Drunk and high students at clinical

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Hey so I'm having a bit of a moral dilemma. So basically, today was our last day of clinical for the semester and everyone but my friend and I were either drunk or high when they came into clinical today. The clinical instructor we have is kind of oblivious to everything and didn't notice. The issue I'm having is that this is at least the 2nd time they have done this and I've heard that people in other groups have also been having this issue. I'm upset because the clinical instructor did nothing about it and their behavior is both irresponsible and dangerous.

I want to email one of the chairs of our school to just give them a heads up, without any names, that this is going on, but I'm afraid of what might happen. I'm not doing so hot with my grades and I'm worried they might be affected by this. I'm just upset because these girls are going to get passed along with better grades then me, when they are coming to clinical intoxicated.

I don't know what to do. Help.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I also find it strange that 80 percent of your group was intoxicated and the two sober students allowed it to happen. :facepalm:

I want to clarify this part of my post; two students witnessing puking (flu? virus going around? Food poisoning?) and not at least notifying the CI is strange...at least saying, "hey, so-and-so is sick, maybe you can check it out?" at least gives some way for the CI to address the situation, instead of now, IF they were drunk and high, nothing being done-at least for SOME peace of mind.

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Cali and OC: LOL, yeah, I'm not terribly shy about saying what I think...! :ninja:

Well, sometimes somebody's gotta do it. :bored:

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??? Why were they drunk? Who would go to clinical under the influence? There is something seriously wrong with your cohort. That's not okay.

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So I looked in our student handbook and there are no guidelines for what students are supposed to do if they see any of this sort of thing going on. Literally, we have no guidelines. The CI is supposed to notice it and I don't think she did. These girls were out drinking until 5am and we had to be at clinical at 6am so there is your answer. They told me that they were under the influence. I'm going to go study now. please be nice to me. I didn't know what to do and that's why I posted this.

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For anyone who reads this please notice that patient safety is by far #1 never allow someone to be intoxicated or under the influence ever on the floor. Use common sense I don't want to be mean and I'm sure nobody else is trying to be mean either it's just scary to know that this happened and you were aware.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
So I looked in our student handbook and there are no guidelines for what students are supposed to do if they see any of this sort of thing going on. Literally, we have no guidelines. The CI is supposed to notice it and I don't think she did. These girls were out drinking until 5am and we had to be at clinical at 6am so there is your answer. They told me that they were under the influence. I'm going to go study now. please be nice to me. I didn't know what to do and that's why I posted this.

Well as an adult you should know to tell someone, let alone someone who is in a nursing program. Was everyone, minus you & your friend drunk and/or high? How did no one CI, nurses, CNAs, ancillary staff, patients & visitors not notice?

It's waay to late to tell someone now, it sounds like sour grapes. They aren't passing the "bad kids" & failing the good ones. They are passing the people who happen to study the hardest & get good grades. If it happens next semester let the CI know right away. Even if no one tells you but something seems off, you have a duty to protect your patients.

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Specializes in ICU.
So I looked in our student handbook and there are no guidelines for what students are supposed to do if they see any of this sort of thing going on. Literally, we have no guidelines. The CI is supposed to notice it and I don't think she did. These girls were out drinking until 5am and we had to be at clinical at 6am so there is your answer. They told me that they were under the influence. I'm going to go study now. please be nice to me. I didn't know what to do and that's why I posted this.

Is this not common sense? No guidelines? Common sense should dictate that you don't sit by while intoxicated students take care of babies. It boggles my mind that if this is true, you let it happen. So the whole clinical group besides those who are apparently failing went drinking until 5am and your clinical was at 6am? And they just came up to you and said hey we are high and drunk? And neither you nor the other person said a thing? And the clinical instructor didn't notice people puking? It doesn't jive with me.

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Specializes in hospice.
So I looked in our student handbook and there are no guidelines for what students are supposed to do if they see any of this sort of thing going on. Literally, we have no guidelines. The CI is supposed to notice it and I don't think she did.

Whew...that is one skilled responsibility dodge. It's disturbing how many people seem to be growing up in this country without ever being exposed to the idea that they are obligated to stand against wrong and do something about it when they see it. Patients are vulnerable people and if you expect to work caring for them, you're going to have to learn to actually protect them from people who are a threat as much as you can. Keeping your head down, allowing it to happen, and then saying it wasn't your fault is not acceptable. "All that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to stand by and do nothing."

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Yikes. There seem to be a lot of people ready to jump to all sorts of conclusions about you here.

Anyhow, here's my advice: use all of those communication/documentation skills you've been learning in school. Objective and subjective information. "Student X stated to me that he had been drinking all night", etc. State exactly what you heard and observed. Do not include your opinions about anyone involved, only what you observed. I would frame the statement as being concerned both about patient safety and about your school's continued relationship with the clinical site. Be brief and professional. Include everything you saw and heard, but keep the rest as short as you can. You may want to make a very short apology as well for not immediately bringing it to your clinical instructor's attention.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck with what sounds like a difficult situation.

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Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.

Honey, they're not failing you because you're sober. They're failing you because you're not meeting bare competency.

If you think they're under any sort of influence and they may be endangering the welfare of the patients then it is your moral obligation as a person, not as a nurse or anything else, to report your suspicion. Being new to nursing or not, handbook regulations or not, this is common sense and moral integrity.

I want to emphasize on suspicion also because you don't have a tox screen. There may be repercussions since you are reporting it late when you should've done so right away but the choice to do so or not is yours. We have input but you have the final say.

On a final word, you seem to have a problem with taking responsibility. You pushed the not reporting right away on inexperience then not being clearly defined in your handbook. Then you push your failing on these girls, and then blame it on unfairness that you shouldn't fail because you're sober.

Take a second, and before you get angry think about it and see if perhaps this could be an opportunity to better yourself. The energy and time spent on ranting and blaming others / making excuses could be used on identifying your weaknesses academically and then implementing a plan to correct it. This would be the assessment and planning of the nursing process.

Good luck!

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Yikes. There seem to be a lot of people ready to jump to all sorts of conclusions about you here.

Anyhow, here's my advice: use all of those communication/documentation skills you've been learning in school. Objective and subjective information. "Student X stated to me that he had been drinking all night", etc. State exactly what you heard and observed. Do not include your opinions about anyone involved, only what you observed. I would frame the statement as being concerned both about patient safety and about your school's continued relationship with the clinical site. Be brief and professional. Include everything you saw and heard, but keep the rest as short as you can. You may want to make a very short apology as well for not immediately bringing it to your clinical instructor's attention.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck with what sounds like a difficult situation.

This is not the OP's only post; there are others, in other threads, that allow a broader picture to be viewed of her situation. It's not 'jumping to conclusions' when all of the components have been laid out for easy interpretation, and a reasonable person can simply draw a conclusion just by connecting those dots.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
So I looked in our student handbook and there are no guidelines for what students are supposed to do if they see any of this sort of thing going on. Literally, we have no guidelines. The CI is supposed to notice it and I don't think she did. These girls were out drinking until 5am and we had to be at clinical at 6am so there is your answer. They told me that they were under the influence. I'm going to go study now. please be nice to me. I didn't know what to do and that's why I posted this.

I am sorry you are struggling this semester and might be failing. Nursing is different from other careers. It is very difficult. If you do fail you need to sit with your nursing instructors and find where you are going wrong then try again.

I have several thoughts on this thread. First and foremost is that if you felt they were that impaired the responsibility is your to go to your instructor and her her assess the situation...immediately. Second other than one girl vomiting you have no real proof...especially not now days/weeks later.

I find it difficult to believe that anyone was intoxicated/high and it got past the nurses, especially nurses in a specialty unit who can smell out bull and drugs/alcohol at 50 paces in the parking lot. Nurses have a special extra-sensory perception when it comes to situations like this...so I am skeptical that everyone was high and drunk with the exception of yourself and one other student.

It seems to me that you are surrounded by immaturity if they did drink that close to clinical or if they didn't they thought it was "cool" to say so....and you for not doing the adult professional action and protect the patients.

What I am going to say you are probably not going to like....you need to take responsibility for you. You cannot be passed because you studied hard and try extra hard. You not receiving a passing grade has nothing whatsoever to do with the party habits of other people. You need to take a serious look at what YOU are doing, or not doing, and make changes. You need to spend less time worrying about the "other guy" and concentrate on you and what you are doing.

I think you care. I think you really want to be a nurse. I think you need to start making professional strides and adapt positive behaviors. Reporting them will not improve your grade.

I wish you the best.

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