Working with student nurses

Jenni811, RN · Oct 30, 2011

i have a student i've been working with once a week. She is very helpful actually. I like it when their instructors do their medications with them.

In the time it takes them to do ONE of my patients medications, i have all 3 done. Not that i hurry through my medications, because i take my time. But the instructor quizes them on every medication.

Other than medications, the student is generally with me. She is helpful, it's like having my own personal assistant with me at ALL times. I don't have to look for my aid anymore when i need help with moving a patient (i.e. someone who needs 2 people to move). Once in a while it holds me back, but she is smart and will make a great nurse.

The other student on our floor, who is working with another RN...is lets say, a few fries short of a happy meal.

i was blessed with the good one :lol2:

OCNRN63, RN · Oct 30, 2011

as a student nurse (and hopefully a GN come this may/june!!), i certainly don't think I know it all. I'm actually quite terrified to make a "rookie" mistake or have a memory blank in front of you. I'm also nervous that those nurses who are actually nice to me are only doing so by the skin of their teeth; I feel i'm constantly annoying them.
that being said, as students, our textbook is our second bible. I read the info over and over. It is fresh in my mind. so when i read a current "evidenced based best practice" blurb and I see it not being executed in a real life setting, I am "confused". In my experience, I stay quiet and refer my questions to my clinical instructor.
the only time I have ever questioned a nurse in front of a patient was when I witnessed her (begin to) start an IV without gloves. i blurted out "shouldn't you have gloves on for IVs??" and she responded , "ohh i'm old school honey, I don't use them!". my face must've said it all . i handed her a paid of gloves and just looked at her until she accepted them.
idk. i wear gloves probably more than i need to, but that was dangerous for the nurse, the current patient and her remaining ones. ick!

And it was something you should have discussed with your CI, not something you should have challenged the nurse about, particularly in front of the patient.

Jenni811, RN · Oct 31, 2011

I'm a student nurse and I love learning all I can from the RNs....everyone was once a student and I'm sure it's irritating at times, but what if the nurse showing you stuff didn't want to? Would u be a nurse NOW? WOW!

It's a good point. It's not that we hate working with students. I have one student with me right now, and i like working with her. She is there to LEARN from me, asks questions that are legit. She will be like "i know im only assigned with patient X, but if you have anything else interesting going on with your others will you let me know? i'd like to learn"

THATS what i like! i was more than happy to take her into my other patients room. She got to assist in a chest tube removal and temporary pacemaker removal. She inserted an NG tube, gave a flu shot, inserted a foley, started fluids, worked with a port. And WHY did she get all these experiences? because she asked.

if i have a student that is like "i know all this" Well then jeez, why would i spend my time teaching it if you already know it??its just the know it all students i don't like working with. AND the students who don't come prepared.

Once had a student who knew NOTHING about their patient, and they are required to prep the night before. So i expected her to know something. it's one thing if the student doesn't know they had a dopamine drip hanging or something new that got ordered over night. Then i'll work with you on it. But if they had a dopamine drip hanging while you were prepping, i would expect you to atleast know something about dopamine. Perhaps, what it does?? So just be prepared, but yet its ok to questions.

diva rn, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2011

And it was something you should have discussed with your CI, not something you should have challenged the nurse about, particularly in front of the patient.

To SNB1014

I agree, she may have been wrong in not wearing gloves, but not your position to ever call her out in front of a patient....karma is a *****....and what goes around comes around, I hope you never, ever do anything wrong in front of patient and another nurse in your career...whether as a student or as a nurse...

and you really need to learn some tact............................................................if I had been that nurse, you would not have been paired with me the next day! or for the rest of that shift for that matter.

ck32 · Oct 31, 2011

I am a student nurse and I appreciate all of you nurses that are pleasant and helpful working with us. I am in my first clinical rotation and I must say that the nurses on our floor have not made our first experience in the hospital pleasant. We realize that it must be inconvenient for the nurses to have us there, but we are eager, polite and helpful. We just want to learn as much as possible. We are looking forward to our next rotation and are hopeful that this next experience will be better:-)

beast master RN · Oct 31, 2011

punch them in the face and sell them to sit on it

OCNRN63, RN · Oct 31, 2011

I agree, she may have been wrong in not wearing gloves, but not your position to ever call her out in front of a patient....karma is a *****....and what goes around comes around, I hope you never, ever do anything wrong in front of patient and another nurse in your career...whether as a student or as a nurse...
and you really need to learn some tact............................................................if I had been that nurse, you would not have been paired with me the next day! or for the rest of that shift for that matter.

Yeah, that would have been the first, and last day she'd have worked with me.

BrandybunsRN · Oct 31, 2011

I don't think the OP was stating that these students are ALWAYS annoying, just that there were times. I don't think this was meant to be as "flaming" as some people think it is.

I don't mind having student nurses with me, I think it's fun to have the teaching opportunities in fact. However, when there is a particularly busy day at work, it can be more difficult to have a student. I would be able to go about my job and do what I need to without having to verbally explain it to anyone (which makes for a faster interaction). So I can understand where having a student could feel "annoying" at times.... it's a distraction to your day. That doesn't make me mean, or hate nursing students.... it makes me human to feel some frustration and have a bad day.

MomRN0913 · Oct 31, 2011

I didn't really have to deal with them being as if they came into our ICU rarely.....

but, I would love them. Not for them to do our work, but I love to share my knowledge with them. I love to precept new nurses too. We all started somewhere, didn't we.

I was irritated back in my days of floating when I got floated to mother/baby and no one told me that any nursing students were taking care of my patients.... I went to give meds and saw they were signed for..... huge potential for error. If someone would have alerted me that so and so were giving meds on my patient for a certain time, I would have been fine.

I always served as a resource when the new nurses got off orientation. They knew they could come to me as I would not bite their heads off, I would help and teach.

nohika · Oct 31, 2011

I really don't think the OP deserves the antagonism she got (I'm guessing mostly from nursing students).

She wasn't saying she hates them all or that they ALL have that attitude. Just that she's encountered some that have. She says she treats them all with kindness because she remembers her student days.

When you've got 8+ patients or whatever ridiculous load you're carrying, having a student nurse that you have to keep in contact with/keep track of/etc is another huge set of tasks for the nurses. I've seen plenty of posts on this forum from other RN students who have became RNs and suddenly understood sometimes why the nurses were short with them. You may think you're extra hands, but often the RN has to check everything you do because if something is wrong/screwed up, it's on the RN's hands/license, not YOURS.

Every student has a different personality. There are some that are helpful and some that you want to throw out a window.

LisaRN1105 · Oct 31, 2011

Wow you guys really jumped down my throat over that comment. Lots of you took that the wrong way. I respect nursing students and it is nice to give back. I guess what I am trying to say is sometimes their input/knowledge is very textbook and at times comes off as a "know it all" attitude. Sometimes it is a lot to take on a 2-3 student nurse and 7 patients and it is irritating.

OCNRN63, RN · Oct 31, 2011

Working with students is the best! They're usually young, which makes them particularly tasty. And since they're just students, it's usually a long time before anyone notices they've gone missing.