almost got written up at clinical

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

So I'm in my second semester of clinical and its been going really well. I really like my instructor, she is very strict but very prepared. The hosptial is nice too. Can't complain.

Well my professor has been trying for weeks to get a username and password to gain computer access to patient info and she finally got it. Great for us because we can finally look up updated info on our patients.

Well yesterday I was looking up labs for my patient and my friend was doing the same thing next to me for his patient. He stands up to leave but didn't close the computer, so I reminded him to do that before he left.

Then a patient's family member comes to the nurse's station asking for a bed pan asap because his mother "really needs to go NOW". i know this pt--she has *explosive diarrhea*. i asked him if the CNA was there but she wasn't, so i quickly went over to help. well when i got there, sure enough, and she was putting her hands in it(she was confused). BTW this is on a crazy telemetry floor, lol.

So the CNA comes and we get her cleaned up. I felt very productive yesterday, very accomplished for being of any help! buuuut as I make my way over to the nurses station, my prof is sitting at my chair, GLARING at me. I'm like "OH &^@(*%&)(#@%&!!!!!!"

i left the computer open! =/

sooo she starts: " You left my computer open!!! It's under my name! You just broke confidentiality! This the perfect way to go to jail, how dare you--" etc etc. Well she said a lot more, including "I can't trust you"(That hurt the most.)

So I apologized perfusely and went back to my pt's room. Pt was asleep so I was able to catch a "breather" and collect myself. I wasn't gunna cry. So I walk out and my professor is coming towards me. She signals me to get closer to her. She says again, "What's wrong with you, I didn't expect this from you, I am so disappointed, how would you like if I left your information open like that? You are all over the place, you do things too fast, maybe that is why you lost your ipod, you just leaves things, you can't be like that and be a nurse, if you do that one more time I am going to write you up!"

Well needless to say, I had to go into the bathroom and weep a little. i felt sooo stupid. i was so angry at myself. she had every right to be upset at me but i felt terrible. i have a pretty lousy attention span but i try really hard to avoid things like this.

i felt so discouraged yesterday. i really don't want to make any more mistakes, even little ones because i am so scared that she already considers me irresponsible. i took it very seriously and i would never try to harm anyone. on the contrary, two families complemented me yesterday and one even told me i was going to be a great nurse.... i just hope i don't mess up again or i'm fried...

[grpman]

I don't want to make light of the situation b/c there are hefty penalties regarding privacy, but it isn't jail. Learn from it and let your actions in the future make up for the past. You can't change it, it's done. You didin't kill anyone, you didn't administer wrong meds...learn from it.

From one student to the next, you seem to have the perfect attitude about it as well. You took responsibility and it seems to bother you a lot. These little wake me ups seem to help us. I had almost the same thing happen and got the same speech and I am now the first to remember to close out of any computer with pt info when leaving. In an odd way it helped me. I bet it will help you.

[PghRN30]

I'm not sure how things are in your program, so I may be off base, but in my program "being written up" is a "learning contract". And it is exactly that, a contract between you and your instructor that you need improve certain things.....its not the end of the world.....its not the end of your being a nursing student. It IS documentation that you and your instructor are on the same page on something you need to improve on, and that if you do not improve on that, then you will not pass. But it is a line in the sand......you know what is expected of you, make it happen. I know I have been "written up" once each of the last 3 terms counting this one. I got upset the last 2....this last one I just sat down with my teacher, clarified what she expected, and it is not a difficult expectation, so I am not worried. All of mine were "moment in time" errors (like yours).....but they do reflect a bigger (though easy to fix) issue (which yours seems to as well). Relax, evaluate yourself, and make the changes/improvements that need to be made.

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

guys thanks for your words/support:hug:...... i felt so dumb because i had just warned my friend about it. i covered his butt but not mine... ugh

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

I'm not sure how things are in your program, so I may be off base, but in my program "being written up" is a "learning contract". And it is exactly that, a contract between you and your instructor that you need improve certain things.....its not the end of the world.....its not the end of your being a nursing student. It IS documentation that you and your instructor are on the same page on something you need to improve on, and that if you do not improve on that, then you will not pass. But it is a line in the sand......you know what is expected of you, make it happen. I know I have been "written up" once each of the last 3 terms counting this one. I got upset the last 2....this last one I just sat down with my teacher, clarified what she expected, and it is not a difficult expectation, so I am not worried. All of mine were "moment in time" errors (like yours).....but they do reflect a bigger (though easy to fix) issue (which yours seems to as well). Relax, evaluate yourself, and make the changes/improvements that need to be made.

BTW, i am not completely sure what being written up means in our program. i was too scared to ask when she said that!!!! but i really hope its like you are saying. thanks :redpinkhe

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

this reminds me a little bit of the classic ann landers (or maybe dear abby) column. "i'm a teenager and my parents are always telling me to clean up my room, do my homework, be on time, and take out the trash. what should i do about this?"

and the answer is, of course, "clean up your room, do your homework, be on time, and take out the trash."

if your instructor says she has noticed you being impulsive and careless in the past, even if others tell you you'll "be a great nurse," perhaps you ought to focus on slowing down and focusing better. your instructor has seen a lot of students and has a frame of reference to compare you to. pay attention.

[AOx1]

Your instructor was rightfully upset, as you mention. However, as an instructor, I can also say that:

1. Students make mistakes, and yours was not life threatening, although it could have caused the instructor difficulties had it been discovered.

2. You take full responsibility for your mistakes. This is a good thing.

3. Novice nurses and nursing students tend to be so preoccupied with not killing the patient that they have a difficult time prioritizing care. It takes time before all of this is second nature.

The good news is that if your instructor thought you were truly a threat to patient safety, you would already be on contract. You just need to slow down, try to calmly respond to situations. I would tell her what you've decided to do in the future to ensure that things will go better. Ex- "I thought about what you said, and thought about what the consequences could have been to leave the screen open. In the future, I will always log out before going to do something else." Try to show her that you are deliberate in your choices, and not disorganized.

[rubato, ASN, RN]

Maybe you could use this as a good opportunity. See if you can meet with her and explain that, while you realize what you did was a big deal and wrong, you are going to use it was a tool to improve this flaw she sees. At least, I'd try to look at it that way. You're early in your schooling and this is a time to learn your strengths and weaknesses and tweak where you need to. No biggie.

[mpihl]

I see this same thing happen on the unit i have my clinical's on all the time - by the nursing staff. My first clinical this semester I had a patient and she was trying to get out of bed (which means she would have fallen and hurt her self badly). Me and another nurse had to rush in there to catch her whenever this happened. Well, once I was trying to close out the computer and finally I just got up. I was told after that by every nurse on that unit that when it comes down to emergencies that can harm a patient just press the button to turn off the screen and go help the patient. To click through all of the those tabs on some computers can take way to much time and your patient could be very hurt - turning off the screen doesn't close it all out but at least hides it from people walking by. Now personally I don't know if this would cut it with my instructors or things like HIPPA but I also know that they don't lock up the paper charts they just shut the binder to hide it and turning off the screen does the same thing.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Seems like an honest mistake. You were trying to be helpful, and made a simple error (believe it not, humans will do this!). Don't try and rationalize this to her, just apologize (which it sounds like you did) and move on...and don't do it again. :)

Now, don't go telling your professor this, but she committed a bit violation too by having other's look up pt information under her name, especially if she walked away while others were doing this. Suppose a prima donna surgeon came up with a student was looking at her assigned pt's information. The surgeon says "I need to check labs on my patient," then looks up that pt's info while on the instructors account...not good for the instructor. Suppose a student sees a name they recognize on the list of pt's and opens the chart. Yes, the student bears the majority of the responsibility, but the instuctor bears some too....hope she realizes this.

[on eagles wings, ASN, RN]

yeah it was only the first day that we got to use the stupid computer access too. i'm so scared of making any more mistakes, even if they are little because i am scared she is gunna hold a grudge or something. i am gunna talk to her first thing next class... i really hope she will let me get her trust back.

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

I think the biggest thing that upset your instructor is that you let the computer open for anyone to access and it is under her name. If the crap hits the fan and something DID happen, it would be your instructor taking the fall because it is all under her name.