Dismissed from my program less than a week before finals!!! Please Help!

[MattiesMama]

I was dismissed from my LPN program today for clinical absences...

One clinical I was sent home because I was 5 minutes late...we are afforded, by school policy, a 10-minute window to be late before we are sent home, but my CI sent me home anyways because she "wanted to set an example" to the other students (she actually told me this)

Then today, I was sent home for wearing the wrong kind of shoes. The sneakers I normally wear had a heel that was literally falling off and the only other pair I had was some white Crocs...I wore them, hoping it would go unnoticed (there are tons of flagrant dress code violations in my clinical group that never get addressed so I didn't think it would be an issue) but had the other shoes with me just in case it was an issue. My instructor saw the Crocs and confronted me about it, and I explained the situation to her and immediately changed shoes (this was within an hour of starting the clinical day, I hadn't even hit the floor yet) but she called the program director and sent me home, which resulting in me absencing out of the program.

My program director actually told me that she would have overridden the first absence if I had approached her about it...I had planned on doing so but she is NEVER in her office and with everything else going on I sort of forgot about it. She says that because I signed the paper acknowledging that absence (which I thought I had no choice in, since I WAS technically absenst since I got sent home) her hands were tied and there was nothing she could do.

My last final is Monday...I have a 4.0 GPA in classroom and have gotten A's on all of my clinical paperwork and good evaluations, but if this goes through I'll have to wait until December and take the entire Mod over...and get zero credit for this Mod, clinical OR classroom (even though I've already taken the A&P final and gotten my final grade!!)

Has anyone been in this situation before?? Is there anything I can do to appeal this?? I'm still in schock right now...I've worked SO incredibly hard and made so many sacrifices, I cannot believe this is happening

[CandyGyrl1985]

Again with the excuses! Does the program director have a phone, voice mail, or e-mail? You could have called and left a message when she was not in the office. A ten minute window by policy or not should never have to be used. Just think if you planned on getting there 30 utes early and something came up, like it did, you still would have been on time. You are just not getting it, the only reason you were dismissed was because of you. Not because you were being picked on and you could not track down the program director.

So let me get this straight - You have NEVER been late to a job or meeting before? You have never had circumstances that came up - that made you late... Even if it was setting an alarm clock and not getting up or hearing it go off? You never hit traffic? You never had a kid barf on your clothes as you were walking out the door? Or anything like that? What a pack of lies! Everyone at some point in their life has been late for something. Not necessarily ALL THE TIME, but at some point. A lot of people abuse the system and are late all the time - I myself have trouble tolerating them, since I tend to be early. But I have on rare occasion been late, and I can recall the events that happened were out of my control.The OP has stated that she was late and it was her first time. Why heckle her to death about it? Are you having a bad day or are you naturally harsh?

[tyandgil]

To XYcsccSN: Are you an RN or a nursing student? Being in nursing school means we are all learning. We all make mistakes and some of us just don't know unless we are told. I would hope that if you made a mistake in your career that someone is more easy going and not pass judgement on you.

[MattiesMama]

That was so ridiculous of that clinical instructor:rolleyes: It really sounds like she has something personal against you. I would hate to have a nurse like that care for me if I were sick. What happened to caring, compassion, and empathy? Hmph. I cannot stand people like that who go out of their way to make life difficult for others. It's like they don't realize how much people sacrifice to be in nursing school. Imagine she almost got your kicked out with your 4.0 gpa for somethng so ridiculous. Her day will come. Leave people like that to time. I'm so glad that it worked out for you.

To be honest I really don't think this CI did what she did out of spite, I just think she is a spineless and insecure woman who is afraid to stand up to certain students. There is one girl in particular in my group who for whatever reason has been hell bent on getting me in trouble from day one. There was an incident a few weeks ago where I had a patient who had Alzheimers and was becoming combative and not letting me change her brief. Having dealt with her before I knew that things would escalate quickly if I tried to fight her and I wasn't about to force a patient to do something against her will so I decided to leave her in bed for a little while and reapproach her later. Just to make sure this was ok I informed her CNA, the charge nurse AND my instructor. 10 minutes later I walk into the room and this student is standing in front of my patients bed with the bedding ripped off, completely exposing her to about 6 other people including my instructor who had converged in the room for some reason, flipping out about her being left in bed without a brief. She actually reprimanded me, in front of my instructor and the other students, about how "unacceptable" this was and how it was my job to make sure she got changed whether she liked it or not. My instructor just stood back, cowering, and didn't say a thing to her. This was one of several incidents with this student, and nothing was ever done. She also has a history of being a "tattle tale" and running to the program director every Monday morning with reports on who did what wrong during clinical, trying to get anyone she doesn't like in trouble, including instructors. I am 99.9% sure that she is the one who "tipped off" my CI about the shoes, and I think at that point my CI was so scared that she might go running to the program director saying that she let me get away with it that she felt she had no choice...mind you, this is a student who flagrantly breaks the rules herself and even ended up sending one of her patients to the hospital because she forgot to put a tab alarm on her wheelchair and left her in her room unattended and she fell and split her head open. She didn't even get written up for it :angryfire

The irony is this same instructor had a little saying: "what happens in Vegas" that she would bring up any time something was done that was breaking the rules...whether it was letting us out 3 hours early or letting someone leave the clinical site to buy coffee or allowing everyone to use their cell phones, she would just say "Vegas" and that was the little code word that meant "don't tell anyone, this is our little secret!". It was like the running joke during clinical. I found it incredibly aggravating because with all of the slacking off and being let out early, I felt robbed of a clinical experience. And to have it end up like this is just the ironic icing on the cake...

Anyways, I will find out one way or another tommorow I guess. I just hope that whatever the descision is they let me know soon because the waiting game is what's killing me!

[MattiesMama]

No update yet but I'm at school now...was dragged into the directors office and told that until the appeal has gone through I'm not allowed to attend class because it would be "upsetting" to other students :icon_roll Tells you a lot about the morale of our class huh? I swear some of them think this is a competition...

I'm thinking that is not a good sign My meeting is in 25 minutes and I'm feeling sick to my stomach already!

[TessaMae]

Good Luck

No update yet but I'm at school now...was dragged into the directors office and told that until the appeal has gone through I'm not allowed to attend class because it would be "upsetting" to other students :icon_roll Tells you a lot about the morale of our class huh? I swear some of them think this is a competition...

I'm thinking that is not a good sign My meeting is in 25 minutes and I'm feeling sick to my stomach already!

[MattiesMama]

so I guess I should update.......

I'm back in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dncgbby::dancgrp:

It took an entire day of talking and deliberation and getting to the bottom of everything, but they ended up deciding that the first absence WAS unwarrented after all. I can only miss 1 clinical next mod instead of the usual 2 (I don't plan on missing ANY, of course!) but other than that, I'm fine!

I'm seriously shocked...with the way the day started off, I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to win...they told me as soon as I walked in the room that they had already made a decision but allowed me a chance to say anything on my behalf-and I did just what everyone on here suggested-I didn't point fingers or make excuses, I stated the facts, and took responsibility for what I did wrong or could have done differently, and told them the steps that I've already taken to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. So then they decided to hold ANOTHER private meeting which took like 2 hours, and then called me in and gave me the final verdict.

So anyways THANK YOU so much to everyone who supported me and gave advice through this ordeal!! AN rocks!

[TessaMae]

i am so happy for you congrats!!

so I guess I should update.......

I'm back in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dncgbby::dancgrp:

It took an entire day of talking and deliberation and getting to the bottom of everything, but they ended up deciding that the first absence WAS unwarrented after all. I can only miss 1 clinical next mod instead of the usual 2 (I don't plan on missing ANY, of course!) but other than that, I'm fine!

I'm seriously shocked...with the way the day started off, I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to win...they told me as soon as I walked in the room that they had already made a decision but allowed me a chance to say anything on my behalf-and I did just what everyone on here suggested-I didn't point fingers or make excuses, I stated the facts, and took responsibility for what I did wrong or could have done differently, and told them the steps that I've already taken to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. So then they decided to hold ANOTHER private meeting which took like 2 hours, and then called me in and gave me the final verdict.

So anyways THANK YOU so much to everyone who supported me and gave advice through this ordeal!! AN rocks!

[rn/writer, RN]

If they had to meet for two hours after hearing what you had to say, it sounds like they had decided to let you go and were moved to reconsider.

I'm so glad you discharged all the emotion here and were able to go in there prepared and willing to take responsibility. The fact that you didn't point fingers (thereby making them defensive) shows maturity and a single-minded focus on getting through the program.

Congratulations on such a good outcome.

[caliotter3]

Thank God! It is so pleasing to hear that reason came to win in your case. Now go make us proud!

[Scooter321]

That's fantastic news! I agree with Miranda--it looks as though you changed minds that had already been made up. Way to go! Chalk one up for sanity.

[biblepoet]

Glad I agree with all the other posters. I think they may have changed their minds. I am glad it worked out so well.

[Moogie]

What a relief! I am thrilled that you prevailed.

You are going to be one fine nurse! Now, go in there and do well on your finals!