Why are some nurses so rude to students?

kayty2339 · Jun 19, 2010

I love students! But then I was a student myself only a few years ago. I had two med/surg clinical rotations where the most of the nurses were so rude and horrible to us students that I swore you couldn't pay me enough to work at that hospital. Well I wound up getting a job in the ICU at that same hospital, and now I work with those same med/surg nurses (and they don't remember me!!!) when I'm on the rapid response team. I now realize that the very worst offenders are insecure (some with good reason). A few of them are lazy. Students come with high ideals, enthusiasm, and fresh knowledge of the proper way to perform pretty much every intervention. They are kryptonite to the nurse who is, for instance, not using the proper sterile technique to insert a foley or pretending that a demented patient has not been sitting in stool for an hour. They don't like questions because they don't know the answers to many of them but are too embarassed to say so.
Usually there will be one floor in a hospital where many of this sort of nurse tend to be employed--maybe it's because "like attracts like" or because all of the decent nurses transfer out of that toxic environment as soon as possible. If you are unfortunate enough to be assigned to a floor like that for clinicals, just suck it up and try to get the most you can out of the rotation. Be polite and helpful and do your best to affect a nonjudgmental demeanor. There is something to be learned from every nurse, even the half-*ssed ones.

Thanks for your input. This makes a lot of sense. I heard there is a high turnover rate on this floor and this is probably why. I'm going to try to get my rotation in another hospital next semester to see what else is out there. I only have a few more weeks on this rotation, thank God!

sistasoul · Jun 19, 2010

I remember being a student all too well. It is scary, intimidating, etc, etc. 99 percent of the time I love haveing the students. Not only are they usually helpful but I like to teach. I remember being treated nastily by some nurses as a student. I would be treated as extra help to help the CNA's. It was not that I minded helping out as an aide but I was at the hospital to do assessments, etc and learn to function as an RN. I already worked as an aide at another hospital. I swore I would never work at that hospital because of the attitudes and would never treat students in that way.

On the other hand it can be more work when you have 3 different students with your patients. I find it confusing as to whom is doing what with which patient. If the instructor is on the ball it usually is beneficial to have students on the floor.

netglow, ASN, RN · Jun 19, 2010

In school, two of my instructors were the root of the problems with the staff nurses.

One managed to be somewhere else when we were all ready to do our med passes (she was to approve before we gave). Thing is the nurses were all overburdened and really wanted the instructor to check our meds prior to pass. One of the floor nurses actually told me that this was a big problem with my instructor.

Another instructor was so nervous she made a "you know what" of herself on the floor. This irritated nurses and MDs as well. She, actually would not step into a pt room with a student at first (until she was spoken to...). This, when she demanded we be supervised for IVP, and new IV med bag, or if the pumps were new to us at that specific facility. She intended the staff to supervise I think, to lessen the "stress" on her license. This along with her admitting to fear of exposure to blood, etc... that is another long story. Funny that one, this hospital had "locaters" and she was always listed as on our unit... but nowhere to be found, till a student found her hiding place on the last clinical day.

Some nurses on the floor will take pity on you if they see that your instructor is a mess. I had a few nurses that would whisk me away from my instructor so I could see/do things. I luv, luv, luved those nurses!!! Others saw us coming and dreaded every minute knowing our instructor's history on the floor. Didn't help when one instructor actually would scold staff nurses for ridiculous things in front of students as a means for control.

ShiphrahPuah · Jun 19, 2010

I have been an nurse for 2 years, and I can remember how horrible some clinical days were due to nurses who hated having students. Because of that experience, I have tried to go out of my way to be especially nice to students. I love teaching, so it fits with what I like to do anyway. However, there are some days that it is very tricky to have students on the floor.

We get students from several different colleges on different days, and each instructor sets the expectations for the students. There are certain schools that I know that the students will be a huge help because their instructor is very involved. With other schools (unfortunately like the school I went to) the instructor sort of disappears, and the nurses are left to do ALL the teaching to the students....which can be OK, but on really busy days it is a drain. In the end, the RN is ultimately responsible, and as other posters have noted, we can't just defer to the fact that a student had the patient. It is our license on the line, so often things have to be done twice.

Also, occasionally we get "know-it-all" students who are out to prove the RNs are doing things wrong. The most obnoxious one I remember was a guy who was working as a tech in an ER and thought he knew more than EVERYONE else (all of us felt he deserved to be humbled, and as it turned out he did not do well enough on the exams to pass that specific course...only it meant we had him on our floor again the next semester, and he seemed undaunted by having to repeat the course.) Real-life nursing is often different than what you learn in school because you have to balance so many patients and priorities. Yes, I know there is a way to do it in an ideal hospital, but since the nurses who stay too many hours late are reprimanded for "poor time management," we have to find ways to get a lot done in a short amount of time. Of course, you never want to sacrifice patient safety, so there are certain things you never want to take short-cuts on. However, we sometimes are just doing our best to handle a full load of patients, and adding multiple students to our responsibilities sometimes is the tipping factor in the day.

As a student, do your best to read when something is critical and very time-dependent, and be willing to stand back and watch if the RN really needs to get something done in a hurry. Most nurses are willing to give you as many opportunities as possible, but sometimes things just need to be done STAT.

One final thing is that sometimes the students completely take over all of the computers, and it is nearly impossible to get our charting done. Obviously you need to chart and get info for your careplans, but be aware that the RNs are carrying a heavier patient load and really need to get stuff done on the computer. Ask if a nurse needs to use your computer if she is obviously frantically looking for one. Usually on the days we have students, I know I will be stuck at work much longer than usual because I can't get to the tools I need to get my job done. I'm all for helping, but I have kids and band concerts and soccer practices and family life to get to as well, just like many of you do. However, I can't just leave when my shift is over if my charting is not done.

School is hard, and clinicals can be brutal when you have a crabby nurse. Some nurses really are just plain crabby, but some might be crabby on a given day because they feel overloaded with responsibility.

Tait, MSN, RN · Jun 19, 2010

I remember being in clinicals a few years back and basically not interacting with the nurses at all. We had our one to two patients, did everything for them (ADL's, meds, charting, care plans, discharges). If you had a question, you went to your instructor, they were always there for us.

We were warned before hand from each instructor to be courteous, mindful of where we had charts, how long we had charts, hogging the med room, putting back supplies/accu-check machines, and we were spent most of our charting time standing at the desk. We were told to be quiet around the secretaries area so they could use the phone for calls. At one clinical I remember Chip making sure we didn't step on the plastic mat under the secretaries chair because then we were in "her" territory and she had free reign to chew us out if she felt the need.

Recently our floor has had a group of about six students on the latter part of the week. Not one of them has attempted to introduce themselves to me. The only interaction I have had with them was when one came up and "motioned" to the counter and said "Umm, this is where our papers normally are."

Due to miscommunication I didn't even know they were coming and had just gotten done printing three other sets of extra papers for the two GN's and the extern who popped up. Meanwhile my patient had a BP of 82/49 I needed to attend to.

I know that one of the main issues with nursing is so many of us are extremely critical, and we have to be. Critical of what we do, what others do and that doesn't stop simply because we know someone is learning. It takes a big person to switch tasks like that when you have many lives in your hands during the day/night.

I could go on and on about interpersonal relationships, territories, safety and communication, but I think that's enough :)

Tait

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 19, 2010

So, nurses, how do you feel about students? Do you like it when they come and are you nice/helpful to them? Or would you rather not have students when you are working?

I love having students around! Unfortunately, I'm often too busy to be able to give them all the attention they need--it's psych nursing, so what students can help me with is very limited. I do let them know that it's not them and I explain what I can and ask questions...often while working :)

ok2bme · Jun 19, 2010

They're just crabs..their sore behavior is a reflection of them and not you

CrazierThanYou · Jun 19, 2010

Miserable people love to make everyone around them miserable as well.

rosey2007cna · Jun 20, 2010

Honestly as a CNA I loved having the students there to help out.

CrazierThanYou · Jun 20, 2010

Honestly as a CNA I loved having the students there to help out.

When we were doing CNA clinicals, there were a few who were happy to have us. Very few. One CNA told one student straight out that she didn't want her around and to hit the road. Some of them just ignored us and some were flat out hostile.

I'm glad to hear that you were glad to have students there!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jun 20, 2010

i'm in my second semester of clinicals and am on a cardiac telemetry floor. some of the nurses are friendly and helpful, but most on this floor are just rude all the time. it seems that the whole atmosphere on this floor is one of disdain for their job and attitudes coming from everywhere. the huc's (especially the hucs), the techs, the food service people, they all have attitude problems also. i don't know if it's because we are students and are getting in their way (even though we are taking on some of their load...the nurses don't even check on the pts that we are assigned, i've had complaints from pts about it). or is it because this floor just has a toxic staff where everyone is rubbing off on each other negatively? i know one thing, i will never work on this floor when i graduate. i did clinicals at this same hospital on a different floor last semester and didn't experience this at all. they were happy to have us there and treated us respectfully.
so, nurses, how do you feel about students? do you like it when they come and are you nice/helpful to them? or would you rather not have students when you are working?

you may think you're taking some of my load, but you're not. you're adding to it. because you're working under my license, i have to double check everything you do -- after i've talked you through how to do it. having a student follow me more than doubles my work load. and no one asks us if we want a student to follow us -- we're just informed when we show up for the day. so not only do you double our workload, we have to teach you as well. i don't mind doing it -- usually. i like students. but surely you can see how some nurses might not be excited about your presence!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jun 20, 2010

you are right in that there is a lot that i can't do yet, but i guess for the pts that don't need a whole lot of attention, the nurses just aren't in there checking up on them. i had a pt yesterday who complained that she hadn't seen or met the nurse yet and it was already 1pm. we leave the hospital at 2 so i guess she was just leaving everything up to me until we left? some of my classmates have said the same thing. also, our instructor tries do do whatever we can't do and just has us watch, so that takes up some of the tasks that need to be done as well.
to the others stating that it may also have something to do with the instructor. you may be right. it is our instructors first time ever teaching clinicals, she is actually still in school for her masters to be a nursing instructor. maybe she just hasn't gotten the hang of how to coordinate us with the nurses that well yet.

i'm in the icu, so even when there's a student, i sit right on top of that patient all day so i know what's going on. some patients will still say they haven't seen the nurse all day. don't take the patient saying they haven't seen the nurse as gospel -- patients lie. or are mistaken. or are engaged in a little staff splitting.