Your perception of student nurses when they visit your hospital?

Jo Dirt · Nov 10, 2004

It adds to the stress to have a nursing student watching you because you feel pressure to not make one little bobble or sure enough it will be spread all around how "nurse so and so" didn't check the patient's armband or wash her hands before leaving a patient's room. One thing you will learn is that real world nursing isn't the same as textbook nursing. Even though we all had to be student nurses once right or wrong I know a lot of nurses feel this way about students.

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2004

Some nurses are like that, but some aren't. I'm a senior in the BSN program, I've been with some of both kinds of nurses.

Some don't help at all, they make you feel like you're stupid and in the way, they won't teach you a dang thing, etc. They obviously forgot that they were ever in nursing school.... or they were just born with a stethoscope around their neck and with all the nursing knowledge in their brain. Very frustrating when working with these types of nurses. It makes you doubt yourself and puts a real damper on your day.

On the other hand, some nurses out there are GREAT! I've had the opportunity to work with many great nurses..... they're great teachers! They show you everything, let you help out with procedures and talk you through them, they go above and beyond their duties. These nurses are what makes it worth while. They make you feel like you've made the right decision to go into this profession and it really makes your day!

I know it has to be hard being a nurse with a student following you around, seeking knowledge. I'm not saying it's easy. But why does it have to be such a hindrance?? It shouldn't be. If you're a good nurse and you do your job well, what's to hide? Why not share that knowledge and help the students? I know a lot of yall probably do, but from reading that previous post it just sounds like that's the way it is for some, and that's the way it'll always be.

avery · Nov 10, 2004

It adds to the stress to have a nursing student watching you because you feel pressure to not make one little bobble or sure enough it will be spread all around how "nurse so and so" didn't check the patient's armband or wash her hands before leaving a patient's room. One thing you will learn is that real world nursing isn't the same as textbook nursing. Even though we all had to be student nurses once right or wrong I know a lot of nurses feel this way about students.

I guess you do have a point, I never thought of it this way. Yes, I understand that things are done in many different ways other than the text and each way has its pros and cons, but most of us are not there to judge anyone but as so eager to learn.

Avery

avery · Nov 10, 2004

Some nurses are like that, but some aren't. I'm a senior in the BSN program, I've been with some of both kinds of nurses.
Some don't help at all, they make you feel like you're stupid and in the way, they won't teach you a dang thing, etc. They obviously forgot that they were ever in nursing school.... or they were just born with a stethoscope around their neck and with all the nursing knowledge in their brain. Very frustrating when working with these types of nurses. It makes you doubt yourself and puts a real damper on your day.
On the other hand, some nurses out there are GREAT! I've had the opportunity to work with many great nurses..... they're great teachers! They show you everything, let you help out with procedures and talk you through them, they go above and beyond their duties. These nurses are what makes it worth while. They make you feel like you've made the right decision to go into this profession and it really makes your day!
I know it has to be hard being a nurse with a student following you around, seeking knowledge. I'm not saying it's easy. But why does it have to be such a hindrance?? It shouldn't be. If you're a good nurse and you do your job well, what's to hide? Why not share that knowledge and help the students? I know a lot of yall probably do, but from reading that previous post it just sounds like that's the way it is for some, and that's the way it'll always be.

Hi! Yes, i have have one good nurse in five clinical days. Some of them do not talk to us at all while others ignore me until the last 10 minutes of my rotation!

Where are you in Texas? I am in Dallas.

Avery

HappyNurse2005, RN · Nov 10, 2004

i am a student nurse, too. (see signature). i have met many more helpful, friendly nurses than unwelcoming ones. of course, i remember that the unwelcoming ones were all on the same unit, lol. and, the more you know and the more you can do, the more helpful they are. i am in a great unit! the nurses let you do everything for the patients, answer your questions, talk to you, offer you chances to do things, dont make you feel dumb when you get something wrong. if you are shadowing them for the day they talk to you, ask you questions to make sure you understand, etc. they don't really act like you are in the way at all.

i also did a 12 week adopt a student nurse externship thing this summer, and in one unit, the nurses were great-all of them. the other unit i went to, most of the nurses were great, but there were a few who were a bit rude. although i am in a RN program, one told me that her LPN program was so hard that she knows i would have had a hard time. hello? how do you know?

but from a student nurse perspective, i dont really notice if the nurse doesn't wash her hands leaving the room or anything like that. I am fully aware that real life is different from nursing school.(esp after my externship this summer). i am more concerned about myself and what im doing then whether or not someone is doing something "wrong". and we students dont gossip about unhelpful nurses, prob cuz they are all good up on my unit. we talk about how nice they are

love, rose

Haunted · Nov 10, 2004

Whenever I am fortunate to work with students, either LVN or RN, I always make it a point to COLLABORATE with them when providing care to the patient. I incorporate some humor, a bit of hand holding and a hug, (I had a student take the death of her patient very hard and she required a bit of sensitivity but was able to express her feelings to the family at the bedside, we all wept shamelessly) and I am notorious for writing each and every student up for some aspect of the care that they provided to the patient, the family or being a team player. I hand write it, make 2 copies, one for the student and one for the instructor and always focus on the positive. In case you can't tell, I have had some very distressing experiences in nursing school. I had one nurse set me up in first semester by handing me some applesauce to feed the patient, never knowing the nurse had crushed the patients meds. She went to get my instructor who witnessed me administering apple sauce (laced with the patient's meds) and I was given my first strike as we were not yet able to administer meds. Very dirty trick. I believe I am a better nurse because I had role models that were happy with the job, enjoyed people and had a sense of compassion and humor. They may not have been rocket scientists but they were heroes to me, and if I can leave the same impression on a student and they leave at the end of the day seeing me doing my job and loving it, then I serve them, the patient, my profession and myself. AMEN!

lifeisbeautiful · Nov 10, 2004

It always makes me feel awful to hear that Nurses are treating Nursing students poorly. Unfortunately, I know how it feels. Like the others, I had some excellent preceptors as well as some terrible ones. To be honest with you, I found that 95% of a good preceptor involved their attitude! A highly skilled nurse was wonderful to be paired with, but not if he or she puts you down or ignores you the entire time. What help is that? Apparently, in the hospital where I did my clinicals, the Nurses could sign up to be a preceptor and they could earn a little extra money. The Nurses that were not interested in having students follow them around, didn't sign the list. This didn't always work mind you. There were often Nurses that signed the list because of the extra money, not because they enjoyed teaching. Good Luck!

HappyNurse2005, RN · Nov 10, 2004

I had one nurse set me up in first semester by handing me some applesauce to feed the patient, never knowing the nurse had crushed the patients meds. She went to get my instructor who witnessed me administering apple sauce (laced with the patient's meds) and I was given my first strike as we were not yet able to administer meds. Very dirty trick

thats horrid!!!

love, rose.

Nurseboy1 · Nov 10, 2004

I love having students!!!!!!!! They keep me on my toes, I absolutely love teaching. They are also very useful by providing constant direct care for at least on of my patients thereby temporarily lightening my patient load. They also have at least some physical assessment skills and pick up on things that I might miss esp. if I am in a hurry.

Isn't it our duty to teach, train, and nurture the next generation of nurses anyway? How can I not support them?

rngreenhorn · Nov 10, 2004

I just graduated from nursing school in May... Yesterday, I happened to be floating in a unit in which I have worked a total of 4 week. When we got our assignment in the AM, I was handed 3 nursing student (I had 7 patients). I didn't feel I was in the position to be teaching yet... but, I didn't hand out the assignments in the morning.

I still have to ask questions every time I go to do something. The students did an excellent job, but I felt a little guilty that perhaps the students got cheated by not having a seasoned nurse to work with.

And to make matters worse, every time I would answer a question about charting, a procedure, etc., the instructor would say something different. Anyway, I kept picturing the student nurses at post clinical conference saying, "my nurse was dumb as a rock."

zenman · Nov 10, 2004

I always liked having students. Course I was a faculty member at one time.