How do you communicate with your team when you have clinical students on your unit?
Having students do clinical rotations on your unit or floor can be a great benefit but can also be hectic with so many extra bodies in patient rooms and hallways. Effective communication is key to ensuring all patient care tasks are complete and shift documentation is completed properly. Describe how you communicate with the student's instructor, the students, and your staff to ensure optimal operation as a team.
"Students must understand their roles and responsibilities and know who to go to for support. I always introduce myself to the students, and though their instructor is close by, I reassure them I'm also there for support. I typically pull my nurses and aides into a huddle on days we have students so that everyone understands the need to communicate and collaborate to ensure continuity of care on the shift. I remind them of the scope of duties of students and make sure that everyone understands who is responsible for what. I know it can be stressful for the staff to have so many extra hands to manage that day, but I remind them to lead by example and be patient and kind to our students as we work with and mentor them."
"Depending on the number of students we have on the unit, things can get hectic. I need to be in constant communication with the instructor so that we're clear about who cares for which patient and the level of care they provide. Once we have a clear plan, I will go back to my team of nurses and aides to communicate the plan to them. They must understand what they are responsible for and what the students are responsible for so nothing gets missed from a medication administration or ADL perspective. I remind my staff to escalate concerns or questions so we can address issues quickly. When there are multiple people on the care team, it's important to communicate effectively before, during, and after when handing off to the next shift."
I will go to all the nurses on the unit that day and communicate with them that we will be having nursing students. I create an assignment sheet for the students and the nurses that states what patients will have students as well as what the students are allowed to do. This way the nurses know if the students will be passing medications, performing ADL care, procedures etc. I always ask the nurses to let myself or the instructor know if there is something interesting the students can come observe or do with a patient that is not their own also. I do remind the nurses that they are still ultimately responsible for the patient and to ensure that all medications and care are provided for the patient.
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