Welp, today it happened, I was failed by my clinical instructor.Im going to be speaking with my dean on the situation as I and other students feel the situation is wrong. Heres the background: On friday, At LAC+USC I was doing a make up clinical day because I missed my regular day due to being sick. On my make up day I was with a different instructor, this instructor teachs the lecture part of the course. It was 1100am and insulins were coming up, My RN did the FS and b/s was below coverage as ordered by doctor, so the pt. had a maintenance dose of 5units ac. The clinical instructor asked if I had given insulin, I said yes confidently, as I've given insulin since my first semester in my first year. I told the instructor it had been a while since april/may this year i'd given insulin so she then asked me to just draw up the 5 units of air and show her. This is where the I encountered the problem/confusion on my behalf, the insulin syringe I used all my first year was the 1/2 cc for 50 units or less. My first year med surge instructor had us only use this syringe the whole first year and never were we familiarized with the others. At county they only use 1cc 100 unit syringe. I looked at the syringe confused at first because it did not seem familiar to me, however I drew up what I thought in air was the 5 units and made the mistake of drawing in 50 units air. My instructor said am I sure thats 5 units, and still I wasnt totally sure but said yea, and my instructor had me show my RN per protocol when working with insulin only it was (AIR). the RN laughed and said no it wasnt 5 units. I then re-examined the U-100 and noticed my error and fixed it. The instructor then told me I just engaged in unsafe practices that harmed a patient, but then told me to go ahead and draw up the 5units fast acting insulin. I drew it, and with my instructor administered it without incident. Afterward the instructor talked to me and asked me if I was oriented to the syringe and what I did and asked if it would happen again, and I said yes i understand and no it wont happen.the day carrys on and nothing happened all day.
12/06 comes around and im in my reg clinical day at USC+LAC with my normal instructor. Immediatly she pulls me to the side to have me explain to her what happened on friday, I begin to tell her that there was some confusion on friday with the syringe. I told her that the syringe i had been used caused me a bit confusion, she then sent me on a goose chase throughout the whole hospital to search for the 50 unit 1/2 cc which that hospital does not carry. With no luck I return and she dismissed my defense and nothing else happened. At end of shift she pulls me aside and tells me the situation isnt good and she doesnt know what is going to happen to me, tells me to go home sleep and dont worry and for me not to even try to build a case in my defense.
12/07 I meet with my instructor on campus for her final decision, she then tells me she is failing me because insulin is very serious with incidence of high mortalitys. I told her I understand that side of it, but yet still even though it was air and we were at bed side, and the whole situation happened at the nursing station, I was failed for reason #1 being the 5units air. #2 being that I didnt finish my charting, having not completed a 2nd assessment and end of shift summation on the computerized charting system. Mind you, in regard to #2 I had never been to county before, I have no county ID badge, instead I use a temp. I never have been trained or received material from my instructor on how to chart nor was I given a login by her to chart. On the first or second week of clinical with my instructor, she asked who was new to county and who never used the system. I raised my hand, and she said she would show me. That very day, lunch came around, I approached and asked if she would show me and she said no, dont worry about it, goto lunch. Thus I was never shown. I then missed a clinical day, and on due to tahnksgiving we never had a clinical that sunday during holiday. On the day of the syringe incident, it was finally THAT instructor that created me a login, and vaguely showed me how to use the system.
Point being, I never knew the system, nor was instructed in it, my normal instructor is a big CYA type instructor and will always contradict herself and cover her own ass in everything! so she gave me #2 for me having not asked that day on how to use it, despite my efforts to try and use it based on what the other instructor showed me. And even though I didnt chart at the end because I didnt know how to start a second assessment, I went to my RN and told her the situation with me and the computer charting system and I gave her a verbal report for all changes noted on the second half of my shift.
So after having spoken with my first year med surge instructor who agrees with me, and believes that the instructor shouldnt have failed and should have orientented me to the differences in the syringes at county and aboard. I feel having then if the instructor did that and I did the same thing again then it would be fair, cuz then that would be full competency. How then does my normal instructor fail me for something she was never there to see, and how then is she being so harsh? why is she being so defense in telling me to go home and not make a case because I have none? what is she afraid of? and why is she dinging me for #2 when I made efforts to seek her instruction and she never tended to them nor did her part? this is ********.
