Calling all nurses and nursing students .....I need to moan!

[Mosschops30]

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I wouldn't take it to heart, it may be that she was at the end of her shift and was tired.

My placement is fantastic, really really great but nobody has been especially enthusiatic about me being there. They are great at teaching me, and very positive about me.

I was told to look at the off duty to sort out my shifts as well, I think part of it may be independence.

Good luck x

Oh mosschops sorry that it didn't go as you'd hoped.
Like smurfgirl posted she was probably at the end of her shift and by the sounds of it wasn't expecting you but a midwife student...so maybe anything she had thought of saying might not have been relative to your pathway.
I hope things go better for you next time you meet, if not then ask to have a meeting with her where you can talk about all that you hoped to on the first meeting

sorry typo meant relevant not relative

I agree with every one else, dont take it to heart and...well...get used to it to be brutally honest.
Not many people are delighted to have a student with them, personally i am not over the moon about it BUT that is no reflection whatso ever on the student. After all, we were all one once but just understand that its difficult and hard work and not what many people went into nursing or midwifery for. We are not all natural born teachers unfortunately hun, sorry.
Just be as enthusiastic as you sound, dont let any thing put a dampner on it because it is YOUR dream and only you can make it happen.
Hopefully, your mentor will make the effort and be better once you get to know her and get to grips with routine and what not.

Has this experience really upset you, or are you just abit peeved?

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Dont get me wrong, i do have empathy and do remember myself how it was as a student.
Is this your first placement then in a hospital setting?

mosschops, to be brutally honest, dont expect to be welcomed with open arms as a student

in the wards these days staff are stretched to the max, and they will just see you as something else they have to squeeze into the shift

NOT THAT THEY DONT WANT YOU THERE!

its just they worry they wont be able to fulfill what you need them to, that they wont be able to spend enough time with you also

(and i whisper, a lot of student these days stand around with their hands in their pockets, waiting to be told what to do, watching the clock for hometime, although im sure thats not you!)

if you work hard and pay attention and use your initiative (a nurses best asset is to use her initiative i personally think) then even after 2 or 3 shifts your mentor will find you likable and you can get to know each other

if you see things that need done offer to do them

ask your mentor friendly questions at breaktime (if you ever get one!)

and dont take snappy comments or questions to heart

tons and tons of luck

where is the placement btw?

Ah, i see that it is from your initail post.
To be fair, i think that you may understand why your mentor is not all welcoming when you discover her work load and then add to that your needs as a student wanting to learn. As i said, some times it just isnt humanly possible to be needed by so many people in one day and to fulfill every ones needs.
In my work place, i dread it only because i cant give it all that i want to give it simply due to prioroties and pressures of work load.
With phones to be answered, relatives to talk to, patients to explain to, bed pans to get, drugs to be given on time, bed baths to be performed, Documentation to be completed..on every patient, Drs/physios/dieticians/pharmacists/consultants to liase with....etc etc etc there isnt always enough time nor energy in a shift to fill in tons of paper work from the uni's.
Do you see what i mean?
I know that it is no excuse for rudeness but that gives you a vague idea of what the qualified nurses are up against.

ah donbean, you sound like you have had one of THOSE shifts

mossy, if you dont remember anything remember this

dont stand around with your hands in your pockets while everyone else is running about daft. there are always a hundred things to do. and dont follow your mentor around like a shadow. she needs to see you have initiative and can be a good nurse

good luck honey

Nail polish on my first 2 shifts of my placement I did stand around doing nothing because there seemed to be nothing I could do...

I helped people onto commodes when they asked, talked to patients, did Obs when they needed...but I am not sure of anything on the ward. What can I do to avoid standing round (I also made sure I watched wound dressings etc)

Even if your mentor is not around, is busy, or you simply don't get along too well, there is nearly always another member of staff that you'll get on with and will be willing to show you the ropes. I had one particular placement when my mentor was useless, all he did was pinch patients food out of the fridge and then disappear for hours on end. I was studying for my drug calc exam at the time and was really panicking...maths not my strong point. But another nurse really took me under his wing and he was basically my mentor and helped me get my head around drug calc.
So even if you hate your mentor, someone else will always be there for you.
Just follow the previous advice, show yourself willing and use your initiative

smurf, i still remember what its like to be a student, ill never forget actually i hated it so much

i sometimes find that the auxiliaries can be the nicest, and they will always have jobs for you to do. get to know them, they can be very handy to have as mates! and they can tell you all about the ins and outs of the ward.

as someone else pointed out, you dont have to be with your mentor all the time. if another nurse seems more approachable, ask them if they can help you with things to do or learn. sometimes newly qualified nurses are good at that.

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mosschops i remember now you said before at some point you had worked as an auxiliary. i think it a great peace of advice for anyone thinking about nursing as a career - do bank work for a while and see how you like it

if you tell the staff you have worked as an auxiliary (or maybe they will recognise you?) then they will feel more confident in you, and also you will have something to chat about!

Oh Mosschops I do know how you feel and yet at the same time I know I could be that nurse!

I've been doing some bank shifts on the wards myself recently, and although I know what you mean NP, I have a renewed empathy with the hands in pockets brigade! I have always found that the longer you work somewhere, the quicker the time goes because you find more and more to do!!

Personally I quite like having the odd student, and most of them seem to like me too, I'm not intimadating as I know nothing either!! We muddle our way through our shifts together and I delegate and teach fairly I hope.

I'm sure it will be fine, as others have said, that nurse won't be the only one there. And she might be cursing herself for being short with you earlier. As has been said there are a lot of pressures. Good luck!

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