Anyone (or someone you know) fail clinical?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in LTC & Private Duty Pediatrics.

All:

- Just wondering if you or anyone you know has failed clinicals. If so, could you share the circumstances with the group.

Thanks,

John Coxey

Syracuse, NY.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
All:

- Just wondering if you or anyone you know has failed clinicals. If so, could you share the circumstances with the group.

Thanks,

John Coxey

Syracuse, NY.

Yes, one student in my class failed clinical last semester. We're only allowed to miss 2 clinical days each semester. He called in "sick" twice. Then on another day, he showed up 25 minutes late and missed report, so the clinical instructor sent him home.

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I had one of those "weed em' out" teachers and most students lasted the first 10 weeks of this semester and then the teacher turned evil :angryfire

We lost about 5 out of 25 students within a 2 week period, it was pretty rough. One student was dropped because she left the med cart unattended 10 feet away from her, with a staff of 10 watching it from other parts of the hall (I think it was just the point of leaving it unattended). Another student was dropped for not checking HR before administering a Beta-blocker, another student was dropped for giving meds to the wrong patient, another was (I'm not too sure) but it had something to do with "the pt bled alot". I thought I overheard someone say he was on a Heparin gtt and blood was in the foley, but the student didn't report it. And the last student I have no clue.

I do know that my instructor bluntly told another student that "she was an incompetent nurse". But I THANK GOD that I made it though that semester, cause I really, really didn't want to go through that again!!! :balloons:

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Yes. During Pedi, a guy in a different clinical group failed clinical. It wasn't because of his graded work or interactions with patients and staff. No, it was because he showed up to clinical inappropriately dressed (he was wearing scrubs from his day job and "didn't have time" to change into his uniform). The first time he did that, the instructor gave him a warning. The second time, he was sent home, resulting in an absence for the day. This absence put him over the limit of two absences. After two absences, 10% is taken off the grade for the semester. That's what happened to him.

Live, laugh, love,

Jenny the ConkyTonker, RN (as of 6/2/05)

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

We had 2 that failed who were constantly late if they even showed up at all. Swore up and down the instructor was trying to get rid of them, that the school needed to be understanding of their personal lives. Both of them started again last fall, and failed again.

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

I think I only know of one. The instructors were good with watching us, making sure we didn't mess up. ONe girl, got written up several times a semester during clinical. Her clinical skills were poor, and I'm surprised she made it as far as she did. She ended up getting kicked out b/c of poor paperwork, but was allowed back in.

I got written up one time for giving a med without an instructor (Tums and MOM), another time for being later, and another time for not researching something before coming in. -Andrea

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As a clinical instructor myself, I find it difficult to believe that all of the students mentioned in previous posts were failed for the reasons mentioned. I have failed three students in clinical, but it was after several counselling sessions, suggestions for help, opportunity to improve etc, which is known as "due process". The students concerned had major problems with various aspects of clinical - attitude, lack of knowledge and skills, etc, and they clearly failed to meet the required outcomes. Failing someone is not done lightly, and in the end it comes down to them being unsafe practitioners after having ample opportunity to improve themselves and meet required outcomes. A common difference between the students that failed and the ones who passed was that the ones who failed did not take ownership of their problem, felt victimised, and blamed everyone and anyone but themselves for their situation. I can't help but think that the students mentioned in previous posts had other difficulties that they did not share with anyone and therefore it seemed to them (and the people that wrote about them) that they were failed over one incident. This seems highly unlikely to me.

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Specializes in geri, med/surg, neuro critical care.

sierranic-- "Another student was dropped for not checking HR before administering a Beta-blocker"

The clinical instructor at my college, which is accredited by the ANA and NLN, instructs us to take a HR (apical pulse) ONLY before administering digoxin...I don't EVER remember taking a HR before giving a beta blocker :confused:

~Lori

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Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

Well, consider the drug's action. If it will lower the heart rate and/or blood pressure, then you need to know what those ARE before giving the drug. Some physicians put parameters on them, and some pharmacies print them on the MAR, and some you can find in your drug book. With beta blockers it's similar to digoxin; don't give if the HR is below 60.

So for the student who failed for giving a beta blocker without checking the heart rate, that's not in my book an incident. That's a student not doing their homework. We were quizzed a lot in clinicals over the drugs- instructors want to see if you know what you should KNOW about the patient before giving the drug. (Lasix or KCl, do you know their last potassium level- that's another example.)

-Indy

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I had one of those "weed em' out" teachers and most students lasted the first 10 weeks of this semester and then the teacher turned evil :angryfire

We lost about 5 out of 25 students within a 2 week period, it was pretty rough. One student was dropped because she left the med cart unattended 10 feet away from her, with a staff of 10 watching it from other parts of the hall (I think it was just the point of leaving it unattended). Another student was dropped for not checking HR before administering a Beta-blocker, another student was dropped for giving meds to the wrong patient, another was (I'm not too sure) but it had something to do with "the pt bled alot". I thought I overheard someone say he was on a Heparin gtt and blood was in the foley, but the student didn't report it. And the last student I have no clue.

I do know that my instructor bluntly told another student that "she was an incompetent nurse". But I THANK GOD that I made it though that semester, cause I really, really didn't want to go through that again!!! :balloons:

It seems to me that it was the instructor who was at fault in these scenarios, as the instructor is supposed to supervise the students! I agree the students should have been spoken to or something, but the instructor is supposed to stop things before they compromise patient safety. IMHO the instructor should have been disciplined for allowing the students to be unsupervised. Plus, it sounds awful someone would fail d/t forgetting to get a HR. Again, patient safety should dictate that if the student forgets it, the instructor should remind him/her.

What a terrible semester you must have had!

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WIth regard to student med errors...

Maybe other clinical instructors will disagree with me... but they just flat shouldn't happen, particularly with big league drugs or fragile patients. Students are supposed to do their homework, but so is the instructor. I knew what drugs were due, to whom, and when. I singled out the student in advance and did the big quiz... where are you going to give it, what do you do with the line first, what's the (insert relevant lab value here) and when was the last time it was checked. Then I would say... "I'll be there at 10:00 when you give it..." and I was.

Fortunately, I never had to fail anyone, but that was because my weak students usually bombed in their class work. But I agree with Win98... it's usually more than one thing and I'll bet it's usually something other clinical instructors have picked up on or seen evidence of.

That doesn't preclude the possibility that some instructors are nuts working in weak schools that won't evaluate the whole situation before dropping the student.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, M/S.
WIth regard to student med errors...

Maybe other clinical instructors will disagree with me... but they just flat shouldn't happen, particularly with big league drugs or fragile patients. Students are supposed to do their homework, but so is the instructor. I knew what drugs were due, to whom, and when. I singled out the student in advance and did the big quiz... where are you going to give it, what do you do with the line first, what's the (insert relevant lab value here) and when was the last time it was checked. Then I would say... "I'll be there at 10:00 when you give it..." and I was.

We "only" had 8 in our clinical group, but our instructor was ALWAYS late in helping with med passes. So much so that toward the end of the semester, only 4 a day could pass meds. Even at that, I once had to wait for her (and you know I couldn't pass meds w/o her), so my pt. got their 7am insulin at 9:15! As a diabetic, I know that stuff can't wait. I was SEETHING. :angryfire

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