[moongirl]

Originally Posted by jov

9. Be prepared mentally for going to school or attending clinicals even if you are sick or not feeling well.

Just a comment-- you shouldn't be participating in clinicals when you are sick, not with patients whose immune systems already are compromised. At any rate, you should be calling your clinical instructor with your sx and let her/him decide if you should be there.

good luck with that one. Unfortunately YOU dont get to decide if you are too sick. Your program decides. In mine, you can miss ONE clinical, the second one, you are kicked from the program
You learn to eat healthy, wash your hands, and take care of yourself the best you can. And yes, take a final with a fever of 102.7,
and wear a mask to clinicals to protect your pts.

[Dratz]

Originally Posted by moongirl

good luck with that one. Unfortunately YOU dont get to decide if you are too sick. Your program decides. In mine, you can miss ONE clinical, the second one, you are kicked from the program
You learn to eat healthy, wash your hands, and take care of yourself the best you can. And yes, take a final with a fever of 102.7,
and wear a mask to clinicals to protect your pts.

even my nursing instructor came to class sick. You cannot miss a day being sick, that was my point. Get used to it.

[moongirl]

Originally Posted by Dratz

even my nursing instructor came to class sick. You cannot miss a day being sick, that was my point. Get used to it.

yep yep yep. Also throw in the 6:30 am clinical on about 3 hours of sleep after staying up all night with your puking 4 year old. Don't call in sick unless you are dead or an immediate family member died. That's the way it is, and yes, get used to it.

[Dratz]

Originally Posted by moongirl

yep yep yep. Also throw in the 6:30 am clinical on about 3 hours of sleep after staying up all night with your puking 4 year old. Don't call in sick unless you are dead or an immediate family member died. That's the way it is, and yes, get used to it.

Ha ha ha or get this, you are on your way to clinical, with the flu and you have no idea where your teenager spent the night...LOL...yep get used to it, School comes first regardless of LIFE.

[smurfy]

Originally Posted by moongirl

yep yep yep. Also throw in the 6:30 am clinical on about 3 hours of sleep after staying up all night with your puking 4 year old. Don't call in sick unless you are dead or an immediate family member died. That's the way it is, and yes, get used to it.

Be prepared to bring proof that your family member is dead!!

[WeeBabyRN]

Every program is different and I don't think we are helping someone feel better about the emotional aspect of nursing school if we are telling them worse case scenarios about our programs.

I will say that my program is exceptional about being flexible. If you are sick with a temp over 100.4 then you need to stay home. It is not good for the patients and when you are sick like that you don't think as well and that is when mistakes get made. If you have a family crisis then you can make clinical up. The only time I missed clincial was when my son was up all night sick and I had 2 hours of sleep. My CI thought that I wouldn't be safe under those conditions so I made that day up. It seems like people would abuse the flexibility, but it rarely happened.

[moongirl]

flexibility would be nice, but I dont think it is the norm. There is another thread going right now with a student who can't get out of clinicals and she has been subpeoned (sp?) to go to court. You are lucky you are going to school where you are!

[abbythetabby]

We're allowed to miss one day of class and one day of clinical per semster. Any more and we have to start the semester over the following year. I think that's pretty typical of most programs.

Originally Posted by Dratz

5. Be prepared mentally for lowering your standards when it comes to getting all A's. Nursing school has a way of lowering your GPA in such a way that you are happy with just a C.

While few people in my class get straight A's, it can be done. I refuse to lower my standards just because something is difficult. However, getting all A's is no guarantee that you'll pass the NCLEX, just as getting straight C's doesn't mean you won't. And that's what is really important.

[amytheodd]

I went out and bought my study foods. Got chicken soup books at a used store. Reading a couple of novels in the next few weeks to read something fun while I still can, and keep my mind off things to come. Washed and readied all my uniforms. Gave my notice at my job. Giving my boyfriend lots of extra attention between now and then.

[jov]

I guess it depends on your school. My syllabus for fall specifically states: 1. In order to help safeguard both students and clients in the clinical practice settings, it is imperative that students notify faculty and consult with them about the following:

a) Any recent exposure to a communicable disease: i.e. Chicken Pox;
b) Any elevated temperature in the 24 hours prior to going into the clinical practice setting;
c) Pregnancy or any physical condition that might put themselves or others at risk.

The clinical instructor will then determine whether the students or client would be at risk if the student participates in clinical experiences.

I've seen our clinical instructor send people home with a bad cough and I certainly am confident I would not be asked to come to clinical with THE FLU, for crying out loud. I can't imagine any of my instructors demanding I come in while truly sick but then again, I come to clinical prepared, ask pertinent questions, demonstrate self-directed learning, etc. Perhaps that's the difference?