I've been in two different hospitals in both my first and second semesters and come up against some ROUGH nurses who would rather do everything themselves than let me touch a thing.
I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that they are BUSY, they have a TO-DO list, they have patients that NEED meds, help, EVERYTHING. But, I'm here to help. I'm wearing these bright purple scrubs not because I like the color, but because I want to learn, I NEED to learn. I will take them to the bathroom, I will bathe them, I will take their vitals, just PLEASE let me.
When I say 80% of the nurses I've followed have done NOTHING with me I am not exaggerating. Why is this? Last week the nurse I was following wouldn't even let me take vitals, VITALS!! I am in my second semester of nursing school, I think I can handle that.
Anyway, I wanted to know whats up with that! I recognize that they are busy. I also recognize the few nurses that have taken me under their wing and shown me SO MUCH. I'm thankful for that, and grateful.
And if my instructor was not there on the floor to give me the guidance i contracted for, then I would be all over the school for not living up to THEIR responsibility
My clinical instructor gives great guidance. However, she can't access the computer, Pyxis, etc. She can't be with the several students at once, so it falls to the floor nurse you're working with. It seems from some of these comments that you "real nurses" can't be bothered with students. Either you're above instructing/mentoring students, or you're not getting moola (money) to properly compensate you. These anti-student comments are laughable. The hospitals I've worked in for clinicals have had great nurses that helped me tremendously with a rare exception. One was sexist (didn't want a male student working with her on a Maternity floor). Y'all with these BS opinions about "not my responsibility" concerning students, keep it up. Karma is a great thing.
Specializes in Oncology, Rehab, Public Health, Med Surg.
My clinical instructor gives great guidance. However, she can't access the computer, Pyxis, etc. She can't be with the several students at once, so it falls to the floor nurse you're working with. It seems from some of these comments that you "real nurses" can't be bothered with students. Either you're above instructing/mentoring students, or you're not getting moola (money) to properly compensate you. These anti-student comments are laughable. The hospitals I've worked in for clinicals have had great nurses that helped me tremendously with a rare exception. One was sexist (didn't want a male student working with her on a Maternity floor). Y'all with these BS opinions about "not my responsibility" concerning students, keep it up. Karma is a great thing.
Again, your schools doing. Our students have access to what they need. I have time for the students that value learning over creating drama.
My clinical instructor gives great guidance. However, she can't access the computer, Pyxis, etc. She can't be with the several students at once, so it falls to the floor nurse you're working with. It seems from some of these comments that you "real nurses" can't be bothered with students. Either you're above instructing/mentoring students, or you're not getting moola (money) to properly compensate you. These anti-student comments are laughable. The hospitals I've worked in for clinicals have had great nurses that helped me tremendously with a rare exception. One was sexist (didn't want a male student working with her on a Maternity floor). Y'all with these BS opinions about "not my responsibility" concerning students, keep it up. Karma is a great thing.
I hope I never have to meet you.
You have zero idea of what you are talking about and you are rude to boot. You need to can that attitude.
Nursing isn't an apprentice system. If it comes down to the floor nurses to teach the student, then the school isn't doing its job. Period.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
Maybe a better way to have presented my concern is to ask you (seasoned nurses) how I can better present myself as a helpful unit to you. I want to get the most out of my clinical experience, as you can imagine and hope to bring as much knowledge as I can into my first job.
This is what I did back in the Stone Age: I would find a busy nurse and ask if I could take any scut work off her hands. Empty laundry, turn over a room, wash equipment. Not the best learning experiences, but still more productive than leaning against a wall. Quite often, those same nurses would seek me out when there was something interesting going on.
Of course, this was when they still hired enough nurses to actually take care of the patients. And my clinical instructor was on the unit with us, not running all over the place. Start by offering to do things that don't require a skill level. When you've shown a bit of initiative someone may go the extra mile to find good experiences for you.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
But we are there to 'help'- we are there to learn, and help. Although we can't complete tasks flawlessly like the nurses, I assure you there are tasks that can be done by the bottom-feeding nursing students, I swear...
I understand what patient acuity is, and I understand my abilities as a student. I have made myself more than available, and offer as much as I can. I understand that I do not have the clinical skills the nurse does, but I am willing to learn. And I have made that abundantly clear. I know I get in the way, but I know I shouldn't be treated like grandma's Chihuahua that won't stop bothering her. I'm in school and learning, I want to learn and am eager to learn.
It's such a shame the fervency and excitement of nursing students gets doused at the earliest moment in the hospital. I've heard about the nurse-eat-nurse environment and have refused to accept it, but after stepping foot into the hospital, I can assuredly say, I SEE IT!
What you're seeing is the hospital-eat-nurse environment.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
WRONG. The floor nurses are there to help; to instruct, to mentor. The hospital accepted the students, therefore that is part of the mission as well as patient care. As for quicker and easier, that is not relevant. It is about quality of care to the patients and instruction to the student. The nurse should look at the student in the aspect he/she is training their relief. Students disrupting the routine? Since when is patient care a routine? Patients, as varied as they are, constantly disrupt the so-called routine. For example, the patient(s) who watch the clock and call at one minute after their pain meds are due while you are dealing with your other five patients. Clinical instructors are there to lead and manage the students and provide liaison with the charge nurse and the staff. You mentioned compensation twice. I didn't know nursing was all about compensation. You are an MSN and Guide, and I am surprised by your response. You might want to rethink your responses given your credentials and position before you respond this way to a student. I have had great nurses during my clinicals and the occasional Piece of Crap who was burnt out and/or dumped on me and my fellow students. They were the exception rather than the rule. Student nurses aren't an extra PCT or a burden. They are a future nurse.
Um . . . work a a nurse for awhile before you get on your high horse.
The floor nurses are there to take care of patients. Instructing and mentoring new staff is a secondary consideration, and students are a tertiary (or even lower) priority. Students create three or four times as much work for an already overburdened floor nurse, and often without notice. Nor do those nurses who aren't particularly interested in or good at teaching get a chance to turn down the assignment.
As far as compensation . . . we don't work for free. Nursing IS about compensation. Or are you just going to do volunteer work after you finish school and get your license.
The one who should be rethinking their responses is you.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Thanx for the dismissive reply. It is noncontributory. Work experience has NOTHING to do with work ethic. Let me elucidate. My experience is clinical and prehospital; military and EMS. My clinical experience was in the ER and Acute Care settings. We trained nurses, PA's, medics. Our military clinic was the busiest in the Navy. I never viewed training someone as a burden or disruptive to my routine. As a paramedic, I was a Field Training Officer. If I viewed my paramedic student as a burden, they would have never gained the skills to intubate, start peripheral IVs, Central Lines, diagnose accurately, etc. Or manage a multi-trauma patient. Or be able to tell an MD that his order was contraindicated for the patient. For example, pushing atropine in a hypothermic patient to treat bradycardia. Your response to my post is BS as you said "You are a *student*" How assuming, erroneously, and condescending.
You aren't a nurse. Therefore you don't understand what it is to work as a nurse. Please read replies from actual nurses and try to understand what they're saying.
I am quite certain that a military paramedic field training officer would not tolerate a self-important ungrateful attitude in a trainee. Neither will we.
Just teaching skills to students all day sounds like a piece of cake. The nursing equivalent of your old job is called a clinical instructor.
A nursing student is simply a guest in the hospital setting or in any unit. Nurses are carrying unsafe patient assignments and stretched too thin. You are not going to be my focus, but if you conduct yourself in a professional manner, I will try to provide clinical experiences, if time permits, while your instructor is on her two hour break in the cafeteria.
I barely have time to do all that is on my plate let alone teach assessment, documentation, skills and critical thinking to a student. I would rather pass on taking a student than have a student just observe all day. Students could be helpful but many are not. Most are just a total stranger from a not very well regarded school and one more person that I have to monitor on a busy shift. Lucky me.
ajmclean
123 Posts
My clinical instructor gives great guidance. However, she can't access the computer, Pyxis, etc. She can't be with the several students at once, so it falls to the floor nurse you're working with. It seems from some of these comments that you "real nurses" can't be bothered with students. Either you're above instructing/mentoring students, or you're not getting moola (money) to properly compensate you. These anti-student comments are laughable. The hospitals I've worked in for clinicals have had great nurses that helped me tremendously with a rare exception. One was sexist (didn't want a male student working with her on a Maternity floor). Y'all with these BS opinions about "not my responsibility" concerning students, keep it up. Karma is a great thing.