I am supposed to enter my senior year in a BSN program by August, i already completed 3 semesters in the program. I just found out my nursing program sent my a dismissal letter for what they tagged "unprofessional" behavior. These behavior includes calling my teacher less than one hour to a lab class to get permission to be absent due to sick health, waking up late due to a sickness and could not attend a 6:30am clinical which i already made up, not being able to review my nursing exam afterwards because i wad having serious anxiety attack, etc. The point is that look for every opportunity yo write me up because I'm one if their best and the only black.
They already told me at the last disciplinary meeting that i have one chance before being kicked out and i have not used that last chance and they sent me a letter of dismissal when I'm already away for break.
My questions:
1) Can i appeal this successfully?
2) Can another school accept me if i choose to transfer?
3) Is it advisable to make this a court case and will it have any effect on finding a job here afterwards?
Note: I am an international student on an F1 visa for now.
So in summary, you have none of the details needed to prove or disprove her claims, yet you chose the latter; you have no experience as a Black person dealing with possible discrimination; you are equating suspected racism with new grad nurses thinking everyone is 'jealous' of them...
OP never stated that every Black person who is dismissed from a program should claim racism, so for 90% of you all to jump to that is gaslighting. There are plenty of instances where Black students are dismissed based on their performance, and plenty where racists instructors have a hand in it. It is not up to the Allnurses board members to be the judge. You all should have kept your comments to yourself.
Her issue has NOTHING to do with being black. I am so sick of the fake outrage crap that plagues the internet here lately.
I would like to apologize for the lack understanding regarding your situation from fellow nurses. Being a person of color I think that this is the wrong platform to ask for advice regarding your issue, because quite frankly the people who are commenting have NO IDEA what it is like being the only minority in a nursing program. Now if I was you I would do my research on other schools and try to find a school where you can explain your situation to and see if they are willing to accept you into their nursing program with your circumstances. Don't give up! And when you do find a school be prepared and do not slack!!! Remember WE have to work 10x harder in everything we do always!
I just don't understand how you can support racism as the reason for dismissal. I fully agree that the "Black tax" exists and the medical field in general is overwhelmingly biased but she offered not one piece of information that would get me on her side. I have experience bigotry, bias, ans racism and none of what OP describe was it. I feel bad if she is experiencing any of it but from what she originally posted, she's just looking to blame someone else for her poor work ethic.
So in summary, you have none of the details needed to prove or disprove her claims, yet you chose the latter; you have no experience as a Black person dealing with possible discrimination; you are equating suspected racism with new grad nurses thinking everyone is 'jealous' of them...
Wrong. I did NOT equate suspected racism with new grad nurses thinking everyone is jealous of them. I equated her saying they specifically targeted her because she was "one of their best" with new grad nurses saying that everyone is jealous of them. If I had thought the former, I would have said so.
I honestly don't know if the OP is the victim of racism and have said so numerous times. It's certainly plausible given what we know about our society. But she has related zero details to support it. If she wants a successful appeal based on that accusation, she will need to prove it.
You all should have kept your comments to yourself.
I will do no such thing. I have as much right to post here as you do as long as I abide by the TOS and I will continue to post whenever I dang well feel like it.
I'm really disturbed by all the "can't believe you're playing the race card comments". That's just ignorance. Until we (white people) can listen and try to understand what black people have been through and what their daily experiences are of racism and bias we can't improve the situation.
Yes it sounds like there are other issues but that doesn't invalidate any discrimination that she feels she has experienced.
I don't consider myself racist as I'm sure most of us don't, but that doesn't mean I'm not part of the problem. We need to do better.
The point is that look for every opportunity yo write me up because I'm one if their best and the only black.
I feel your pain, I have "been the only Black nurse" for many years. You can not and should not expect for nurses that are not of color to understand how you are feeling. I am not condoning your bad behavior. If you are aware of racism, you must also know that you can not compare yourself with other nursing students that are not of color. What I mean is as a Black nurse, can not expect to receive the same treatment. I am sorry, I know that some are not going to like my comments, but it really is the truth. Nursing school is just the beginning, maybe you need to think long and hard if you really want to be nurse. As a Black nurse, you will encounter racism quite often. You have to decide how you are going to deal with it. You must be your best self at all times and follow the rules. If you are behaving professionally, there will be little room for conflicts. Nursing school is difficult and working as a nurse in the real world is even more difficult. Being the only Black nurse, or one of few, harder! I worked and went to nursing school as a single mom over 20 years ago, it was not easy. I had to drop my daughter off at my parents house before clinical or classes, I picked her up, cooked, helped her with her homework, and then do my homework. Becoming a nurse was my passion, so I toughened up and ignored the bad behavior. If you are unable to follow rules, and control yourself when or if you encounter racism, then I suggest you pick another career. Unless you can absolutely prove racism, just keep it to yourself, and keep it moving. I wish you the best of luck.
I don't see how anybody but the OP knows if she encountered racism or not. If she says so , I believe her. However, I don't think this is only a black issue. I think being foreigner with an accent also is met by attitudes. It's just something that can be understood by those who have experienced it.
Becoming a nurse was my passion, so I toughened up and ignored the bad behavior. If you are unable to follow rules, and control yourself when or if you encounter racism, then I suggest you pick another career.
^^^ THIS.
Registered just to respond to this. Please bear with.
I am a Black, Man, and NOT (originally) American. I am definitely a minority in nursing.
However, the perspective I bring to work/study is informed by a previous decades-long career in psychology applied to business and strategic matters. Indeed, one can say that my foray into nursing is mostly "cover" from which to continue my original career, in a more anonymous capacity.
Having said that, what I can offer OP and other Blacks in America is this: "white supremacy" and its opposing ideologies, which some might label "liberalism" or "feminism" are two sides of the same psychological operation. And while NOT all Americans are privy to this SICK game, most are recruited or conditioned to participate in some degree or another. You only need 1-2 "operators" in a class of 100, or on any nursing floor. They then flit about whispering the right things, to the right people--including and especially YOU, Black person--in order to keep the societal chaos churning. When directly targeting Blacks, they try to win your confidence & cultivate dependency. They offer to help you with simple things, in order to get it into your head, that EVERYTHING is unreasonably difficult. They do it to attack your ability to remain psychologically calm when dealing with new/unexpected/difficult events/situations.
This ability is otherwise known as "courage", and has a physiological basis. The physiological reality of what we think we feel differs according to race. Wont get into the mechanics here, but Blacks are generally far easier to "dis-courage" than non-Blacks. And this knowledge is used to deplete your mental calm over time, resulting in aberrant behavior best described as "psychosis". The OP actually has all of the major hallmarks of this--which is what their detractors are keying in on. OP actually DID have the power to prevent what occurred, but it required that which was mentioned in the quoted text above.
You need to fire up your passion, physiologically, and psychologically push out everything that might potentially get in the way of your success. What you need is ANGER together with (self) LOVE. Love for others is fine and dandy when you are neurologically wired this way. However, reality is, not all people are and Blacks are less likely to be so. LOVE OF SELF married to ANGER AT SELF. Once you figure out how to use this to calm and focus your mind, your demeanor will change in a way that invites other challenges. Those who whisper things will focus on targeting those around you, to label you as lacking in "humanity", and will attempt to project all sorts of inhumane/uncaring behaviors onto you and your work. BUT there is a way to deal with this simply--EYE CONTACT and FACIAL MIMICRY. When performing any kind of clinical task, make sure that the person being worked on (patient, faculty, or student) FEELS they have nothing to complain about, by reacting quickly and carefully to the faces being made, to nullify the emotional "ripples".
As for studying--"courage" actually makes it easier to remember things in a rote, illogical way. And this is absolutely necessary when dealing with educational materials/systems designed for/by women. Trying to understand or "make sense" of things is a trap designed to "dis-courage". Expect NOTHING to be perfect. Understand simply that you are NOT meant to understand--you are meant to simply "know". "Know what THEY want you to know" and know it in a way that requires absolutely NO laborious thinking. "Just know".
So, in summary--YES there was major MAJOR racism working against OP, but they failed to recognize the dynamics as well as the true agents of racial supremacy. And in doing so, allowed themselves to become the very same stereotype that LEGITIMIZES the societal imbalances commonly referred to as "racism".
Registered just to respond to this. Please bear with.
I am a Black, Man, and NOT (originally) American.
targeting Blacks, they try to win your confidence & cultivate dependency. They offer to help you with simple things, to get it into your head, that EVERYTHING is unreasonably difficult. They do it to attack your ability to remain psychologically calm when dealing with new/unexpected/difficult events/situations.
Wont get into the mechanics here, but Blacks are generally far easier to "dis-courage" than non-Blacks.
You need to fire up your passion, physiologically, and psychologically push out everything that might potentially get in the way of your success. What you need is ANGER together with (self) LOVE. Love for others is fine and dandy when you are neurologically wired this way. However, reality is, not all people are and Blacks are less likely to be so. LOVE OF SELF married to ANGER AT SELF.
So, in summary--YES there was major MAJOR racism working against OP, but they failed to recognize the dynamics as well as the real agents of racial supremacy.
Well said! I agree with most of your points. However, I presume that many here will not accept, condone, or understand what you are talking about. I applaud your courage. I learned very early in nursing that I will or may be treated differently because of the color of my skin.
I try to stay positive. I became a nurse because I wanted to care for all people in need. The other stuff is not essential. If I can tolerate it, I do, if I can't, I leave. Most of the time, the very people who treated me strange or mean at first, turn out to be very good acquaintances. Unfortunately, stereotyping causes us to be sized up by our appearance. Therefore, we have to work harder to gain respect from our peers.
The simple fact that this young person said that she was the only Black student in her clinical or class caused this forum to be hot! I am honestly not surprised that most of the responses were at best, unkind. This is the world that we live in. It could be better but it could also be worst. I hope some lessons were learned here.
Again, I am not condoning her irresponsible behavior. Nor do I agree with her stating in this forum that is the only Black student.
These millennials are so entitled! Haha! Just kidding! Best regards everyone! Have a great life!
What struck me was this:" my nursing exam afterwards because i wad having serious anxiety attack, etc." If someone is melting down over an exam, what are they going to do on the floor? Exam easy. Work hard.
I'm not a moderator, but I feel it should be said - this thread has gotten way off topic. It's become about racism and whether or not the OP experienced it, what others have gone through, etc..
The OP wanted to know if he/she could appeal successfully, whether or not another school would accept him/her if he/she chose to transfer, and whether or not it is advisable to make this a court case and if it will have any effect on finding a job afterwards. This is what the thread should be about - can the OP appeal, is it possible to transfer credits, and if the OP tries to make this a court case will it have any effect on finding a job.
While the OP mentioned race in the post, stating that he/she felt people were out to get him/her because he/she was the only black student and one of their top students....it really isn't about race.
Everyone's feelings are their own. We can't say what someone did or did not feel. If the OP felt that he/she experienced racism, who are we to say otherwise. I agree with the fact that racism exists and is seen and suffered by many every day. I also agree with the fact that if you are black, you need to be extra vigilant in what you say and do each and every moment. You have to make sure to do EVERYTHING correctly and/or better than others to ensure you give them NO reason to use ANYTHING against you. So, with what the OP stated happened, he/she gave MANY things for the school to use against him/her. So, again, I say that this is an issue or responsibility and professionalism as a student.
Now, even though I agree that racism exists and if the OP felt that racism occurred we cannot say he/she is or is not correct in that. It is how the OP felt, and that is that. We each have our own feelings. Whether someone thinks they are justified are not is something else. Even if someone says they are NOT justified, that does not make the emotions the person is feeling any less to real to that person. Even if someone says they are justified, that does not make the emotions the person is feeling any more real. Of course, when someone says we are justified in how we feel, that always makes us feel better and believe we are right in how we feel. But really, no one can tell us how to feel, so no one can say we are wrong in feeling something or right in feeling something - it's just how we feel!
But, even though I believe racism exists and that the OP has every right to feel however he/she feels, I believe, it has NO bearing on what the OP asked, so it shouldn't be a debate. As others have said, this really has NOTHING to do with racism. It has EVERYTHING to do with responsibility and professionalism. Black or white. It has to do with how the OP behaved as a student at school and whether or not the school had grounds to dismiss him/her and whether or not the OP has a chance at appeal or transferring credits to another school.
Now that I've even went on my own rant (now I see how easy it is to get off topic 😉)....I am now going to go on to the topic...
Can you appeal this successfully? IMO, no. Definitely not. And here's why I say that...
You already had a disciplinary meeting. You said that they already told you at the LAST disciplinary meaning (saying "the last disciplinary meeting implies that it was NOT your first) that you have 1 chance before being kicked out and that you have not used that last chance, but they sent you a letter of dismissal. But, guess what? You DID use up your last chance! The fact that you had a disciplinary meeting already states that there were issues before you got dismissed. The fact that you say "the last disciplinary meeting" implies that it was not your first disciplinary meeting. Regardless of whether it was your first or not, at the disciplinary meeting, they would have went over what the issues were. They would have told you what you were doing wrong, what your "unprofessional" behavior was, etc. So, they told you what you were doing wrong. By having that disciplinary meeting and explaining to you what you were doing wrong, they were giving you a CHANCE to improve, and obviously you did NOT. They told you at that disciplinary meeting that you had 1 CHANCE, not being kicked out at that disciplinary hearing was your 1 CHANCE!!
The dismissal letter stated "unprofessional" behavior, which includes
Calling teacher less than 1 hr to a lab class to get permission to be absent due to sick health
o If you were sick, why wait to less than 1 hr to call? If you knew they were out to get you because you were one of their best and the only black, why give them a huge thing like this to use against you? I don't know about your school, but I know most nursing schools require you to call in a few hours ahead of time. For example, at the school I graduated from, we had to call 2 hours before a clinical to inform the instructor if we couldn't make it. We got 1 "unexcused," where we just had to call in the 2 hours before and make it up. After that, we had to call 2 hrs before
AND
have documentation from a doctor stating that we were too sick to be at clinical. I would NEVER have waited to just 1 hr before having to be there to call, and that was knowing that they weren't trying to use anything against me. If I knew they had something against me - like being the best and only black student - I would make darn sure I was calling
WAAAAAY
ahead of time and sending an email so I could have documentation of the instructor's response.
Waking up late due to sickness
o I remember waking up every half hour worried I would be late for clinicals! So much so I had to start using a wake up call service so I could get a full nights sleep without worrying about waking up every 30 mins!! Again, if you were sick, why wouldn't you have called the night before? If you got sick in the night, why not call then? Unless you just woke up sick, but again, you woke up late. Waking up late is one thing, you call your instructor, explain that you were not feeling well and must of overslept and that you're on your way, and you get there as fast as possible!! That, would be excusable, as long as there wasn't other things that had occurred with it, but there was.
Not attending a 6:30 am clinical which you had already made up
o It doesn't matter whether you made it up or not. You
MISSED
it in the first place. That's what matters.
Not being able to review your nursing exam afterwards because you were having a serious anxiety attack
o If you were "one of their best" how was it that you were having a serious anxiety attack after an exam? If you were "one of their best" how was it that you even needed to review and exam at all?
Etc.
o That etc. at the end of the list of your "unprofessional" behavior tells me there is
MORE TO THE STORY
You need to look at your PROGRAM HANDBOOK. I don't know of a school that doesn't have you review the rules and policies and sign it when you start the program. It should say in there how many absences you are allowed - for example, again, my school allowed 1 "unexcused" absence from clinical (meaning you had to call 2 HRS BEFORE you had to be there and inform the instructor) and after that, any absence had to be excused (meaning you had to call 2 HRS BEFORE you had to be there, inform the instructor, and have documentation that stated that you were TOO ILL TO BE AT CLINICAL). Of course, you also had to make up those clinicals - excused or unexcused. But, if it was more than 1 absence, being excused was up to the instructor/school. Just because you made up the clinical like they required you to, did NOT mean you would pass the course. Every school has a required number of clinical hours that has to be done. So, if you miss a clinical, they have to come up with a way for you to make it up - either another clinical day or in lab or something. But, just because they have you make it up, does NOT mean that you will pass. Most of the time, they will then watch how you behave and how things go the rest of the semester, and based on that, they will decide if you pass or not. If you missed 2 clinicals, had the documentation proving you were too sick to attend, made up the course, and behaved in a professional, respectful manner and showed improved skills and knowledge throughout the rest of the semester, then generally they'd pass you. If you didn't, then they would fail you.
The reason you were dismissed is because you were unprofessional. You continuously missed classes/clinicals/labs being sick and apparently had anxiety that caused issues with you being able to do something that was necessary. Anxiety is a real health issue. You should get help for it. Hopefully, you can learn how to cope with different situations that cause you anxiety. In a job, ANY job, you will be fired for continuously missing work. Nursing school prepares you for being a nurse. It is by NO means how being a nurse REALLY is. When you are actually working as a nurse, it is MUCH more stressful! If the school sees that you are unprepared to handle that, then it was good of them to dismiss you rather than letting you continue, pay for courses, graduate, and then not be able to keep a job because of continuously calling in sick or because of anxiety. You need to take a real hard look at yourself. Look at what caused you to keep calling in sick. If you have chronic illness that causes you to miss school or work continuously, hopefully you can find a way to lessen that or at least you should have let the school know from the beginning, seen if it would be an issue or if they could work with you. If not, you need to find something else that can work around your illness. With your anxiety, you need to see a doctor. Maybe get medication for it or learn coping techniques. As for yourself, you need to learn to accept the blame here. YOU gave the school NUMEROUS reasons to dismiss you, yet you are accepting NONE of the blame. It's not as if you missed ONCE or woke up late ONCE. You CONTINUOUSLY missed classes/clinicals/labs. That was YOU. NOT the school.
IMO the only thing to do now is accept responsibility, take a look at yourself and see where things went wrong and what you can change, and call other schools about what credits will transfer and starting the nursing program there. I'm not positive, but I don't know of a school that will accept nursing courses from another school. Most, if not all, of your other credits should transfer, but as for nursing, you'll have to start over I believe. But, there may be a school. The only way to know is to call. If you really want this, you can do it. But, you have to be willing to put in the work. Every other nursing student is doing what it takes. They are getting up and making it to class/labs/clinicals on time. Other students get sick too, but they handle it according to the student handbook or come in anyways.
I was a single mom with 2 kids going through nursing school. When I first started school, I had my family around to help. I depended on them sooo much - too much really - because when they moved, I was left not knowing what to do. I had to figure out a way to get to class/clinical on time while also figuring out how to get my one kid to school and figuring out what to do with my younger one. It was NOT easy at all. But, I figured it out. You just have to take a look at what you need to do, and figure out how to do it. But, you can NOT wait to the last minute (like 1 hr before clinical) and hope that things work out.
Think about what you really want, and find a way to get it done!
Miss Brahms
6 Posts
Her issue has NOTHING to do with being black. I am so sick of the fake outrage crap that plagues the internet here lately.