Pissy Post

*Before you read this, know that I am not a mean person. This is me venting. I will return to my normal happy bubbly self after this post*



I was pissed at my last clinical. Before I gripe about what happened I want to say that I do appreciate clinicals and the preceptors and the RT directors that let students do clinicals in their hospital. I know that even the mundane things can create a learning experience. That being said, my class goes to hospitals all over the state. We go to both small hospitals and several of the biggest ones around. Actually traveling 2 hours for clinicals is not abnormal for any of us. Anyway, as you all know I am in my final semester of class. This semester is CRITICAL care III and Neonatal and pediatrics. The hospital I have been at for the past month does not specialize in children so my goals there were all critical care related. Critical care III - this is the THIRD semester dealing with critical care. We are not just starting it. For all our critical care rotations we have to be in the ICU. We have had LOTS of training, labs, reading, tests etc for critical care and mechanical ventilation. So the point of the clinical for critical care is to provide the hands on skills and training. I NEED to SEE the vent, I need to see the patients in ICU. I need to know why certain settings are what they are so that when Im NOT a student I will know what Im doing.

Anyway I get to the hospital at 545 am. They put me on the regular adult floor, not ICU. This is the first thing that frustrated me. I said that I am in critical care rotations and that I need to be in ICU. And you know what they told me? They were TOO BUSY and they needed me on the floor. You know what? I really dont give a flying &^$# if they are busy or not. If they are THAT busy, HIRE me and I will do whatever work is required of me as an RT. But today I am a student in this hospital and I am not here for free labor. I am here to LEARN period. I am not here to get half of an RTs workload so that you don't have to call in someone else. I dont care if there are only 2 patients in the ICU. If that is the case, let me do ICU rounds FIRST and foremost, THEN I will help out other therapists just the same as anyone does.

Anyway, I didn't want to start crap so i took my patient sheet and we went to the pyxis to pull meds. She handed me all the meds that I needed and she said this is for room whatever number, she looks at her sheet and says "Wait... wait wait.... that person takes their treatments with bipap so you cant do him"

HOLD THE &^$%^&*^ PHONE!!

I said "I can do bipap as a student". Afterall, I have done lots and lots and lots and lots.......... of bipap treaments! She acted like I was out of my mind. You should have seen the look on her face. She said "No. Unless it is on your license you cant do bipap." Please tell me you are kidding me. You have to be kidding me right!

Me: "I dont have a license in this state.... I am a student." (I said in this state because I AM a licensed SRT-student respiratory therapist in the adjoining state because I live close to the state line. And yes, on that license there are no limitations, including bipap treatments.)

RT: eyes got big "OOOOH.... NO then DEFINATELY NOT"!!!!!


First of all. WTF do you think students do? Stand around holding a book in the hospital twirling their hair. Appearantly she thought all students could do were neb treatments. Even students in thir final year, final semester.

Second, according to your theory if I cant do bipap treatments because its "not on my license", then guess what, I cant do nebs either.

I bit my tongue and gave her the bipap patient and took all the nebs. I had one patient left and was walking down the hall to do it when I see my preceptor sitting on her ass in a chair out in the hallway. She was done with her patients and was sitting there doing NOTHING while I finished her scut work. Not to mention she didnt even give me a pulse ox to use for the day because "they cant be checked out to students" Tell me HOW THE &^%^ am I supposed to document all of a patients vitals without the 02%? I am working under YOUR license so YOU should really care about that too!!

By the end of the day there were FOUR extubations in the ICU that I didnt get to be a part of. I didnt even get to stand back and WATCH them because I was giving neb treatments.

After first rounds, I texted my teacher. Here is our texting conversation:
Me: Can I do bipap as a student?!
Teacher: Yes you can.
Me: They arent letting me do anything but nebs only
Teacher: You can do bipap and you need to be in the ICU with vent patients. I will talk to the director and tell them what you are allowed to do but just make the most of the day
Me: OK

In my opinion he should have picked up the phone, called the department and just said hey, you know, my students need to be in icu. It would have taken 2 minutes. But anway....

I have always been told that clinicals are like job interviews. When you are at clinicals you are being evaluated by other RTs and by the director to see if you would be a good candidate for working there after school. BUT this works both ways. Students are also evaluating the hospitals to see if we would want to work there, in that environment, with those people...... I can guarantee you there is not a shortage of hospitals looking to hire RTs. And I can also guarantee you I will not work for a hospital that treats their students as work horses or as free labor. What does that make us think? It sure doesnt make me want to get hired on to find out anything else.