Failed my clinical practice evaluation, failed the class, failed the program...

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What a day, I had to take my first CPE over again because I missed some critical points in my assessment. This is my first nursing 100 clinical practice exam, basically a full assessment on a patient including vitals and range of motion exercises.

It is a pass or fail exam and you get one chance to take it over so this morning I had a lecture exam and CPE re-take. First of all, at the end of seminar my instructor announced to my class that I had to take the exam again and asked if someone would volunteer to be my patient (a little humiliating thanks).

Anyway, I took my exam and thought for sure that I passed. After it was over my instructor told me that my blood pressure was way off, I got 112/60 and she checked it 20 MINUTES LATER and got 120/68...way off??? She also said that I was a little sketchy on the breath sounds and she didn't know what she was going to do, she then instructed me to come back for clinical and go to the hospital tomorrow...we would discuss it on Wednesday. I returned to class for clinical and was asked to come out and talk to the professors (in front of all of my classmates)...they brought me to their office to go over the exam.

When we discussed the breath sounds I said that I had a hard time because she was fully clothed, and they agreed that that was understandable. However, they could not pass me because they are not confident in the fact that I can take a blood pressure.

Failure of this exam means that I fail the class, and even though the student handbook clearly states that one nursing class may be taken over if you fail, they said I would need to re-apply to the program and write a letter to the board if I wanted to be considered to take the class again.

Basically...I just failed out of the nursing program because my blood pressure reading was 8mm/Hg different than my instructors (20 minutes apart)...REALLY??? Does anyone else see anything wrong with this???

Happy Ending: I had applies to this program 5 TIMES, was put on a waitlist every time and finally offered a spot a week before classes started this summer. I also had applied to another school, it's a 45 minute drive instead of 4 minute drive, but it is a much better school in my opinion. Anyway, I also received a letter from them offering me a spot for the fall but had called them last week to tell them I wasn't going to take it. Anyway...I called them on my way home from being kicked out of the program, crying hysterically, and they said someone called today to back out...I GOT IN!!!

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Omg that's crazy when we take our CPE we are allowed to be off like 10 from the instructors BP. Can you appeal it, at our school they let us do that. We have 2 CPEs a semester and if you fail you can appeal it and take it again. A girl retook her CPE like 3 times (she failed the final at the end though) good luck to you!

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That's rediculous, but a girl in my class also failed due to her blood pressure being off. It's unfortunate but don't be discouraged, the next time u should inform the patient that you need to take the BP on the skin surface and not through clothes. This is what could have possibly given you a false BP reading. Don't allow the clinical instructors to intimidate you , stand your grounds. I would have went to the director of the program and demanded a redo.

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It's just crazy to me, other students were allowed to re-do things right on the spot. How could they evn know if it was off when she waited so long to re-check it? I guess everything happens for a reason, I couldn't believe that there was a spot for me at the other school. I called them last week and told them thanks, but no thanks, I had chosen another program. I guess it was meant to be...live and learn. I just really felt that the whole thing was unfair!

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Specializes in ICU.

Flip the deuces and high tail it out of there... Looking for a person to pick on and u r it!! Good luck at the new school...

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Interesting, when I did pre-RN labs we had to

be within 2mmHg, but that was on a SimMan.

I could imagine a BP change of 6-8 between the beginning and end of exam (it's why BPs really aren't valid unless pts are sitting for 5 mins).

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What they did to you wasn't fair, but you do have to be extremely precise with BP readings. I agree that they shouldn't have waited twenty minutes, but work with me for the purpose of making my point. Let's say that the 8 point difference was actually correct and had nothing to do with the time period (something I highly doubt). In the real world, most patients don't have a perfect, loud, and clear BP. They are in the hospital for a reason, and their BPs are often difficult to hear or abnormal. While an 8 point difference on a healthy classmate doesn't seem like a big deal, an 8, 10, or 12 point difference on an acutely ill patient is a big thing. There's a huge difference in obtaining a BP of 94/60 versus a BP of 82/48. With the first pressure, the MAP (mean arterial pressure) is 71.3 (the low side of normal). With the second pressure, the MAP is 59.3 (way too low).

I agree that what they did wasn't fair, and I am glad you got in somewhere else. If you don't feel comfortable and confident with BPs, practice them. I used to hate them, but I've gotten a lot better. Good luck with your nursing school career!

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I agree with you that 8 points is a lot and can definitely make a difference, the whole situation just seemed completely unfair. Other students were allowed to do things over on the spot. I've only been in the program for 3 weeks and at the end it all came down to this BP...I failed out of this program that I worked so hard to get into because I was off on my blood pressure???

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Basically...I just failed out of the nursing program because my blood pressure reading was 8mm/Hg different than my instructors (20 minutes apart)...REALLY??? Does anyone else see anything wrong with this???

If that is truly the only thing which was the basis for your being eliminated from the program, then yes, I think it's pretty crazy. An 8mm/Hg difference twenty minutes apart is completely possible.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I am so sorry! We had to be CNAs to get into nursing school. I failed my first skills test because I failed to wash my hands after counting respirations. I was so angry. I had to pay another $75 to re-take.

I SO would have appealed the decision to fail you. That was ridiculous.

Is there anyway you can appeal????

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We had dual stethoscopes for this very purpose. One head, two sets of earpieces. Instructor and student hear the same sounds at the same time. The readings could be no more than 4mm different.

You can take some people's pressure just a few minutes apart, or in the opposite arm, and get very different readings.

Seems like there were other issues here that the OP wasn't aware of. I think it's good to start over at a new school.

Now, when you go to the new school, just keep your mouth shut about this entire experience.

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We had dual stethoscopes for this very purpose. One head, two sets of earpieces. Instructor and student hear the same sounds at the same time. The readings could be no more than 4mm different.

Ditto.

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