We're not here for that

[happynurse49]

Today while in clinicals I saw a fellow nursing student standing in the hallway outside a patient's room. I asked her what was up and she said, "This patient had an accident and is a mess. The NAC said she would be here in 10 minutes and it's been 15 minutes." I told her that we were allowed to provide that kind of care to any patient on the floor and it didn't have to be our patient. Her response, "We are nursing students, we are not here for that." I was taken aback. I didn't say anything to her and just went into the room, introduced myself, and asked the patient if it would be ok for me to help her. The fellow student came in the room and asked if I wanted some help. I just don't understand. We are students. We are there to learn how to become RN's but we are also there to provide any care that a patient needs that is within our scope of practice. I am wondering if other students feel this way and think they are just at clinicals to do "nursing" things.

[angie2927]

I'm in my last semester of my BSN. During my clinical time, I usually do try to steer away from doing too much of the aide-type work. Not because I think I'm too good, or because I think I won't be doing that in my job, but because I am there to learn. I have been a CNA for several years and know how to toilet, transfer, ambulate, pericare, etc. What I do not know is IV med administration, checking for interactions, giving blood products.... The list goes on and on about nursing things I still have to learn, so I try to maximize my time by getting in on all the things I'm not comfortable with.

That being said, if your classmate was doing nothing better than standing around while that patient needed help- shame on her. And good for you for taking care of the patient.

[Glycerine82, LPN]

I hate it when nurses (or anyone) refers to "CNA work"

There is no such thing as "CNA" work. Its ALL "nursing work" and it is ALL the responsibility of the RN or LPN. CNA's are there to ENABLE nurses to do their jobs more efficiently. CNA's do the aspects of the nurses job that you don't have to be a nurse to do, that doesn't mean that the jobs a CNA does aren't also duties of the nurse.

Take away the CNA and guess whose job it is. You can't very well end your shift with incontinent patients needing to be changed because you didn't have a CNA that day.

A nurse should never delegate out of convenience. Ever.

Off my soapbox :-)

Hopefully that nursing student learned something and will go on to become a great nurse. Since she did step in to help I feel like she probably got the message. I hope she was just horrified and didn't know where to begin.

[pattyn]

Sounds as if she should not be in nursing. Unfortunately, though this attitude seems to be the norm among today's nurses

[MichaelNapolitano]

Good for you. I believe that nursing students should do all the messy and possibly not so pleasant things in order to ready yourself for your career later on. Helping people should be the number one priority of any nurse, therefore this should also be the priority of any student of nursing. A nursing student should be eager and willing to help and learn at any time. You did a very nice deed in helping this patient out and most likely inspired your fellow student. We can only hope that situations like this occur every day, one student helping another and showing them the way. As I read this I thought this is the kind of nurse I am going to be, you inspire even your readers.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

I work as a PCA but I am also a nursing student. It grinds my gears when I hear classmates or RNs regard basic patient care/ADLs as "PCA work." I hate when I have to work with nurses who order me around and expect me to clean up a four hundred pounder without so much as offering any assistance. The best nurses I have worked with started out as aides. These are the nurses who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty and have the best teamwork.

I almost think pca experience should be a requirement for nursing school.

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

Ok, let me clarify something for some of the posters here. A CNA or PCA or aide is an AID for NURSES' work! Thus the title "Nurse's aide". It's all nurse work that they are assisting us with. Puke, Pus, Poop and Plasma. It's all on us. Team member helping us is awesome, but don't ever call it "aide's work" or "CNA work". It's all nursing care.

[maxaramos07]

The nurses I work with on my floor, are ALWAYS willing to help when it comes to tasks designated to PCT's/CNA's. If she thinks that once she becomes a nurse she's not going to have to do that, she has another thing coming.

[mmaibaue]

I can't agree more. Situations like this have been a thorn in my side since I graduated 15 years ago. The best thing any nursing student can do is to be a CNA for a year prior to entering clinical. In fact, I think it should be required by all nursing schools! Thanks for finally giving me a place to vent about this.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Woahh!

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I think there's a difference between refusing the aide's duties because you want to and refusing because you want to learn nursing skills when the opportunity presents. As students, we are supposed to learn how to do a nurse's aide level of care because when we are nurses we will be expected to know how to give a bed bath, how to put a patient on a bedpan, how to empty a foley. It's essentially the basics of nursing care. But also as students, we are also expected to learn how to do the traditional "nursing duties" like giving medications, changing dressings, etc. Last semester in clinical I primarily did the "aides" work of taking vitals, ambulating patients to the bathroom, putting them on bedpans, etc. This semester our instructor told us that she wants us to learn our nursing duties since that's why we're becoming nurses. Leave the aides work for the aides. So we're doing more foleys, NG tubes, giving tube feedings, etc. I'm glad to have a strong knowledge of the traditional aide duties as I now feel comfortable doing this type of work without a second glance. But I'm also glad to be doing the work that we'll be expected to know when we graduate. As a nursing student, you are there to learn whether that be the aide's duties or the nurse's duties. I can't imagine graduating without knowing how or without experience putting a patient on a bedpan!

"Nurses' aides' duties" ARE nursing duties. If you have aides to assist you, it's a luxury. If you have them and they actually do the job, you are very fortunate. As the nurse, you are ultimately responsible for the patient. And a nursing student should NEVER refuse duties/care that are within their scope. It doesn't take very long to clean a patient, you're not going to miss your chance to administer an injection or drop an NG tube because you took 10 minutes to clean a patient who'd soiled himself. And the nurses on the floor will like you better if you take the initiative to help a patient with basic care and will be more apt to come find you when something interesting comes along.

[mikasa]

If students feel that way they shouldn't be a nurse. Nurses are there for their patients! It doesn't matter what it is, if you care for your patients you'll do it. This student obviously did not care.

[DalekRN]

I have to add a dose of reality to those who are saying that clinical time is about learning skills like IVs, Foleys, blood administration, etc... Nope. Just nope. You do not graduate nursing school knowing how to do those things. You graduate having seen them done, maybe done them once or twice- introduced to them. You only know how to do them after doing them on orientation and then again and again as a new grad nurse on your own with help from more experienced nurses. Then after many repetitions on the job you may start to feel you know them. I want to echo a previous poster who said that clinical time is about learning assessment and critical thinking skills. And, of course, its about learning how to stand on your feet and not pee very often and be hungrier than you'd like.