Broke Foot=withdraw from nursing school

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Hey this is my first post. But I need advice I broke my foot 2 weeks ago and have had to withdraw from nursing school because of it. I have to be on crutches I could not do clinical for 4 weeks and they would have failed out. SO my advice needed is do I wait the YEAR til next fall to get into the RN program and finish it then or do I transfer to another college and start an accelerated BSN program in May and finish it in July? Either way I am pushed back a year until i finish my degree. Just wanted some thoughts if anyone is in an accelerated program and can give me an idea of how fast paced etc? Thanks

Freak

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In the idiotically cut-throat program that is Nursing..... There are a few options depending on how empathetic your instructors/program heads are.

A class mate of mine had a horribly torn cartilage in her R shoulder to the point of repeat shoulder dislocations every day. The nursing program head deliberated for 10-12 WEEKS before deciding that should would be allowed to do independent preceptorship once her shoulder healed (during the summer). This was a major major headache for my friend because she had a OB RN who volunteered to precept her and an major medical center that would accept her as a student but the instructors were belligerent.

On the flip side, I have another friend who had an emergent TAH (total abdominal hysterectomy) 3 wks prior to the end of her 3rd semester of nursing. They failed her for the course because she couldn't finish 2 days of clinical time.

I've never found a profession that is as un-empathetic as this nursing field. I've got a B.S. in Biology & Computer science. I can't wait to graduate (10 wks)....

I would at least seek the option of an independent clinical, even if you HAVE withdrawn. They might let you back in and let you do the coursework but delay the clinical.

I'm sorry man, I know this is hard.

-Rob

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I agree, try to delay the clinical but keep up with your other course work. Talk to the chair of the department, not your clinical instructor or coordinator. A broken foot heals quickly if you're healthy and stay off of it. ;)

^^^I also whole heartedly agree with Rob that nurses appear to be painfully unempathetic. It scares the heck out of me for thier patients and makes me leary every time I'm in the care of a nurse. Everything seems to be a competition and one-upmanship is rampant. It's ridiculous.

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Your school didn't offer you any options besides withdrawing? I find that disappointing. You weren't able to stay enrolled in non-clinical courses to get ahead on those? Also, they don't offer whatever clinical you were in next semester? You couldn't do an extra clinical day with another group once you are better?

I broke my toe the week school started and was able to make up extra clinical hours after I was able to be in a regular shoe. Maybe my school is just flexible because they've worked around other student's problems when they've gotten pregnant, sick, or had other injuries.

I would be really upset if I were you and would go back to my school and ask for a plan to accommodate you. That is not fair that you have to reapply for another program!

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

I would be disheartened, too, if a school did not allow some other option than withdrawing or failure. I hate to say this but I would consider a different school if this one is so inflexible.

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Specializes in US Army.

Love your name :)

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Go the accelerated BSN route. You can't beat that.

I'm not in an accelerated program since the BSN pathway I'm in is a four semester deal. However, IF the program were moving twice as fast as we are at this moment then I would say an accelerated program is more than doable.

Good luck.

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I withdrew from school based on a medical injury and caught hell from the director of the nursing program. She came right out and threatened me on the phone, telling me that I would not be doing that again, that there were more students wanting to go into nursing than there were spaces in nursing school, and she accused me of playing games by withdrawing from school. What a sick puppy she was. She got her wish when I got laid off from my job and stopped going to school. In our school catalog it clearly stated that a student could take a medical leave of absence for up to one whole year. Of course, unless you happened to be under that crone.

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Yeah, that doesn't seem right that you had to withdrawal b/c of an injury. My friend's appendix ruptured last week and she spent 3 days in the hospital. We have 2 exams tomorrow and our professor told her she could delay the exam since she was in the hospital with a severe infection (kinda hard to study under those circumstances). They were really good about working with her and her situation.

If you can't get back into your program, I say go the ABSN route. That's what I'm doing right now. It's not impossible. It's definitely hard, but so far, it's doable. Yes, I'm stressed and no, I should not be on allnurses right now, but obtaining a BSN in 12 months is totally worth the stress.

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I already know my school would insist you withdraw, but would then 'pencil' you in as an automatic selection the following semester. For me, while I would never want that to happen, I would find a silver lining and take the time to learn an area of concern/weakness inside and out (for me that would mean electrolytes:o)

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thanks for all the input and I am goin to apply for both the ABSN and my program I had to withdraw from i don't think it's fair that I couldn't make up the clinicals or something but they were not willing to work with me on that I spoke with the head of the nursing program. It sucks but no worries. And lol my name on here is soo me so thanks for the like :)

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From a program perspective, they are required by the state that you complete a certain number of clinical hours. They are only allowed a certain time at the hospital per the hospital's contract. They simply cannot accommodate an illness or injury that would require a significant amount of clinical make up time. It has nothing to do with empathy (or lack thereof) and everything to do with meeting the requirements for the state to provide your education.

If you've already bought your books or spent time in class, I'd stick with your program. In every program I've ever heard of, and I admit that's not a large sample size, they automatically put you in the next class, usually starting in the class/semester/quarter you were in when you had to drop.

If you haven't bought books or spent time in class, I wouldn't tell your school that you were thinking to going somewhere else. Only drop the other school if you most definitely were accepted into the ABSN program.

I'm sorry you broke your foot, and I'm sure it's disappointing to be set back in your education. Don't carry a lot of anger for blame for the school, though; their hands are tied in situations like that. It's the state BONs that sets the clinical requirements and the hospitals that limit their availability to the bare minimum that create the situations you're in.

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