Clinical Failure

SCSTxRN · Oct 4, 2012

May I suggest you look into a law career? Or hold off on being a nurse for a few years, anyway.

I was an 'older' student, and there were still many times in the course of my nursing school career that I wanted to hold my breath until I turned blue, lay on the floor, kick and scream, and in general behave like my two year old. I still love a good argument - but time and life have taught me that, most of the time, it's smarter to hold my tongue. I find it funny, now, that my professors claim to have liked me - because I would have sworn at the time they were giving me grief for the fun of it. I was able to suck it up, though, because my mom was dead, dad was dying, my family was broke, and my kids were looking to me to provide for them - I really DID NOT WANT TO TEACH anymore.

There is NO WAY that I would have succeeded in nursing school in young 20s. I was brilliant - 4.0 without trying, but I was ENTITLED. Life has a glorious way of sucking the entitlement out of a good chunk of the population as they age - and I was one of the lucky ones. Fall on your butt hard enough, you learn to be careful where you put your feet and be grateful that they don't slide out from under you. 10 years of life was enough to help me shut up and listen - it might give you the same gift.

That being said, if arguing and filing briefs and grievances is what fills you with passion - really, look into law. Paralegal studies offers plenty of opportunity for research, and some states still offer 'clerkship' as a method of qualifying to sit for the bar exam (because law school is pretty ridiculous, too - whole new dress code).

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Oct 4, 2012

I think the OP has left the building. She didn't really want to hear it in the first place, anyway.

student1919 · Oct 17, 2012

Hey, I'm here again. Thanks for all of the responses. WELL I really need to get into the whole story I guess. We are aloud to wear nail polish, and the instructors wear colors. I say favoritism because one student wouldn't get a point deduction for something I would, that's very specific. I filed a grievance because my evaluation was based off of what one nurse who was fighting with another nurse that I worked with right afterwards said. I kept asking the first nurse about the med that the issue surrounded. The legitimate reason I was failed was for arriving on the floor WHEN THE INSTRUCTOR WAS NOT EVEN THERE. It's illegal for her to leave a buncha students working on the floor, and the reason was showing one of her favorites around the hospital. She couldn't even be there with me to do my first IV med because she was conversing with the staff. If I really can't even do an assessment, she should have been much more concerned. I tried asking her a bunch of questions, so that was transferred to meaning I'm an idiot. I helped out other students and kept asking for extra stuff to do, but all I was offered were vital signs.

The next class is when I posted this. So, you know most of that story. After the post I arrived on time etc. I turned in my paper 2 days late, a 2 point deduction, to make it VERY detailed with much more than required. I never even received a grade. For my makeup assignment, I was told to create a teaching plan for 2-5yo's parents about child safety, create a visual aid, spend 2 hours in lab getting my assessment watched, and create a care plan. The care plan wasn't on the paper used for clinical, but I was not given one. The assessment wasn't mentioned. The visual aid was said to not be up to par, for no specific reason. The teaching plan was said to be inadequate. I did a 6 page outline covering how the developmental stage causes the issue, signs and symptoms of each issue, and things to do to prevent each issue. I guess it was supposed to be an essay, and it did not cover enough about HOW these topics were going to be taught. This is something taught in Community Health Nursing, a class I never even took. So, I failed and I'm kicked out of the program. I probably would have been able to work at the being late a lot more if I wasn't meeting with the director and everyone else on campus 2-3x a week, talking in circles because it was required. While yes, it's an issue to be addressed, it turned more into a reason to make sure I would not be successful.

Relating this to a job.... if you had to meet with your boss, administrator, the health department, etc. multiple times per week for several months, how much work would you be getting done? If you were getting threatened of being fired, what would you concentrate on during work? If the reason was because you were late on completing your work, do you think this would exacerbate or remedy the issue? It's not like I was getting told what to do, just that I don't do things on my own and that I'm not normal. And yes, considering it's the same instructors every semester, it does matter what they think of you. I wish I would have known more about what I was getting into when transferring to this campus. The idea of law does sound nice. I want a job where I want to arrive on time because I know there's something important to do once I arrive, not one where it's all about who brought donuts and whose ass you covered.

student1919 · Oct 17, 2012

I'd say this post is more of a 'troll' of negativity than anything. Everyone else has been helpful and respectful. Considering the issue is being late, the nursing profession actually does give the trophy to whoever shows up on time.... just for showing up. I see lotsa older nurses sit on their ass most of the shift then point fingers at others for their wrongs.

I'm not so sure. Personally, I think this may be the first wave of nursing students who grew up in the era of "everyone gets a trophy just for showing up" and could do no wrong in the eyes of everyone around them.
Personal responsibility was not something demanded of them as a child and going through life with the attitude of "my instructor doesn't like me and refuses to teach me" is going to be the trend, I predict.
Trolls don't typically come around again once they put the match to the pile, this OP did make another appearance---albeit to further "explain" why she was in the right and the school is looking to see her fail....

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Oct 18, 2012

You are (or WERE) and nursing STUDENT, there is SO much you haven't seen--trust me, adults in the working world do NOT get a trophy just for showing up on time. I wish you much luck in your future endeavors.

I'd say this post is more of a 'troll' of negativity than anything. Everyone else has been helpful and respectful. Considering the issue is being late, the nursing profession actually does give the trophy to whoever shows up on time.... just for showing up. I see lotsa older nurses sit on their ass most of the shift then point fingers at others for their wrongs.

student1919 · Oct 18, 2012

You are (or WERE) and nursing STUDENT, there is SO much you haven't seen--trust me, adults in the working world do NOT get a trophy just for showing up on time. I wish you much luck in your future endeavors.

I might still be, if my grade appeal works out. It seems pretty universal that I should go somewhere else as far as feedback goes. I don't know if I could deal with fighting to prove myself for an entire career. I don't want to cover for others' mistakes, I don't want to bring donuts, and I don't want to pretend to be miserable all day so people let me be. Everything involved with this career seems so vague and he said she said. Two nurses assessments don't even match up. Neither do their priorities, unless its ABC. There's EBP, but I'm ONLY A STUDENT and I already see it not being followed quite often. I honestly don't know if I would make it in that career. Law does sound enticing in that it is about the specifics, and decisions are really thought over. I'm all about being able to define things specifically and having reasons with long explanations, not just because I said so and I have a license. I was deducted points because my care plan had TOO MUCH information, describing high glucose levels providing a good environment for infection etc, instead of just keeping it basic and simple.

allnurses Guide · Oct 18, 2012

student 1919 It's obvious you aren't an idiot. Far from it. You're right that a lot of nursing once you get experience is a judgement call within legal and professional standards. There are too many things in this world that you can do - that won't make you miserable, to waste another second of constant conflict with your school. I have a very rebellious nature - it took me months of adjustment to finally realize I had to tow the line and just do stuff I thought was stupid to get through school. I wouldn't say you're unsuited to be a nurse at this point, though. Do you really want to be a nurse?

Are there any nurses you know well and admire? Someone who can act as a sounding board and you trust their feedback?

If you want to be a nurse, you've got to get through nursing school. If you want to get through nursing school you're going to have to put your head down and do things their way even if you do think it's BS. Even if the instructors make mistakes. Even when there are inconsistencies in EBP. If you make it through, you may find that the impressions you had as a student turn out to be bona fide issues that end up being changed, but the gears always turn slowly in an institution as large and diverse as nursing. We don't turn our brain off as a student. There are some well-known nursing theorists who got started because they didn't like what they saw in nursing school or as a new nurse.

Anyway, I do wish you the best whatever you decide.

student1919 · Oct 18, 2012

student 1919 It's obvious you aren't an idiot. Far from it. You're right that a lot of nursing once you get experience is a judgement call within legal and professional standards. There are too many things in this world that you can do - that won't make you miserable, to waste another second of constant conflict with your school. I have a very rebellious nature - it took me months of adjustment to finally realize I had to tow the line and just do stuff I thought was stupid to get through school. I wouldn't say you're unsuited to be a nurse at this point, though. Do you really want to be a nurse?
Are there any nurses you know well and admire? Someone who can act as a sounding board and you trust their feedback?
If you want to be a nurse, you've got to get through nursing school. If you want to get through nursing school you're going to have to put your head down and do things their way even if you do think it's BS. Even if the instructors make mistakes. Even when there are inconsistencies in EBP. If you make it through, you may find that the impressions you had as a student turn out to be bona fide issues that end up being changed, but the gears always turn slowly in an institution as large and diverse as nursing. We don't turn our brain off as a student. There are some well-known nursing theorists who got started because they didn't like what they saw in nursing school or as a new nurse.
Anyway, I do wish you the best whatever you decide.

No, I don't know any nurses. I've gone to hospitals a lot and I admired nurses, seemed like something I would want to/be able to do. I actually emailed the dean of the main campus and she said to set up an appointment with her so we can talk about if I am the right type of person that should put in all this effort to try and pursue a degree. If my grade grievance goes through I wouldn't have the two failures and I could transfer to the main campus, which is the one that has the good reputation (that I thought would be at both). I bet at the bigger campus the higher ups wouldn't have so much time to waste talking in circles, and there wouldn't be so much extra stuff I have to do. I had an art teacher who thought I was 'racist against Jews' and 'the weirdest student he ever had' and I started doing the grievance process. I just emailed him once and he changed it. And to further that I would have just had to email detailed stuff to the department that handles it. It wouldn't be about setting up a plethora of meetings. It's redundant and ridiculous. However, with that already done I can't transfer.

Avina_m · Aug 10, 2016

I was reading through this and wondering how did this pan out? Where are you now 4 years later?

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Aug 10, 2016

I was reading through this and wondering how did this pan out? Where are you now 4 years later?

Since the OP hasn't been on the site since 2012, I guess they moved on to a different career.

AliNajaCat · Aug 16, 2016

And thank goodness for that.

Since the OP hasn't been on the site since 2012, I guess they moved on to a different career.