Completely heartbroken over unethical instructor

[feelinglost]

I have read numerous horror stories on here that are very similar to my own. I was an A-B student averaging a 3.0 GPA during my nursing classes. We were told to request certain shifts and departments for our final clinicals. We were also told that if we didn't get our first choice, that we would at least receive our second or third choice. I didn't receive any of my choices and I was also forced to work night shift when I have never been a night person and never will be. I was informed that they placed me on this specific floor because they felt it suited me. This is coming from the person who has given me a hard time since day one.

I asked to be switched to a daytime shift numerous times to no avail. I sucked it up and did my best to push through it since graduation was so close. I made a few minor mistakes during my clinicals, nothing critical and surely mistakes that a regular nurse could make that wasn't in training. The nurse I was to shadow belittled me in front of the other staff on the floor after I had made a mistake which was very embarrassing.

I managed to make it through my clinical hours and on the last day I was informed that my preceptor and the instructor didn't feel that I was RN material nor would I represent the college in a favorable manor. My final grades went from A's and B's to an F because of this and my GPA has dropped below a 3.0, which it never has before.

I took full responsibility for the mistakes that I had made, but it didn't matter. I have now been in contact with the appeals board of my school and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I feel like the investigation of an instructor's ethics shouldn't be so absurd to ask for. It isn't an insane thing to think that maybe an instructor could fail a student because they aren't fond of them. Will my word win against a professor? I think not. I have been a nurse for so many years and have never dealt with this level of unprofessionalism.

I don't know whether or not I should return to this school in five months to redo my clinicals or if I should transfer to another school all together. Either way, my dreams are crushed, my GPA has suffered tremendously, and I feel as if there is no hope. I'm mentally exhausted and feel like there's nothing more I can do.

Why should I be forced to lie down and take this? It isn't hard for me to believe that I was specifically given the floor and nurse to shadow for unethical reasons. There is a dark side to nursing school and if you stick out in any fashion, you will be penalized for it. In my case, I probably didn't fit the mold and probably didn't bite my tongue like a lot of the inexperienced student nurses did. Those things alone cost me my diploma and it's unfair.

[surgerymedic]

Hate to say this is out of character or not unheard of but the same thing happened to me in 2008. I was a male nursing student and because of that I was the enemy. My previous clinical I had aced and the teacher was great but this teacher made no effort to hide that she didn't feel guys could or should be nurses. My grades fell, I was pushed into anxiety, and I actually dropped out the school to enlist in the Air Force....6 years later I'm going back to nursing. Try to transfer somewhere because it's a long road if you drop out. I could have been an officer 4 years ago, people would be saluting me, instead I'm just an enlisted surgical tech.

[strawberryluv, BSN, RN]

Tell me about it. I think my current nursing instructor has a bias opinion of me because of what my previous clinical

instructor said about me. In clinical, she asks me so many questions...it feels like my old clinical instructor all over again.

I'm thinking of requesting a new clinical instructor because I don't think its fair.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

What "minor" mistakes did you make? It's tough to claim unfair treatment when the details provided are scant.

Also, you're not above the night shift, even if you're not a night person. Forcing you to take a night rotation isn't an affront to your rights. It's simply a reality of nursing, and one that you may well encounter again.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

but they made requests, and were assured that they would be accommodated, and the OP wasn't. that is the bottom line.

What "minor" mistakes did you make? It's tough to claim unfair treatment when the details provided are scant.

Also, you're not above the night shift, even if you're not a night person. Forcing you to take a night rotation isn't an affront to your rights. It's simply a reality of nursing, and one that you may well encounter again.

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

In my final semester I did not receive any of my clinical choices either and I ended nursing school with 3 semesters of med-surg under my belt, an area I have no particular interest in. To the OP chances of you winning an argument with the Dean of nursing or instructor are very slim to say the least. The politics of nursing schools, they usually gang up on the student making the complaint as a unified force.

I remember in my 2nd semester they were saying I was not right for nursing school, yet here I am a new graduate BSN. I just learned to stay on the down low and do what it takes to get it over with.

An instructors and preceptors job is to make necessary interventions prior to the end of clinicals to ensure your success, not to embarrass you so they could feel high and mighty. IF the school allows it, I would just retake the clinical at the same college instead of years starting over and then having to explain that to a new school could be a pain and having to retake some of the same courses if they do not transfer. Next time around just keep low, say "yes mame" for everything, smile to their faces like its the best clinical in the world even if you have to fake it and just get your degree and be done with it. It may be 3 months of hell but it will be your last to get to your graduation and you will never have to see them again if you so choose.

[Miss.LeoRN]

So let me see if I follow...

You didn't get into the clinical's you want. You were placed in one your professor thought would fit you, and I am sure there is a clause somewhere about clinical placements and first come first serve, or them being by GPA, or instructors discretion. So your instructor put you somewhere he/she thought would be best for you. You ended up making some undisclosed mistakes that you think are "common of any nurse". Not just one mistake, you said mistakes, as in plural. And now you're upset because they don't think you're fit to graduate?

I'm sorry, I don't see what you think you're professor did wrong, or unethical?

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

As a new grad it is highly unlikely that you would get a day time shift, nights at times are slower paced.

What are the "minor mistakes" that you made? You may feel that they were minor or common but perhaps they were not. Hard to really give advice or judge what was unethical about it without knowing the full story.

Unethical to me is, they put you in a compromising situation, or discriminated against you based on race, religion or sex. But " I am not a night shift person" and putting you on night shift isn't unethical or on a unit you don't have interest in, is not unethical

[mariebailey, MSN, RN]

Strictly my opinion here, no facts: You need to know that you appear to be catastrophizing & playing the victim in this thread. Also, google "internal locus of control" when you get a chance. Go talk to a therapist a/b life in general. I am only telling you this b/c I have been guilty of the same behavior as a nursing student, nurse, & fellow human being, so it's east to spot. I'm not trying to be mean. I wish you well. Things can work out for you; decide to make that happen.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

"Minor mistakes" in a student's view are often "major mistakes" in the view of the nurses on this board. There was the student who was ready to give 10 times the ordered insulin dose, but was caught by his preceptor just before giving it. He "didn't think it was a big deal because it never reached the patient." There was the student who gave the correct dose of Coumadin -- to a patient whose INR was 8. Another major mistake, but the student didn't think it was a big deal because it was ordered, it was on the MAR and she gave it right on time. You saying you made some "minor mistakes" doesn't really win you any sympathy here. Your idea of a minor mistake may be someone else's idea of a major mistake.

The instructor placed you in a clinical she thought was a good fit for you. If everyone in your class made the same three requests, it's likely that there just weren't enough spots for all of you, and perhaps she chose by GPA. Or maybe she chose by drawing names out of a hat. But the fact that you don't feel your instructor likes you doesn't mean she is in any way unethical. Maybe she doesn't like you -- but she had a rationale for placing you where she did.

The fact that you "aren't a night person and never will be" does not exempt you from ever working nights. If you want to work in a hospital, you'll work some nights. EVen if you don't want to work in a hospital, most of those coveted "no patient care" positions require at least some bedside experience, and it's highly unlikely that you'll get that without working nights. If the only available preceptor (or the best available preceptor) is working nights, you will work nights. That is neither unfair nor unethical, and your low GPA may have ensured that you would get the least popular clinical. You should have just sucked it up, dealt with it, and treated every mistake as a major one.

Transferring to another school isn't going to get you through school and earning money any quicker. If you stay at your present school, you'll have to overcome the reputation you have now undoubtedly earned yourself. But there's no way to ensure that it doesn't accompany you to another school. So my advice is to suck it up and deal. Take the clinical over. Work the preceptorship you're given. Treat every mistake as a life-threatening one.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[SionainnRN]

So let me see if I follow...

You didn't get into the clinical's you want. You were placed in one your professor thought would fit you, and I am sure there is a clause somewhere about clinical placements and first come first serve, or them being by GPA, or instructors discretion. So your instructor put you somewhere he/she thought would be best for you. You ended up making some undisclosed mistakes that you think are "common of any nurse". Not just one mistake, you said mistakes, as in plural. And now you're upset because they don't think you're fit to graduate?

I'm sorry, I don't see what you think you're professor did wrong, or unethical?

Not only that but your preceptor didn't think you were ready to be a RN, is that being blamed on the professor also? I don't see anything in your OP where the professor did anything wrong, let alone anything unethical.

As for the night shift thing, as a new grad if you're lucky to even get a job odds are it will be on night shift. Possibly for years till there is an opening on days. That's just the reality of hospital jobs.

[sadiemae1123]

So, when you made each of the mistakes, did your professor and preceptor work with you to help you understand what went wrong and how to avoid it happening again? Were you given progress reports and constructive feedback during the clinical so you would know what areas need improvement? Did you request any feedback?

The way you tell it, it sounds like they both let you go along with the impression you were doing fine and offered no constructive critiques of your performance at any time during your clinical. If that's truly the case then you might have a reasonable complaint.