I was recently expelled from nursing school due to the fact that I ticked off the dean of nursing. The reasons that were given were "unprofessional behavior" despite the fact that I had a great clinical record and a 4.0 GPA. I have one semester left.
First off, for those of you in this situation, I would like to recommend Excelsior College, which will take anyone who has finished at least half an ASN program (or has an LPN). Because thier program is exam-based, the worse case is that you will have to take a bunch of exams again, but there are no lectures or clinicals. (I just could NOT sit through my OB clinical again! Or any other of them for that matter.)
But the real reason that I am writing is that I am very angry and sad about the situation. I feel that my future was spat apon by a few people who met me once and didn't give a damn about me or my possible career. I have worked in health care for some time now and my coworkers have refused to let me give up. These people, who have worked with me for years, strongly believe that I will make a wonderful, principled, and very professional nurse!
Anyway, I was hoping to hear from other people who are in this position, or who have been in the past. I have heard a lot of stories from people who were singled about and expelled for silly reasons. I would love to get some input.
I really wish you luck with the situation and wish I could provide some advice, however not knowing the reasons for your expulsion I'm not exactly sure how to advise you here. Good luck with all of it! There's always a way!
I am in my last semester of nursing school, 2 months till graduation, in Dec, 09.
I have always passed all of my classes and clincials.
Here are the 3 situations that are being held against me:
1) in my operating room one day observation the school told me that they recieved an email from the staff that I was sleeping and that my behavior was inappropriate. The day I went for OR room oberservation they had only very few surgeries schedule so I had none to observe after a period of time so I decided to clsoe my eyes out of bordome.
2) they made me repeat behavorial course due very subjective resasons. my car was broken to and I happen to speak to a classmate who offered to pass to the clincial instructor what happened and why I would not make it to clincials on Tuesday morning mind you this was Monday morning and we have 2 hours before the clincials to call out. I also sent the instructor email Monday morning abt the situtaion and decided if she does not cocntact by Monday 4 PM that I would call her myself. so as you can imagine one thing to let anoter.. so they failed me for clicnicals so I had to repeat the entire course.
for the current one here is the reason and for this I have a meetimg tomorrow for which I was advised explusion would be considered:
As far the phone call that I made on Friday night regarding directions to the site, I informed the lady over the phone that my phone battery was low and also that I was at work just in case we get disconnected and she acknowledge that on the phone with me. As far as the gentleman which I met in the parking lot I simply asked him to point where the entrance was since it was raining so I would not have to walk around the area in the dark. Then I to proceeded to grab small pack which had my belongings for the ride such as a stethoscope from the car and my lunch. I had used the the paperwork for directions which I had left on the passenger side of may car. when I checked in and I advised that I had left paperwork in the car and I was told to go get it. During the walk my name tag had fallen in the parking lot, so I had informed them before leaving the building what was going on and I did located it in the parking lot. I had arrived 30 minuets early on the site just to make sure I was ready for the ride.
For the actual medic ride, the paramedics can assure that I was professional, engaging and interested in the ride.
It appears we had started off on a bad foot with the Friday night phone call for directions and I assure I informed the lady with whom I spoke with about my battery situation in advance.
This is so heart breaking, i have invested so much time, effort and heart soul not to mention my passion for nursing. I have 2 months to graduation if everything goes well.
I need any help and input out there. I am not sure what type of attorney to obtain. thank you.
Oh boy, faith2743 just trust God, he will see you through. Go to the meeting and express yourself in a professional manner and see what happens. Please do not make the decision to get a lawyer until they have come to a decision. I feel so heartbroken to hear these frightening stories. I wish you all the best and will be praying for you. Peace!
Just a quick correction about Virginia and Excelsior. If anyone from Virginia graduates the Excelsior program before 12/31/2009 they can sit to test for licensure in Virginia. If you graduate Excelsior after 12/31/2009 they will endorse you for licensure after 960 hours of nursing in another state or federal facility. 960 hours works out to be 6 months full time.
Hope you find what you're looking for through Excelsior. Good luck!
I'll be honest, the unprofessional behavior had to have far exceeded merely "ticking" off the Dean.
If that were the case, trust me, my Dean probably got sick and tired of hearing my name by the time my program ended and if she could have kicked me out, she would have.
Students believe that they can be dismissed from programs simply at will...that is not true. Reasons have to be given...paperwork along with extensive documentation has to be completed. Rules have to be followed.
Deans don't get to make decisions like that without following school policy.
You have a legal right to see what was written about you and if false documentation was obtained on you, then my advice is to get an attorney and fight it.
If you win...they'll be responsible for your legal bills as well.
Again we weren't really friends, just classmates, and I am not in contact with her. I will be happy to send her an email though to her school account. We still have access to the accounts, but I can't be sure that she checks it. If you would like to send me a personal message with your email address, I'll keep an eye out for it so that I can send her an email for you.
I just have to say though, I agree with BabyLady. I don't have a first hand account, so I am not making any judgements, but if the Dean is the one who expelled you, there is a good chance that they had fairly clear grounds. I am not saying that you shouldn't take action, I am just saying to be sure that it's what you really feel is best, as it may get expensive.
Best of luck to you, and just PM me your email to forward to her if you are still interested.
From time to time we see students post that they were kicked out of the nursing program "unjustly" and "unfairly" or "for no reason".
However, once you start reading the posts, you find out that they did, in fact, violate school policy...but the student doesn't seem to "get" that rules are rules and all they need is valid ammunition to force you to leave the program.
They usually say something like, "but I couldn't help that I was late for clinical...three times" or "the med error was the RN's fault" or "but I only ______" or "but the patient was also rude to me!"
You get the picture.
If you merely, filed a complaint and honestly and objectively search your heart and you did nothing wrong, then I say break the bank and take those ******** to court and sue them for every last dime they have in their budget because if the Dean abused her authority, then you can sue her personally as well.
However, if you violated ANYTHING and I mean anything...especially if it was something you were previously warned about....then you won't have a leg to stand on in court.
Sleeping at clinicals is NEVER appropriate. I'm astounded that anyone would dream of doing this. Sounds like you had several small incidents which led up your expulsion. Good luck trying to fight it; maybe a better path would be to take responsibility for your actions, come up with a concise, responsible plan of action to show that you are serious about being a mature, responsible student, and ask to be reinstated. If they don't reinstate you, go to another school, and in the interview process discuss why you were expelled, acknowledge your mistakes, explain how you have learned from your mistakes and how you plan to not make those errors in judgement again.
If you deny your responsibility rather than acknowledge your weaknesses and for a plan for improvement, I can't imagine they would want to reinstate you, or that another school would want to take you.
ETA: The sleeping at clinicals comment was not directed at the OP. I am always suspicious, however, of claims that it is entirely someone else's fault. I hardly think that in any expulsion circumstance the expelled have no culpability. If one has been through the due process and remains expelled, I would recommend a thorough, honest self evaluation, acknowledge and address your weaknesses, move on, and become a better student and person for it.
I'll be honest, the unprofessional behavior had to have far exceeded merely "ticking" off the Dean.
If that were the case, trust me, my Dean probably got sick and tired of hearing my name by the time my program ended and if she could have kicked me out, she would have.
Students believe that they can be dismissed from programs simply at will...that is not true. Reasons have to be given...paperwork along with extensive documentation has to be completed. Rules have to be followed.
Deans don't get to make decisions like that without following school policy.
You have a legal right to see what was written about you and if false documentation was obtained on you, then my advice is to get an attorney and fight it.
If you win...they'll be responsible for your legal bills as well.
if only....this were true....we want it to be true....we desperately want it to be true....because then we know what to do to stay out of trouble......but it isnt true, and no more so in the work world than the school world, truly it is not.......
if only....this were true....we want it to be true....we desperately want it to be true....because then we know what to do to stay out of trouble......but it isnt true, and no more so in the work world than the school world, truly it is not.......
Yes, it is true.
Very much true.
If you think that a Dean can do anything that they want just because they have the title of "Dean" in front of their name, then you have fallen for the same myth that so many students have heard that they actually think it's a fact.
I agree with you I am going to take responsibility and take iniative to improve as an individual and a student. I am going in front of comitte where the dean of nursing program is going to reccomend expulsion.
any tips would be appreciated as to how to conduct repersent myself in fron of the committe. Also anything else i can do before the comiitee meeting to improve myself and also show the committe that I have taken respoinsibity and iniatives to improve communication and interpersonal skills. I would appreciate any input.
ShortStackRN
149 Posts
I really wish you luck with the situation and wish I could provide some advice, however not knowing the reasons for your expulsion I'm not exactly sure how to advise you here. Good luck with all of it! There's always a way!