Ya, nurses will be really give med students (and residents) a hard time - some of it deserved, and some of it not. I really don't think it has to do with an inferiority complex, but rather with personality disorders, and well, some nurses are just mean. I can sorta see why - med students, brimming with knowledge they've gained in the classroom, but usually with no clinical experience, come trouncing into the turf they've worked in for 20, 30, 40 years, they stay for a few months, tell the nurses what to do, and then theyre gone. I'm not saying it's right for them to be mean, I'm only trying to empathize.
If you keep a good head on your shoulders, ask for advice and keep your arrogance and self-indulgence to yourself (only if you're arrogant and self-indulgent), you should be fine. Many nurses will try to correct you, and sometimes they'll be wrong, but when they're right, acknowledge it, and don't give them what they want by throwing a hissy fit and causing a drama. Remember, it's their turf more than it is yours (a med student's), so when they offer advice or criticism, it may be totally inappropriate and wrong, but there could also be some truth to it. Nurses can be a valuable resource, but like in any profession, there will be plenty of dumb, useless nurses for every handful of smart, insightful nurses. My best advice: keep them updated on the plan! Nothing will piss off a nurse more than left in the dark about what you're doing or what you're thinking, or getting orders that are based on information they haven't yet been told. As a med student, if you take the initiative to keep your nurses well-updated on the plan of care, you will gain a good reputation among nursing very fast.
