Student nurses puzzle me

Every summer we have student nurses who come here for clinicals. The ones today must be brand-new students because they just watched what was going on. The first few years their instructor was very more structured and in control. She kept them in tightly that groups. She gave them assignments and watched what they were doing. Back then they assisted with showers and other resident activities. She kept them busy doing "one on ones" with the residents.

But this school or these instructors are not as tough on the students. No student had a notepad for a book with them. The good thing was they had no cell phones either.

Today at lunch was remarkable. The aides were struggling to get the residence fed. The two aides were each feeding two residents. Since the aides are required to sit (not stand) beside the resident they're feeding, it looked difficult.

There were a group of five or six nursing students standing outside the back dining room door – talking away. The student nurses from the morning were replaced by a different group before lunch. I knew they probably didn't know much and wondered where their instructor was. One woman who appeared older, I thought might be their instructor. But she did not act like one..

I kidded my aide that one of the nursing courses for this semester must be BSing. I said that because those five students standing around by the door looked like they had "breakroom BS" down. My aide just gave me a sly eye and grinned. She understands my weird sense of humor..

Before long, a female resident stood up and her chair alarm went off. Very quickly, the older student headed her way to suggest she sit down. My aide jumped up and made sure she was seated.

Then, the instructor arrived and asked if there was anything the students could do. The aides said they needed students to assist with feeding. The students quickly took over feeding two residents near me. That freed up the aides to clear tables, record intakes/outputs, and get residents to their rooms.

A male resident who is a double amputee, and paranoid feels uncomfortable eating in the dining room when student nurses our in there. Several years ago he asked one of the nursing students to take his blood pressure. One of the facility nurses heard him and admonished him saying that was not the student's responsibility. He said he felt if he wanted his blood pressure taken, one of the nursing students could do it. I don't think he ever thought he was being rude or inconsiderate. Nevertheless, he was reminded (I felt inappropriately) that he was being an appropriate and he headed off to his room.

While he would never want to have the student nurse with him for several hours, or all day. He may have taken some nursing services from them. I understood that he didn't like students observing him while he was eating. I don't think it's unrealistic for a resident to feel that he should have some privacy in the nursing home. After all, it is his home. No one likes being watched like a lab rat. But, if he could have spent some time with a student nurse he might have assisted her to feel some compassion and understanding for residence like him.