Your perception of student nurses when they visit your hospital?

NurseFirst · Nov 10, 2004

...and different responsibilities. In our program the nurses are told we have total responsibility for the patient except ... (whatever we can't currently do, say, for instance, hang blood or do IV pushes.) Now, it is true that our instructor(s) have to watch us do anything within the current term's skills (e.g., give meds; change IV tubing; hang piggybacks)...but, in general, we collaborate with the nurses who are ultimately responsible for the patient.

And sometimes I can be of some help; a couple of nurses were looking at a MAR wondering what a couple of medications were, and I was able to tell them ! :)

As far as the "dirty trick"--I'm surprised she got away with it. Didn't the poster inform the instructor of what her fellow student had done? I mean, I'd probably say something like..."do I look like I'm dumb enough to give meds when I know we can't?" (well, hopefully in a bit more tactful manner.) I think that student should have been bounced out of school. That wasn't just a dirty trick on you; it was a trick done at the expense of the safety of the patient--who checked on those meds? Anyone who has such a low respect of patient safety shouldn't be a nurse.

NurseFirst

saskrn · Nov 10, 2004

I sometimes feel sorry for students because the occasionally get crapped on by the nurse with RN'itis. Here's where the eat your young/own comes in.

When I was a student in Canada, I had 2 LPN's (who were essentially equal to CNA's at that time) constantly ride my a**. I was preceptoring at the end of my program, and I had to deal with them in an RN capacity. They would very often, to my face, tell me how stupid I was, etc. One day, I put everyone in their place, and didn't take any more crap. It made a world of difference! Regardless of anyone's credentials, etc., don't forget that you deserve basic respect.

I love having students around! They make me think, and take my mind off some of the old crabs we all have to work with, sometimes! :)

lil' girl, LPN · 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."

Well I for one would never say you were dumb as a rock. Or any other nurse for that matter. I greatly appreciate the nurses guiding us, and hope we don't get in their way. I know what you mean about the instructors, we have two and rotate with them each time we go to the hospital, and of course they both have "different ways" of doing the same thing. It is very hard to know what is right. Like the other day I did the TPR sheet like the nurses were doing it that day, which happened to be Temp, Pulse, Rsp, and then BP. Of course the instructor said do it BP, Temp, Pulse, Rsp no matter what the nurse told us. To me seems like we should follow what is already on sheet so it will be easier to read, but...........

Anyway, thank you to all the nurses that put up with us students.

Lil girl

MinnRN · 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

What do you mean....HELLO, how would an LPN know how hard your schooling is........give respect where respect is due....May I ask, How do you (BSN) student know how difficult the LPN program is. These nurses are trained for the bedside.......and student,,,, they often have more experience than you do. Don't ever discount the experience, knowledge , wisdomn or schooling of a LPN or 2 yr RN.

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Nov 10, 2004

Whoa...we need to be civil here! It is not fair for anyone to disrespect another's training...LPN, RN, AD, Diploma, BSN, MSN, PhD...you get my drift? Regarding experiences, do not base a person's experience solely from a program. There may be prior work experience, volunteer experience, or life experience...which all come to play into making a nurse a better nurse. When a nurse is found lacking, it usually is a reflection of character or failure in the application of knowledge or a reflection of the environment..all are amendable when dealt with honestly and without coercion. Personally, I agree with RainDreamer's assessment.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2004

Hi Avery!

I can't offer an RN's perspective (I gradute 2006! :tongue: ) .... BUT!!

1. During my clinicals, I was lucky enough to have good RNs and expecially good seniors, who institsted that I DO asignificant amount of work while they supervised! Normally, Juniors are just about suppoed to observe and stuff, but my Senior and my RN (attached) ensured that I had direct hands on experience, dealing with patients. It was harsh. It was cruel. It was hard.

But I LOVED it! :-)

Basically, I'm intrested too, in what other regular, RNs think of us pesky brats from school. Great topic! :-)

Birdie RN · Nov 10, 2004

I rather enjoy student nurses, I am communtity mental health nurse with a VERY small office and well, I get to be close to the student no matter what. I even have a packet of information I give to students explaining DSM IV, GAF, some sample patient teaching materials, list of common medications and our clinic orders for labwork, AIMs assessments. I hope they get some good information, I don't recall my psych. rotation being very helpful in school at all. lol!

HappyNurse2005, RN · Nov 10, 2004

What do you mean....HELLO, how would an LPN know how hard your schooling is........give respect where respect is due....May I ask, How do you (BSN) student know how difficult the LPN program is. These nurses are trained for the bedside.......and student,,,, they often have more experience than you do. Don't ever discount the experience, knowledge , wisdomn or schooling of a LPN or 2 yr RN.

take it for exactly what i said. i said what i meant. first of all, i am a 2 year RN student, not a BSN student, which i never claimed to be. this is what i said that you are misinterpreting

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?

the point is that someone who doesn't even know me, didn't go to my nursing school, doesn't know my grades, etc is telling me i'd have a hard time in a particular program. how can one person say another person is going to have a hard time at a particular school? its something that is hard for her (or anyone) to say how well a person would do in school. does that make sense? it just wasn't a friendly comment. i will gladly say my nursing school is hard, but inever tell people that they'd have a hard time getting through my program.

the comment was not an LPN dig-it was a simple comment that someone i didnt know was assuming something about me she couldnt possibly have known (my school abilities) and this made for not the best, friendly environment to work in.

dont take it for more than what i said.

love, rose

HappyNurse2005, RN · Nov 10, 2004

as an add on to above post, the nurse who said that to me was a RN she just had her LPN first. so no it was not

how would an LPN know how hard your schooling is........

as you say. but me saying that in the original post really had no bearing on what she said.

love, rose

Nurse Ratched, RN · Nov 10, 2004

the comment was not an LPN dig

And that will please be the end of the LPN/RN debate in *this* thread, thank you :). That old saw pops up in the darndest places.

dazzle256 · Nov 10, 2004

Hi,
I am a B.S.N. Student in Texas. After talking to several other students from my school, it seems that very few nurses we have encountered even acknowledge that the students are there in the hospital. I feel as if they do not "wish" to have time for us. These are nurses with four or five patients who seem to have plenty of time for everything else but no time for students. Granted, I understand that students can get in the way and slow nurses down but most of us truly want to help. Maybe my persepctive is a lot different because I am in school and I see things idealisticly. I know everyone was a student once. I am just wondering how nurses feel when students are in the hospital? Do you personally feel differently about nursing than you did when you were still in nursing school?
Thanks for any thoughts or advice.
Avery

Personally I love the students. They are also so willing to learn.

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Nov 10, 2004

Let me just state as a nursing instructor I am very grateful for institutions and units in which my students (and myself!) are made to feel welcome. We had one hospital in our area in which the very culture of the place--and the horizontal violence directed against the students and instructors from our school--made it a most unpleasant, unprofessional, and hurtful and dangerous place to have clinicals. The mobbing culture on the units in that hospital was very damaging to the students (and instructors!) self-esteem. It was also a "negative recruitment" tool for that hospital (our students were so offended by their treatment there that most will never want to work in that hospital during their entire professional lives.) That hospital for the first time in its history has had to start using travelers because so very few of our graduates want to go work there. (Ya think it just might have something to do with the way they were treated during clinicals by the nurses??? :angryfire )

But aside from the very hurtful experience in that one facility, all other places have provided a wonderful learning experience for our students. Most of the nurses are very kind, caring, and professional and go out of their way to make us feel welcome. And for that I am so very grateful.