Student Appeal

[studentrn12]

Can someone help me with this. Im a nursing student on 3rd semester. I had a skills check off last week and failed my PO check off because I forgot to verbalized the 6 rights. Today, was my 2nd chance to recheck and failed it again because I pulled the wrong meds at the wrong time. But, before I went to my pt my clinical instructor asked me, if I had the correct meds and I said "NO". I went I went back to the cart and got the correct meds, finished the check off correctly. Although, I gave the patient the correct meds. I still failed my check off. Do you think I can appeal it? I talked to the head of nursing, she advised me to reapply for the next semester. I really need your guys opinion. Thanks

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

I think an appeal won't get well. In the real world if you pull the wrong med...still an incident even if you didn't give it.

So still a med error.

You can try to appeal but I wouldn't be too optimistic.

[Jolie, BSN]

You can certainly appeal. No harm in trying. If you choose to do so, please be well prepared to present your own improvement plan.

But I share your instructor's concern. You did not catch your own error. Had you not been under the immediate supervision of your instructor, you very likely would have given the wrong meds.

[klone, MSN, RN]

If your instructor had not stopped you, would you have given the meds?

If I were that instructor, I probably would have given you enough rope to hang yourself (i.e. I would not have prompted you until you were about to hand the meds to the patient). But if you didn't realize that you had pulled the wrong meds until you were prompted, I would suck it up and not appeal it.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

The honest answer to this question should guide you as to whether you should appeal or not. Would you have actually caught the fact that you had the wrong medication in hand before giving them to the patient? If you are 100% certain you would have caught this at the 3rd check, assuming you would have done that 3rd check, then appeal. If you're not 100% certain, you should not appeal... at least to continue with the current semester. You should certainly try to return next semester and attempt to redeem yourself. Part of that may mean that you have to submit an improvement plan so that you won't repeat the same mistake next time.

While Nursing School's job is to train new nurses, their larger responsibility is to protect patients by preventing unqualified, incapable, or dangerous people from becoming nurses. Your Clinical Instructor caught you in two errors. That you did commit two errors in a relatively short time makes them not want to allow you to progress through this particular semester. I would suggest you make your appeal/no appeal decision very quickly because you are likely quickly going to bump against the attendance limits too.

Whatever you do, I suggest that you do NOT demand to return to this semester. That will likely guarantee you will not return this semester and may guarantee you not returning next semester either. Examine your faults, develop a plan for improvement, present the plan to your instructor/appeal committee and maybe they'll allow you to return. If they don't allow you to return this semester, be gracious and ask to return next semester. They hold all the cards. You hold none. Remember that.

[Raviepoo]

If you can make a a convincing case that you would have caught the error on the 3rd check, then by all means, appeal. What do you have to lose? Just don't offend any of the higher ups. The above poster is right. They hold all of the cards, and you hold none. Approach them with humility and admit your mistake, or things will not go well for you.

If they do let you finish the semester, expect them to be watching you like a hawk.