did anyone here have to do this in nursing school?

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i'm in my 4th semester of a five semester ADN program.

i find that the most difficult and stressful issues for me with nursing school has been arranging child care. i have to pay alot of money to motivate someone to be at on time at the weird hours and all over the place schedule of my nursing clinicals. it's cost me a king's random but so far i've been able to manage it. (i'm unemployed fulltime student single parent).

now i've found out that in addition to a 90hr preceptor ship and 9 additional 6hr clinicals two lecture courses. we are required to go to a army base 45 mins from my home and STAY THERE FOR 72hrs so we can be trained in disaster scenario nursing. i have three kids one who is a 8y/o low-functioning non-verbal autistic child who's never been away from me for more than 12hrs at a time. he's not potty trained and when he gets upset he has screaming fits and sometime head banging. he's totally not aware for his own safely and at is also a "runner" he will bolt away and start running in one direction and won't stop til you run up and catch him. he requires constant vagilant supervision. i'm so worried that something will happen while i'm away. (when i get out of school i plan to work 7pm-7am.)

what bothers me most is having to stay there and no being allows to drive home in the evenings.

i feel like i'm being kid-knapped away from my children. does the school have the right to OWN me for 72hrs straight? while the state BON lists the obectives of disaster preparedness it doesn't say anywhere that we are requires to live away from our families for this training.

in addition i wil have to pay around $300 for someone to stay with my kids for those three days alone -this will be a huge hit to my finances. during this time (we live on well below $10k a year). i have no family support system to help me with this.

this wil be during the summer so he and his sister will be home. during the school year he attends our local public school where people know and understand the kind of care and supervision he requires.

this isn't the first time that i've come up against the attitude that "nursing school must be your first priority everything else must take a back seat even your family or how dare you have any life outside of nursing school". i've even had a clinical instructor smurk at me during orientation because i dared to ask when the clinical day would end. i guess i was suppose to accept the they would own me body and soul as long as they wished. "i can't tell you how much i wanted to yell "i have CHILDREN!! ever heard of those?!!

my children ARE MY MOTIVATION for going to nursing school and all the hard work i've put into it. i fail to see how neglecting my responsibilities as a parent will make me a better nurse.

thanks for reading and sorry for the rant. i will manage somehow. i always do.

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Never had to do that, but a nice opportunity.

I figured out early that nursing likes to drop stuff unexpectedly on you. In their minds you would not be in the program if you had "other" responsibilities. You are theirs for the duration. It would be on you to rid yourself of those responsibilites (LOL).

People who became ill or had family members become ill (and I'm talking major) were not given much leeway. You knew your choice was to drop the course, or drop the course.

Hopefully they would take pity and allow you to hop back in at some future semester if there was room available.

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I am sorry to say that you should deal with this, and do your utmost to keep your problems from the personnel at the school. At my school, if the wrong people got wind of a student's personal problems, that student became targeted, even to the point of being forced out of school. From what I have read through the years, this is not necessarily an isolated phenonemon.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

The problem with nursing school is that they aren't upfront enough about their rule of students having to be flexible. What they should say, is yes for the duration of the program we do in fact own you and even though we are not flexible you have no choice but to be until graduation, if you want your diploma and ATI that is.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Whether the school is right or wrong is its expectations are really beside the point. I agree that they are asking for a lot. However, they set the rules for what they expect, and you entered their program, even if they didn't disclose everything involved ahead of time. Your best bet is to do what you have to do to get through it. You have sacrificed too much to not finish. On the plus side, this is better training than most schools provide. Keep going and best of luck!

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I'm thinking you ought to sit down w/the dean and find out if there are any options. You're not trying to "get out" of something, you have a very legitimate problem, and you need some help! Point out that you have invested significant time and $$ in the program, you have good grades (I hope), and that you would be willing to do sort of a research project to replace climbing up and down ladders, tieing knots, and playing w/fire extinguishers. (Not to mention bonding time w/your classmates.)

Bring whatever documentation you have regarding your child's special needs (well, not everything. Those spec ed files are bulky to say the least.) I think you need to document the financial hardship as well.

Maybe I'm being naive, but, in your situation, I think they should cut you a litle tiny bit of slack.

I truly wish you all the best, and, if necessary, I'll come talk to the dean w/you. Wait a minute, where are you?

p.s. In re-reading my post, I may sound a little flippant, but I do support you in your endeavor to provide for your family. You have a tough row to hoe. If you're like most of the spec ed moms I know, you are up to the task! God Bless.

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Stay home with the kid and I will go in your place.

I would LOVE the opportunity to do something like that!

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Sadly I have seen people put out for things like a broken leg, a death in the family that required out of state travel and for a car accident that took longer than a couple of days to recover from. They do, in fact, own you for the duration. It isn't reasonable for everyone, it is true. I think the above suggestion to talk to the dean is valid and a good one. However, I would not be surprised if you are simply told there is not a thing they can do about it. They would have to make exceptions for pretty much everyone if they did for you, as finding a place to draw that line becomes tricky. It would be hard to quantify to someone else why your situation warranted accomodation and not theirs.

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I feel for you.......and I don't know if there's anything you can really do. Chances are the dean will tell you "Too bad". However, it couldn't hurt to try.

I have been fortunate enough that my instructors have been understanding regarding childcare issues and such. They aren't lenient on deaths or broken legs though.....but they are understanding if you need to call home and what not.

If you haven't already, check into some sort of summer school program for him. That might lessen the cost a bit.....or maybe not.

I'm sorry you have to deal with this frustration and I hope you can get it worked out.

i'm in my 4th semester of a five semester ADN program.

i find that the most difficult and stressful issues for me with nursing school has been arranging child care. i have to pay alot of money to motivate someone to be at on time at the weird hours and all over the place schedule of my nursing clinicals. it's cost me a king's random but so far i've been able to manage it. (i'm unemployed fulltime student single parent).

now i've found out that in addition to a 90hr preceptor ship and 9 additional 6hr clinicals two lecture courses. we are required to go to a army base 45 mins from my home and STAY THERE FOR 72hrs so we can be trained in disaster scenario nursing. i have three kids one who is a 8y/o low-functioning non-verbal autistic child who's never been away from me for more than 12hrs at a time. he's not potty trained and when he gets upset he has screaming fits and sometime head banging. he's totally not aware for his own safely and at is also a "runner" he will bolt away and start running in one direction and won't stop til you run up and catch him. he requires constant vagilant supervision. i'm so worried that something will happen while i'm away. (when i get out of school i plan to work 7pm-7am.)

what bothers me most is having to stay there and no being allows to drive home in the evenings.

i feel like i'm being kid-knapped away from my children. does the school have the right to OWN me for 72hrs straight? while the state BON lists the obectives of disaster preparedness it doesn't say anywhere that we are requires to live away from our families for this training.

in addition i wil have to pay around $300 for someone to stay with my kids for those three days alone -this will be a huge hit to my finances. during this time (we live on well below $10k a year). i have no family support system to help me with this.

this wil be during the summer so he and his sister will be home. during the school year he attends our local public school where people know and understand the kind of care and supervision he requires.

this isn't the first time that i've come up against the attitude that "nursing school must be your first priority everything else must take a back seat even your family or how dare you have any life outside of nursing school". i've even had a clinical instructor smurk at me during orientation because i dared to ask when the clinical day would end. i guess i was suppose to accept the they would own me body and soul as long as they wished. "i can't tell you how much i wanted to yell "i have CHILDREN!! ever heard of those?!!

my children ARE MY MOTIVATION for going to nursing school and all the hard work i've put into it. i fail to see how neglecting my responsibilities as a parent will make me a better nurse.

thanks for reading and sorry for the rant. i will manage somehow. i always do.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I am wondering if you could ask one of the people who work with him in school to take the 72 hour shift with him. Someone familiar would no doubt improve his adjustment to the situation and lower your stress over the kind of care he is getting.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Are there any respite programs in your area that you can use for your son? that way you can have someone who has experience with autism watching him.

Have you looked into contacting your local colleges and have a child development major or special education major who is looking to make some money watch your son.

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Specializes in Early Intervention, Nsg. Education.

It sounds like you're facing an uphill battle. My 14y.o. son has Autism, and is high-functioning but nonverbal. We've received funding for programs, extra care, and materials for him by applying for grants from non-profit orgs. Here's a great database listing many financial assistance opportunities that are available: Autism Grants Spreadsheet - Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)I wish you success in your final semester.

mm

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