients as well. It's really amazing actually they work so hard and I've learned SO much from my clinical instructors.
I've heard there are other schools at our sites where the instructors basically drop the students off and then disappear for the day and the nurses all hate it, but I didn't think that was the norm, but now I'm not so sure?
I know it's a little late in the discussion and sorry if I missed it:
So are these staff nurses who are submitting this commentary ("evaluations")? And where is your actual clinical instructor in all of this?
You mentioned your director - is that someone in your SoN, or the director of the floor you're assigned to, or what?
I'm trying to understand how the off-hand feedback from (?) nurses you might have interacted with intermittently for several hours ends up being more than a constructive criticism or compliment. Hoping there is a clinical instructor that is actually evaluating your overall work?
ETA, sorry, looks I was typing while the poster above was asking basically the same question...
Specializes in 26 yrs ER, Dialysis, HH, Education.
Rionoir, when I was in school, my instructor stayed with the students and did like you described. However, the school I am teaching at now has the instructors on-site, but the students are with a staff nurse. I make rounds every hour or two, help them with procedures as needed, meds, review the patients with them, grade care plans and other clinical assignments. We have a pre and post conference. My students come to me all the time and I'm very interactive with my students. That's the way the state BoN says it has to be done, and it is the way the facilities like it. The students seem to like it and they say they feel more confident andlike they are more included with the staff when it is done this way. I see pros and cons both ways.
That would be because the schools are often sending students to the facility and the instructor is "somewhere in the building". When I went to nursing school, we were the responsibility of our instructor- that was who we went to with questions, that was who was at our side to pass meds, that was who was at our side to perform a procedure. Schools need to go back to that model instead of dumping students on the nurses who are getting zero compensation for being a de facto clinical instructor. The only exception was our senior capstone, and that was set up specifically with nurses who volunteered for the preceptorship.
That's exactly how it was when I went to nursing school. We were assigned to shadow a nurse but if we had questions, had to give meds, had to do anything the nurse asked that we didn't know how to do, we went right to our clinical instructor.
MotoMonkey, BSN, RN
248 Posts
Sure, the system may be a problem. Though I would have been very frustrated with my education if I had to wait for my instructor in order to complete med passes, do procedures, or ask questions. With one instructor overseeing eight students there would be no way that all eight students would have rich or engaging learning experiences if they were all waiting for one person.
All of this is, however, beside the point. No matter the problems of the system, we should all be able to agree that a nurse potentially taking out their frustration on a student is wrong, and not speaking directly with a student if they feel there is a problem is also wrong. I would expect my manager, charge nurse, or peers to address me directly if I was acting inappropriately, I would feel terrible if no one said anything until a yearly review. I think students deserve the same level of professional courtesy and respect.