What does the floor really think of nursing students?

[superduper]

Hi everyone.

I am a third semester nursing student and just recently started working as a PCA/PCT in the same hospital system as my clinical site.

I have noticed during my PCA orientation that the hospital that I work at isn't "nursing student friendly" or "new nurse friendly". There have been a couple of instances like.. there have been comments by PCAs and nurses about new grad nurses not knowing something, or I have noticed nursing students having a hard time being paired with a preceptor because no one wanted a nursing student.

The following is rant.. I don't mention that I am in school however, during my last shift on orientation my PCA preceptor asked me if I was in school and I told her I was. She began to congratulate me on being a PCA before becoming a nurse because some nurses have no idea what they are doing. I responded that I just want to be a good nurse and appreciate the opportunity. Before the shift ended the entire floor knew I was in nursing school and when giving report to the oncoming pca she basically was telling me to not work on that floor because new nurses usually sink than swim on that floor and that there were too many cardiac drips for a new nurse to handle. Maybe it was just advice but it just felt like she was trying to intimidate me because the floor was no different than the other med-surg floors I had been training on (I am a PCA in float pool). There's more to it but rant over.

Just to say, I have been a CNA for two years before getting this job. I am not scared of hard work and always try my best. I am a pretty good student I try to study as much as I can to be a bad *** nurse one day lol. I feel confident in doing my job as a PCA but feel like I would be judged if I mentioned that I was in nursing school. People/professors have told me that when you work as a pca while in nursing school the nurses are nicer and let you do more things but it doesn't seem like that's the case in that hospital. To be honest, now when I get asked I say that I am not in school : (

I just feel like there's a bad connotation about nursing students/new grads at that hospitals. I am just curious is this normal feeling on the floors and I have been oblivious to it? Maybe my particular hospital has had bad experiences with nursing students?

Sorry if this was long or didn't make sense... just curious.

[Wuzzie]

1 hour ago, kataraang said:

I love students!

Most of us do. With a rare exception it's not the students that are the issue.

[organichombre, ADN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

Wussie you are right, that did come across as insulting and I apologize. Both hospitals that I teach at offer preceptor training as an elective. Teaching should never supersede patient care. Managers know this but yet they are hearing from administration that "these are our future nurses, and your colleagues". So make it happen. There has to be attention paid to each individual teaching assignment. If you are super busy with transfers, discharges and a tenuous patient assignment; you should not be required to take students. I adjust my students assignment quite often because I never know until assignments are made who will be busy and who won't. Instructors must be held accountable, staff must decide what is best for them and students must show up, be engaged and demonstrate a desire to learn.

[MunoRN, RN]

8 hours ago, Wuzzie said:

To your second to last question. I love teaching. I would make that my focus if it would pay the bills but it won't. What I don't like is schools abdicating their responsibility to already over-burdened nurses and expecting them to be entirely responsible for their patients AND the complete clinical education of students. My patients are my priority and unfortunately that means any students I have are not and they have the right to expect to be...just not by me. They should be their instructors priority. We had a nursing school instructor here gleefully tell us that her job was easy. She just dropped off her students and then found a quiet place to do her grad school homework. How is that right?

Teaching yes but not being entirely responsible for the clinical education of said students. And it does not supersede patient care.

I would think that prioritizing patient care requirements when you have a student goes without saying. Depending on my workload, the student may have the opportunity to get more 'hands-on' experience or they may just get the chance to watch a nurse deal with a cluster*** from the corner of the room, both are valuable learning experiences. Are there places where you're expected to prioritize the student over the patient?