How does your program handle absences?? Help!!! (m)

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I'm in a 15 months LVN program, been in since June 13th. First part was A&P and then on Sept 1st we started fundamentals and the TRUE part of the nursing program. Anyways we are allowed to miss 2 days per level (There are 3 levels) I haven't missed a day yet, but today I had to leave early (by 3 hours) for my daughter parent teacher conference. It's the policy of the school that if you miss a day or even a few hours you have to either Outline all the chapters of reading for that day, outline class notes that you get from a classmate and then write 3 objectives as if you were in the class and responded to the lecture. Ok fine. Well today's assignment was a bit different. We were doing Oral reports on Special Procedures. Each student was assigned a Special Procedure (I got Colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy) for our report we had to do a definition, how the procedure is performed and then do nursing care for before, during and after the test. Then we had to write one nursing diagnoses (The whole ADPIE thing) So we had to write an assessment, diagnoses, short term/long term goals, interventions (5) and evaluation.

Ok so get this.....for the 3 hours I missed I have to write reports on the 16 peoples oral reports I missed (just as I wrote mine. Definition, how performed and nursing care before, during and after) plus write 3 nursing diagnoses!!! How is this equal to 3 hours of missed class time? and it's due FRIDAY!!!! I had 2 weeks to do my one report. They all have to be typed and everything put in a folder! I am so angry! This seems so unfair. I can see making up and doing an assignment, but 16 reports on the procedures I missed (If they even get to all of them today), which I doubt they will because by 1PM they had only done 13! and that was with an hour and a half break for lunch! Argh! I am so angry. I have 4 chapters to read by Friday and now this. If I had know it was going to be THIS MUCH WORK, I wouln't have gone to the conference, but she told me this as I was leaving. My kids have to come first, but this seems like overkill to me. It's going to take me a long time to do all that and type it in. I have to research all those 16 procedures!

Any ideas???

Shannon (Oh and even though I make up this work, I still get docked the 3 hours I missed towards my 2 allowed days!):angryfire

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

Seems like overkill to me, too.

So what's supposed to happen to someone if they don't get all of that done?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Seems like overkill to me, too.

So what's supposed to happen to someone if they don't get all of that done?

I have no idea what happens, apparently we can't take the final for fundamentals until it's all done. I have no clue how I am going to get this all done by Friday! I have 3 children at home too. I guess I am headed off to start now. Sheesh! I'm getting really frustrated with teh way this program works!

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

Things of it is, it sounds like the three hours still count toward your absences, so even after doing all that work, you've still got x amount of hours left. Something ain't right about any of it.

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Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.

IMO that is an unreasonable amount of makeup work. I would speak to the instructor and try to work out a compromise of some sort. That being said, my program generally does not allow absences unless we have a really good excuse, like having a serious illness or a death in the family.

I understand that parent-teacher conferences are an essential part of a child's education, but the faculty might not agree that it is a valid excuse for missing such an important class. Can your husband/significant other go to the conference instead, or could you reschedule? Maybe you could skip it all together and go next quarter?

My mom never went to parent-teacher conferences, and my sister and I turned out fine, so this obviously influenced my opinion on the issue.

Just my $0.02 and good luck.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
IMO that is an unreasonable amount of makeup work. I would speak to the instructor and try to work out a compromise of some sort. That being said, my program generally does not allow absences unless we have a really good excuse, like having a serious illness or a death in the family.

I understand that parent-teacher conferences are an essential part of a child's education, but the faculty might not agree that it is a valid excuse for missing such an important class. Can your husband/significant other go to the conference instead, or could you reschedule? Maybe you could skip it all together and go next quarter?

My mom never went to parent-teacher conferences, and my sister and I turned out fine, so this obviously influenced my opinion on the issue.

Just my $0.02 and good luck.

Well it's too late, I went to the conference today and the teacher handed me the make up as I left. Our programs philosophy is "There is no such thing as an excused absence so if life happens you just tell us you have to do whatever and there will be a make up" To me it's important to be there for my parent teacher conferences. My mom never was either and I turned out fine too, but that's just me and it's once a year. Oh well. Next time I know better!

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Specializes in Rural Health.

It sounds a bit like overkill....

For us, if we miss, it's $$$$ to the clinical instructor that is going to make up your clinical. Clinical has to be made up at the discretion of the clinical instructor who is doing it (could be a weekend, etc....). 2 absences and you fail.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
It sounds a bit like overkill....

For us, if we miss, it's $$$$ to the clinical instructor that is going to make up your clinical. Clinical has to be made up at the discretion of the clinical instructor who is doing it (could be a weekend, etc....). 2 absences and you fail.

Get this, we haven't started clinical yet, we start December 12th after we pass Pharm (If we pass Pharm! LOL!) but we CAN miss clinical as long as we have community service hours banked! Go figure! We have to have at least 10 hours community service, but if we miss clinical, as long as we have community service banked, then it's ok, but I miss a lecture and I get 16 reports to do! Sheesh!:rolleyes:

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Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.

in my class if you miss a day, you miss a day...we dont have to do anything extra...if we miss a quiz or test we are allowed to make it up. Our instructors ask us to email or call if we are going to be absent so they dont worry. There are only 28 of us and we move as a cohort (meaning we are all in the same class at the same time all the time). We have the same teachers for the whole program too though, so we know them pretty well.

If an assignment is due that day they let us email it. The instructors go out of their way to schedule our tests and quizzes around our schedule (other tests and such). If you personally have a confliction then they will make arragements for you, as long as you come to them and ask.

All of our syllabi are tentative and if we need a few more days to work on something we just have ask...I was sick the other day and I just called my clincial instructor at home and she said dont even worry about it. I have to make up the clinical hours that I missed but she gave me the option to have an "alternate" experience..I can pick whatever I want to do in the hospital and as long as I am there from 7-2 or for the same amound of hours its ok with her...

Sorry you have to do all that work OP, that seems totally unfair to me..geez thats a ton of work, you are prob still working on it!

What are some of your topics, I can forward you some info/research maybe that will save you some time!!! PM me with your email addy if u want help

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To me, it sounds not just like overkill, but ridiculous and unfair. In my program (ADN), the only time we have to show up for lecture is on test days (I go to every one, but it isn't mandatory.) Clinical, on the other hand, is a different story. We can't miss any clinical days. If you do, good reason or not, it is up to the Dean to find you a make up day (or not). If we are late or leave early, our instructor has the discretion to assign extra work as she/he sees fit. We had one student in our clinical group who was an hour late one day because of car trouble, and he was given a writing assignment that was probably about 1-2 hours work. Our instructor has a reputation for being fair.

So, it sounds to me like someone is on a power trip! The only thing I can say is to try to avoid getting into this situation again in the next 11 months. I know it stinks, but it will be over before you know it.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Home Health Care.

We are allowed to miss a total of 4 clinical days in a year. If we miss days 5,6,7 we pay $70 a day to make them up. I think we are asked to leave the program if we miss over a week.

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While I agree it seems like a lot of work, i do think the hours should count as an absence. I my program you got to miss 10 hours of clinical per semester (1 day) 3 people got booted for missing 2. OUr instructors basically said that they have to be here and so do we. they said we needed to make a decision on what was most important to us school or other. if we chose other than we needed to decided if we wanted to continue. They made no exceptions, tests were on mondays at 9. if you weren't there then oh well. they were strict but i liked it.

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