Late in the Game for Screw Up

sweet tooth · Apr 27, 2006

Okay, my opinion is...God can fix this like no one else can. Pray and tell Him what you just told us. It was a huge mistake and you meant no harm. Ask Him to soften the hearts of those making decisions about your future. Then I would trust Him to make it work for you. I will also pray for you.

GingerSue · Apr 28, 2006

- it snowed, and this was beyond your control

- things happen unexpectedly

We can hope that the people who you must meet with will have some kindness or understanding in them.

You have to be prepared for whatever their decision happens to be.

Even if a person misses a day, there must be a way for a student to make up for the clinical that was missed. Human beings can arrange these things. Sometime it just costs more.

I hope it goes well for you.

NICU_nurse2b · Apr 28, 2006

:icon_hug: & You sound completely stressed out and at your wits end.

So I thought I would send you some HUGS and PRAYERS.

firstyearstudent · Apr 28, 2006

Hmmmm. If many people are not passing, isn't this all the more incentive for them not to kick you out? I could be wrong about this, but since you are so close to graduating, my suspicion is they will forgive and forget...

DenaInWyo · May 1, 2006

Thank you so much, everyone, for your words of encouragement..it's really and truly appreciated!

I have to do what our school calls a presentation. Basically, it's where you go into the meeting room with all of the level two instructors and they decide what to do with you.

Now that some of the shock is wearing off, I am starting to get really angry about this. I know that for now it's in my best interest to put up and shut up and get through this to graduation, but there are really some elements here that make me furious.

For one thing..I will NOT be missing any clinical hours. I rescheduled the shift and will get the required 48 hours in. This is my word against the instructor's (and we all know how THAT goes). I feel like my integrity has been attacked and I don't like that at all.

For another, this instructor sometimes works on the floor that I have been hired on (to work after graduation, starting in June). This is also the floor I am doing my clinical rotation on. I went in the other day and within the first ten minutes I had three different nurses come to me and say to hang in there, just let this instructor roll off, and quite a few other things that were very uncomplimentary about her. Beyond that making me feel a little better about life (yes, they DO want me still, no, they DON'T think I'm a flake now, which is what this instructor told me during our phone conversation), it also makes me FURIOUS..how dare she go blabbing to my future co-workers that she (and this was literally said up there) called me up and "chewed my a$$". That violates my privacy and is just flat out wrong.

Yep, I made a mistake in going out of town at this point of the game, but as an adult, I accept that. I do not, however, accept the lack of professionalism being shown here. I think I'm just baffled at exactly what grounds they could do anything to me on..especially considering all of my requirements will be met.

Arg..thanks for letting me vent some more. Will let you know how it goes on Tuesday.

Deana

mariedoreen · May 1, 2006

Let me get this straight: you had a couple days off school, went out of town, got snowed in, and couldn't get back in time for a schedule preceptorship clinical? Correct? But you successfully managed to reschedule your shift, you're going to be able to get in all your required hours, and you're still facing getting kicked out? What the hell is that about?! Are they serious??

DenaInWyo · May 2, 2006

Yep, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

The rub here is that the clinical instructor in charge of the rotation thinks that I manipulated the schedule in order to take the couple of days out of town. That's where the "integrity" issue comes in. There's also the matter of wondering how much time in advance constitutes calling in sick as opposed to rescheduling. Nothing about it was ever put on paper. Which is also interesting. The instructor who chewed my butt kept saying "you need to read your paperwork." Well, I did read my paperwork, and there's not one darned thing about it there. We were verbally told that "we'd better be on our deathbed before even thinking about calling in sick" to these, and that was about it.

They left the scheduling of our preceptor shifts up to us, and now it's like they've changed their minds or something for heaven's sake.

Oh, I fully admit to the fact that taking those couple of days at this point of the game was a really, really dumb thing to do, but yeah, the further I step away from this and look at it, the more angry I get about it.

I'll know by this time tomorrow. I just really, really want to get past this and move on..if I'm going to be allowed to graduate, I only have two weeks left and one big fat ugly final to study for.

LoriAlabamaRN · May 2, 2006

I just wanted to wish you luck... it sounds as if you are a very articulate person and more than able to explain your actions. This bodes very well for you. Let us know how it goes!!!

ZASHAGALKA, RN · May 2, 2006

Don't let your anger or frustation show.

You are a supplicant; asking for a favor . . .

~faith,

Timothy. . .

LoriAlabamaRN · May 2, 2006

Great advice from Timothy. Also, you had mentioned about your instructor violating your privacy and telling people about what had happened- my advice to you would be not to bring that up, it would look like you were just trying to "get back" at her, I would simply be apologetic and stress that you have learned from your actions, and that at the time you honestly had no intentions of missing clinical and that you have taken the actions necessary to rectify the situation.

I think everything will be alright- let us know how it goes...

DenaInWyo · May 2, 2006

I absolutely agree with those of you who are saying not to let my anger show. Unfortunately, no matter how unjust it seems right now, I need to totally suck it up/let them do me a favor/be humble through this. I am most definitely not above swallowing my pride to get through this. That's the objective here.

My BP, which has run high since the beginning of the fourth semester, is sitting at 150/96 right now. This is just crazy..and also crazy that I am letting myself get so worked up.

I really want the outcome to be that they "do nothing"..but on the other hand, I'm going to be angry about that in a way too..it makes all this stress for no reason. Ack..if this were a 3 year program, I don't know that I'd be up for it.

I have to be there in about 2.5 hours. What I am most looking forward to is being on the other side of this and posting on the graduation countdown thread. I don't feel like I can do that right now.

Also, I just wanted to say again..thank you! I really, really appreciate the space to vent about this, and the supportive responses. Sometimes just knowing that someone else out there cared enough to type in a message is a real comfort.

Will let you know..

Deana