What students need to know

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Students on clinicals need to know the unit rules and culture when they are working with the regular staff. Our last group was really frustrating to work with.

So this is just a list of things they need to know.

1. Log off your narcotics when you give them. Regular staff don't think it's funny or cute that you forgot and the count is off.

2. You are a guest (a welcome one) on our unit. You are not staff and can't get away with cutting comments that co-workers can.

3. Don't hog the chairs in the report room.

4. Don't hide with the patient charts. We know you need to do research, BUT we need to be able to check orders to be able to do our jobs.

5. For PN students, don't go around the unit telling anyone who will listen that you are going on for your BScN. You haven't even graduated yet, nor have you passed the exam or worked the required number of hours to get into the course.

6. For RN students, you are not in charge of the unit LPNs. You can ask for their assistance, you do not demand it or order them around. You can learn a lot from us if you don't treat us a different species. We are nurses with a different skill set.

Feel free to add to it.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

if you don't know something, look it up. or ask. don't just go ahead and do something anyway. the only dumb question is the one you didn't ask.

if something doesn't look right to you, question it.

don't walk around in isolation rooms, then put your feet on the chairs in our break room.

if an experienced nurse sees you with your feet on the chairs in our break room and asks you to remove them, explaining her rationale, remove them. don't just roll your eyes at her and continue complaining about the ***** of a nurse they're forcing you to work with.

don't lie to us -- really, that makes us angry and leads us to distrust you.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

Here's a few more: after you are done doing personal care, please clean up. This means, put all laundry in appropriate bins, not lumped on the floor in the corner, and clean the wash basins. Also, offer to help the nurses on the floor with things such as a transfer, bed change, personal care. They will be far more likely to teach you the many things they have learned if you show that you can be counted on to pitch in.

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Specializes in LTC and Retirement Home.

We get PN students, BScN students, and PSW students, and these apply to all....

The staff at our facility are there for the *residents* of the home. They are our priority. We realize that you are there to learn, but your education is not *our* priority. We will happily teach and help you, but when we *can*, not necessarily on your timetable. And NOT during the 0800 med pass.

Don't disappear with my MARS, or the charts, or the care plan binder. I can't care for my residents without these items.

As stated before, show some initiative, and ask how you can help... when teachers (or my DOC) ask for my opinion, either for evaluation or hiring purposes (and they DO ask), I remember who was eager to help, and spend time with the residents, and who seemed willing to learn, and who was a know-it-all looking down on the lowly diploma RN and the RPNs and the PSWs. Experienced long-term staff CAN teach students a thing or two, no matter their skill level, or education base. Cultivate that option, and use our knowledge and years of experience to your benefit.

And do NOT leave a resident for my staff to clean up, especially if it has meant that he/she have been left cold or in a mess, after you assisted with or watched the wound care specialist do a VAC dressing. The wound care nurse quite rightly would ask you to please finish up and change/dress the resident.... don't just leave the floor because your shift is over. :angryfire

And stop running off with ALL THE LINENS!!!!!

We need some too.

Ok, rant over. :uhoh21:

Karen

LadyLurker

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Specializes in Emergency, Internal Medicine, Sports Med.

I understand your frustrations with student nurses, but I think you've turned this thread from "what students need to know" to "lets vent about our frustrations about students on the ward".

I am a student nurse however I am considerate of those I work with. I understand my role in the hospital or whichever setting I am in and I am respectful of the issues that you mention above.

Conversely, please bear in mind that not ALL nursing students will behave immaturely. A lot of older students are coming through now and we know better then to throw soiled linens on the floor in a slump and to abandon others at our shifts end. I often find myself frustrated when I have to establish myself as a competent individual when quite often I am stereotyped as the above.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Why shouldn't students have a chair to sit on during report? I have done placements at places that expected you to stand, no matter how long report was. I felt like we were considered " beneath" the others that actually worked there and didn't deserve the consideration of a chair like everyone else. I am just finishing my consolidation at a hospital that would hunt down a chair for anyone who didn't have a seat.Anything less is just rude. Just my two cents.

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We had a group of students who would arrive in the report room at 0630 and take all the chairs. They would be on the floor from 07-1100 daily.

Not one of them would give up their seats and we put up with it for the first few days because we thought their instructor would give them the hint.

Let's just say the day our unit manager arrived to find no chair for her and one of the students asking why she needed a chair was the day that group was told via their instructor that staff on their unit get to sit. If more chairs will fit in the small report room then students are welcome to them.

When I went through school at the turn of the century (yes this one) we were told staff get chairs and if there are any left, take them. We perched on table, chair arms, or leant on the walls. Never killed us

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
why shouldn't students have a chair to sit on during report? i have done placements at places that expected you to stand, no matter how long report was. i felt like we were considered " beneath" the others that actually worked there and didn't deserve the consideration of a chair like everyone else. i am just finishing my consolidation at a hospital that would hunt down a chair for anyone who didn't have a seat.anything less is just rude. just my two cents.

it's not as simple as all of that. if there aren't enough chairs to go around, or enough room in the report room to accomodate chairs for all who are attending report, it would be downright rude for the students to appropriate the chairs, leaving staff standing. the students are there to learn, and they're expecting to learn from the staff. should they also expect the staff to give up their seats for them?

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I think we students need to start a thread about what staff need to know about students. You say you always want us to ask questions but you don't make it easy. When the staff go out of their way to point out that students are outsiders and below them you are creating an environment where us students become very uncomfortable and hate to approach you for anything. That being said, I have worked with a number of incredible nurses that really went out of their way to make sure we felt included and a part of the team. When working with these staff members we learned more, were more productive and felt comfortable to take initiative and help out.

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Part of the problem facing experienced staff is the opinions that many of the students come to our units with.

Many are doing the accelerated degree and have informed us that they would never consider floor nursing and are only doing clinicals because they have to.

The BScN students also love to know everyone's educational qualifications before they hit the floor. One memorable student tried to refuse being teamed up with an LPN because "how can I learn from someone who will be my subordinate next year".

Oh yes, we have a lot to learn from some students. Just as some of them need to learn that they can learn from everyone from the unit clerk, nursing assistant, up to the Charge.

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Specializes in LTC and Retirement Home.
i understand your frustrations with student nurses, but i think you've turned this thread from "what students need to know" to "lets vent about our frustrations about students on the ward".

i sincerely apologize. i did rant, and it wasn't called for in this thread.

i am a student nurse however i am considerate of those i work with. i understand my role in the hospital or whichever setting i am in and i am respectful of the issues that you mention above.

and may i say that i very much appreciate students who are understanding and respectful. and i notice those students. before the first day is over, i have already seen who works well with others.

conversely, please bear in mind that not all nursing students will behave immaturely. a lot of older students are coming through now and we know better then to throw soiled linens on the floor in a slump and to abandon others at our shifts end. i often find myself frustrated when i have to establish myself as a competent individual when quite often i am stereotyped as the above.

again, i'm sorry. i lumped everyone together, and that was not my intent. i try very hard to not stereotype in person, with students all around me. i tend to sit back and watch before i interact. i want to see how the students interact with the staff and the residents. i'm pleasant and polite, i answer questions when time allows, and i make notes after the shift. especially if it's a psw group on the floor, because i know i'll be asked for my opinions. i track students' performance over the 8 weeks they're with us, also because i'm responsible for filling out the community evaluation part of their records. and because i'm an old psw clinical teacher. ;)

i'm sure it's difficult for the responsible and respectful students.

karen

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

Fiona59: That sounds like quite a group you guys just had. The thing is the rude students truly do make it harder for the polite students.

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