So I pretty much always have nursing students with me. I have senior BSN students who are doing a critical care class (six 12 hours shifts), ADN students from 2 different programs doing their preceptorships (eight 12 hour shifts), ABSN students doing clinical (six 12 hour shifts), and direct entry MSN students who shadow me for a shift. In addition I come into contact with a variety of other students who are being taught by my RN co-workers. My hospital also has a "student nurse technician" program where they hire nursing students to do CNA type work. So I regularly talk to 5-10 nursing students a week and nearly always have a student with me each shift.
What I am so shocked about is the level of education of these students who are in nursing school. I can't even remember the last time I had a ADN student who didn't already have a bachelors degree with me. Of course the MSN and ABSN students already have bachelors degrees, but what is surprising to me is that so many are already professionals in others areas. I had a student who already has a bachelors and masters in architecture and worked for a well known local firm, I have had lawyers, police officers, scads of teachers, and a few engineers among others. Even a guy who is an MD in Russia.
Why do all of these people want to be nurses? Have any of you experienced this?
Back when I was in nursing school there were plenty of 2nd career types in my class but they tended to be factory workers, truck drivers, farmers, military vets who were moving up to become RNs. A few had bachelors degrees but not like now.
I actually find it frightening and a little sad. Frightening cause I suspect this is a symptom of a very bad economy and terrible job market. Sad cause I know so many of the will struggle to find work after making huge sacrifices to get through nursing school.
Some of them are SHOCKED when I tell them it's a tough job market out there for RNs and they will have to work hard and keep on their toes to find any job. Some simply refuse to believe me (nearly all the direct entry MSN students, ironic since they will struggle in our local market more than the others). Others already have this figured out and are already bitter about it.
Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.
Plus, most things are electronic or will be. Young people grew up with computers, thus they might learn quicker.
I do notice this at my work, a lot of times I can troubleshoot our EMR or computers on wheels without having to have a major league hissy and call IT. Plus once we get new equipment like glucometers younger staff tends to pick up on them pretty quickly, versus *grumble grumble* "I HATE these new glucometers!"
While its being mentioned, can someone explain to me how a generic BSN (say Liberal arts) can end up with a MSN in nursing within two years? Or is that not how it works? I guess I don't understand how one can hold a stinking masters in nursing but did the first fours in something entirely different. When I think of someone with a MSN I think of my friends who were actually in school, in nursing programs, for 6 ish years and are highly experienced. But then I have seen talk on AN of what I mentioned before that you can get a masters in nursing in 2 years but have never set foot in a hospital. But I could be misunderstanding what this actually is.
It's done in just the same fashion as any other program. You complete the undergrad core topics and then graduate classes, some of them concurrently.
In my case, the core nursing classes came to about 30 units. The MSN classes were another 34 units. With no breaks for summer, winter, spring, or intersession, we were 5 semesters in just under two calendar years.
Now let me make one thing clear just because one goes into nursing because"I need a job, nursing looks good" as opposed to "I have always wanted to be a nurse since I was 10 years old"- that does not mean he/she will be a poor nurse. If you have passion for the work and do the job well
I do not have passion for the work. I do, however, have a very strong work ethic and a belief that anything worth doing is worth doing to the best of one's ability.
This topic has been beaten up, down, and sideways over the years but I come down firmly on the side that one can be an excellent nurse without having a 'calling' or a 'passion' for doing so.
*** I used to think like that too. Now I think of a nurse with an MSN as being very likely to need teaching in basic nursing skills.
** Tangent Alert **
Only because you didn't meet me as a new grad :-)
I was surprised to learn that, around here, many new grads don't even practice IV starts in their ADN or BSN programs. Not only did we stick patients, we stuck each other during clinical post-conferences.
Having nigh 4 years of professional nursing under my belt, I can honestly say that our DEMSN new grads were every bit as prepared as those from any other program, and more so than some.
I conjecture that this is due in part to the fact that we were doing clinicals beginning in the second week of our program and did not stop for nearly two years.
....and that is? A lot of times they already have a notion how thing should be done because that is how they did it at their previous job...new people to the workforce have very few notions on how to do things....they are mold able to their new job.
Plus, most things are electronic or will be. Young people grew up with computers, thus they might learn quicker.
There are a number of sweeping generalizations without supporting them in this quoted post. Obviously you were upset that another poster made generalizations about younger students and you countered with generalizations about older students.
I also worked with older nurses as a tech. Most were unhappy people. I get tired of the younger generation=lazy mentality. Older age does not always mean wiser, either. Nursing is a very specific career field...unless your former career was something pharmacy, nursing assistant, or hands on health care related, it does not make you better off in nursing than the younger nurses.
No, it was the instructors telling us that! That's why I was thankful I had spent time on the floor, I could separate the fact from the poop-less fiction.
Oh, man, now I am picturing a nursing version of, say:
I do notice this at my work, a lot of times I can troubleshoot our EMR or computers on wheels without having to have a major league hissy and call IT. Plus once we get new equipment like glucometers younger staff tends to pick up on them pretty quickly, versus *grumble grumble* "I HATE these new glucometers!"
I'm chuckling that using an exceedingly simple device like a glucometer is deemed techno-literate.
It's probably worth noting that Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, the Woz, and the multitudes of nameless techno-wizards are all older than the vast majority of nurses hatched in the last 20 years.
Being old doesn't equate to being techno-illiterate...
You nailed it with the bad economy and tight job market comment. The media has been hyping up this imaginary nursing shortage, so highly paid professionals who lose their jobs and can't find anything else think that at least they'd get a job as an RN and it would let them put food on the table. It's pretty sad.
The general media is little but a repeater of press releases and other sculpted messages put out by institutions such as schools. They typically rely on the same few "experts" for their analysis, and never seem to bother to check whether the expert knows what he/she is talking about.
Still, there's a good number of corporate type folks who want to do something very different, and more rewarding. Not all get to nursing out of desperation.
....and that is? A lot of times they already have a notion how thing should be done because that is how they did it at their previous job...new people to the workforce have very few notions on how to do things....they are mold able to their new job.
Plus, most things are electronic or will be. Young people grew up with computers, thus they might learn quicker.
Honey...I am in my early 40's and I consider myself to have grown up in the electronic age.
I didn't get the internet until I was 28 years old in my house, but I had my first computer at age 12 and my first skill was learning how to PROGRAM it.
So, the electronic thing has been around longer than you think.
Morainey, BSN, RN
831 Posts
I do notice this at my work, a lot of times I can troubleshoot our EMR or computers on wheels without having to have a major league hissy and call IT. Plus once we get new equipment like glucometers younger staff tends to pick up on them pretty quickly, versus *grumble grumble* "I HATE these new glucometers!"