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.
I was working my way through the thread, but thank you for your noticing and being so quick of your feet!
I have not been ignoring the ACTUAL NURSES. I've been studying for finals all weekend and this is my first chance to get online- forgive me if I am drawn to the POSITIVITY in these threads.
Anyway, ACTUAL Nurse Leigh, I'm sure you remember being a student, I sure hope so. As I wrote in reply to an ACTUAL NURSE, I think the lines of communication need to be opened up so I understand why I a being ignored. I am literally willing to do anything, and I have made that abundantly clear- JUST ASK!
Anyway, I'll continue to rummage around through these posts, with your approval of course, and respond to the correct ones.
Maybe. Possibly. Probably. I felt attacked. My apologies.
I liked your comparison to the baker in your previous post. It brought a great perspective into my question. Feeling useless has got to be one of the worst feelings I've encountered (a bit dramatic, maybe), but is SUCKS.
I don't regret posting my original question, but I am so surprised (naive, maybe), and discouraged by the feedback from seasoned nurses. I have so much respect for you (they) do on a daily basis, I hope that much was related.
To some degree you can blame the facilities for this. While floor nurses aren't making any extra money to teach you.. the facility usually is. With a few exceptions, schools pay quite a pretty penny to these facilities to be allowed to have clinicals there. The schools don't advertise this fact but MOST pay good cash for their students to have the experience. The facility expects that the nurses will be welcoming enough so that there won't be complaints... so that they won't lose this money. Doesn't always work out that way but that's the expectation.
On the other side is the nurses who often have full plates and get a constant rotation of students week after week... some of whom are competent and some of whom are seriously NOT. If it was your patients.. would you take the chance? I might not.
None of the schools that come to my hospital pays a penny for the privilege of using our facility (and staff) or offers us anything in return. As I manage the school affiliation contracts for my hospital, I know that for a fact.
Maybe. Possibly. Probably. I felt attacked. My apologies.
I liked your comparison to the baker in your previous post. It brought a great perspective into my question. Feeling useless has got to be one of the worst feelings I've encountered (a bit dramatic, maybe), but is SUCKS.
I don't regret posting my original question, but I am so surprised (naive, maybe), and discouraged by the feedback from seasoned nurses. I have so much respect for you (they) do on a daily basis, I hope that much was related.
But you shouldn't feel discouraged. The vast majority of responses you got were along the line of how much we WISH we had the time to teach. As my mother would so often remind us "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride". But the fact of the matter is we are overloaded and barely able to get OUR work done much less take on the additional burden of being the student's clinical instructor as well. It's not because we don't want to, trust me, we do... just in many cases it's practically impossible.
To some degree you can blame the facilities for this. While floor nurses aren't making any extra money to teach you.. the facility usually is. With a few exceptions, schools pay quite a pretty penny to these facilities to be allowed to have clinicals there. The schools don't advertise this fact but MOST pay good cash for their students to have the experience.
Where are you located, where schools are paying hospitals for clinical sites? I've been involved in arranging and coordinating clinicals as faculty member at a few different schools over the years, and I've never been aware of (never even heard of) a situation in which the schools were paying a hospital to do clinicals.
I graduated May 2014. We were assigned patients and co-RNs. The instructor would talk to the nurses about having a student and what task or meds we would be responsible for regarding the assigned patient. I would do my own head to toe assessment, all vitals, morning care, toileting and any ambulating that was needed. We were to answer call lights and check in with the patient periodically throughout the day. Each semester the work we did got a little more complex. Any meds given or procedures that we the students performed the clinical instructor was there to guide us. Permission would be asked if we could observe on something being done. A-line being inserted, wound vac being placed etc. We would also document meds and progress notes in the system. Any issues high temps, change in mental status etc would be reported to the RN. Hopefully when we were on the floor we would actively lessen some of the work load for the RN. When we were in our maternity rotation our last weekend we took on all the patients on the floor and did all care for both mother and infant.
I understand where your frustration must come from, I am going into my third semester of nursing school and I've had great experience. We get our own patients in clinical and do literally everything for our patients (that we have been taught & successfully passed the skills in lab). I value the experience I have gained so much, although I understand the nurses point of view, I appreciate the nurses that let us help with anything and enjoy teaching, there are some out there that don't, and that's okay it sucks but I understand they have a job to do also. Best of luck! :)
I graduated May 2014. We were assigned patients and co-RNs. The instructor would talk to the nurses about having a student and what task or meds we would be responsible for regarding the assigned patient. I would do my own head to toe assessment, all vitals, morning care, toileting and any ambulating that was needed. We were to answer call lights and check in with the patient periodically throughout the day. Each semester the work we did got a little more complex. Any meds given or procedures that we the students performed the clinical instructor was there to guide us. Permission would be asked if we could observe on something being done. A-line being inserted, wound vac being placed etc. We would also document meds and progress notes in the system. Any issues high temps, change in mental status etc would be reported to the RN. Hopefully when we were on the floor we would actively lessen some of the work load for the RN. When we were in our maternity rotation our last weekend we took on all the patients on the floor and did all care for both mother and infant.
Sounds just like my schools rotations! We get such great experience!
I'm halfway through my program. I've been assigned to nurses who either didn't like me or just didn't like having a student. The situation will be whatever you make it. You can pout and be upset about it. Or you can introduce yourself, ask to help, stay out of their way and suck up every ounce of information you can.
I don't know how your clinical is run but in mine, I'm assigned patients (which assigns me to nurses). I do whatever I can for them all day. That does not stop me from helping other staff (nurses, aides, heck even housekeeping!) , fellow students, answering call bells, asking questions. I have won over a few nurses who were initially cold toward me.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I was working my way through the thread, but thank you for your noticing and being so quick of your feet!
I have not been ignoring the ACTUAL NURSES. I've been studying for finals all weekend and this is my first chance to get online- forgive me if I am drawn to the POSITIVITY in these threads.
Anyway, ACTUAL Nurse Leigh, I'm sure you remember being a student, I sure hope so. As I wrote in reply to an ACTUAL NURSE, I think the lines of communication need to be opened up so I understand why I a being ignored. I am literally willing to do anything, and I have made that abundantly clear- JUST ASK!
Anyway, I'll continue to rummage around through these posts, with your approval of course, and respond to the correct ones.
Please use the "Quote" function so we all know to whom you're being disrespectful. Nurse Leigh explained -- as so many others have -- why you're encountering difficulty getting Med/Surg nurses to teach you. Or, as you put it, why you're being ignored.
Where are you located, where schools are paying hospitals for clinical sites? I've been involved in arranging and coordinating clinicals as faculty member at a few different schools over the years, and I've never been aware of (never even heard of) a situation in which the schools were paying a hospital to do clinicals.
I was thinking this, too. Students in clinical rotations are always informed that they are guests of the facility, that their schools' agreements with the facility are always subject to revocation if the students' activities or behaviors warrant such an action. Students are guests.....not clients, not customers.
2bnursebeckky
77 Posts
Yes, and now I have a little more insight.