Failed nursing. Now what?

[Mirelasa]

Hello,

I am looking for advice. I was in my first semester of nursing at Vanier College in Montreal. I unfortunately failed clinical, which was one of the school's policies in order to advance to next semester.

I experienced major anxiety issues during clinical. I don't know what reason specifically. There were probably many reasons, such as my teacher scares me, I am always to mess up and it was the stage fright version of nursing. I always messed up BP and forgot a lot of things, such as notifying my RN and LPN of my vital signs among other things. In other words, I wasn't as confident in clinical. I tried to deal with my anxiety issues but failed to actually seek out help from someone. I believe had I gotten another teacher, I would have done so much better.

I know I was capable of doing better had it not been for my anxiety. Had I passed, I would have done so much better next semester because I know I am capable of more.

I spoke with my teacher. She said that the marks were up and it was a committee of nursing teachers, along with her, that decided that I should not pass due to my issues. She mentioned getting a mark update request or repeal my grade. I don't know how convincing I can be to show that I should pass.

I am now looking at my other options. I don't know where to go from here. I have had my eyes set on nursing since high school and my dreams just shattered. I'm looking for any advice, help or previous experiences from current and former nursing students and current RNs.

Thank you.

Just a note: becaude I failed clinical, I am out of the program. The only way to get back in is by reapplying, but academic advisor told me my odds don't exist to be readmitted.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Unfortunately, if your anxiety was so high during your very first semester that you failed clinical - with the utter simplicity and all the back-up, support and guidance that implies, it's highly unlikely you'd be any less anxious after you graduated and became THE nurse. If you found your teacher "scary", an angry physician is going to look like a fire-breathing dragon. Nursing isn't for the faint-of-heart. It's a hard, dirty, stressful and sometimes ugly job where you literally have someone else's life in your hands. There are other health care careers that aren't so anxiety-provoking that might fulfill your dreams. I'd suggest you check into them.

[Mirelasa]

Would it be wise enough of me to retry the program in the future?

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Do you think you'll be able to get a handle on your anxiety? Do you think you'll be able to cope with other, perhaps tougher, nursing instructors in the future? And how do you plan to get around the faculty advisor's assessment of the odds you'd even be readmitted to the faculty? The only part of this that's in your control is your reactions to situations. So if you're anxious all the time as a student, you're going to really struggle as a nurse.

[xtina334]

Would it be wise enough of me to retry the program in the future?

I think it would be wise to gain experience as a CNA first to get comfortable around patients and accustomed to doing vitals/BP and just generally being around patients. I had a really scary clinical professor once so I know what you went through :) It's hard for people that don't deal have anxiety to comprehend what it's like, so don't listen to the person above. And the nursing field is so broad that you don't even have to do bedside care in a hospital if you choose not to.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

It's hard for people that don't deal have anxiety to comprehend what it's like, so don't listen to the person above.

Wow. What a sweeping condemnation. Not only have I dealt with depression, anxiety and panic attacks, I've been treated for PTSD. I was nearly bounced out of nursing school after I had a meltdown in class one day. I'm not just talkin' the talk... I've walked the walk. Every day of my life. I learned how to cope.

And the nursing field is so broad that you don't even have to do bedside care in a hospital if you choose not to.

But she still has to to get through school.

[xtina334]

Wow. What a sweeping condemnation. Not only have I dealt with depression, anxiety and panic attacks, I've been treated for PTSD. I was nearly bounced out of nursing school after I had a meltdown in class one day. I'm not just talkin' the talk... I've walked the walk. Every day of my life. I learned how to cope.

But she still has to to get through school.

Then I'm surprised you aren't more compassionate towards others that struggle with anxiety. Instead of shooting down the OP's entire career aspirations, maybe you can recommend some coping strategies that helped you while in school and at clinical. It's highly likely that she'd be much less anxious after graduation because by that point, one is more experienced and comfortable thanks to their schooling, as well as much more confident in her abilities because of the many hours spent at clinical and internship.

And yeah, she still does have to get through school but hands-on learning experiences and figuring out how to succeed in clinical will be the only way through it. Which is why I recommended CNA work in order for her to get more accustomed to patient-care.

[Edina]

Then I'm surprised you aren't more compassionate towards others that struggle with anxiety.

I don't think it's an issue of not being compassionate. The poster raised some very valid questions that would be useful for self-reflection that would allow the OP to find direction within herself.

[xtina334]

I don't think it's an issue of not being compassionate. The poster raised some very valid questions that would be useful for self-reflection that would allow the OP to find direction within herself.

Very good, but nothing was related on how to manage anxiety and didn't include any ideas on how to be better prepared should the OP decide to go back to nursing. Again, this is why I said she should gain some CNA experience so that she gradually feels less anxious around patients and will be more ready to take on nursing. Can you not read?

[Fiona59]

Very good, but nothing was related on how to manage anxiety and didn't include any ideas on how to be better prepared should the OP decide to go back to nursing. Again, this is why I said she should gain some CNA experience so that she gradually feels less anxious around patients and will be more ready to take on nursing. Can you not read?

Can you tell us where in Canada you work? We don't use the term CNA here, so please enlighten us to which province you work in.

The only path to RN here is through the four year degree at university. There are roughly 100 applicants for every seat in a programme. If she has been told by an academic advisor that her chances of readmission are slim, she should listen.

We've seen too many graduates from both the PN and RN programmes that can't handle the actual work on the floor.

As for telling OP that there are many jobs where bedside isn't necessary, do you have any idea of how Canadian nursing works? The majority of jobs are union and non-bedside jobs go by seniority and experience. It could and does take years to get one.

[Fiona59]

Where do you work and have you worked with a nurse who is insecure in her personal interactions? Who forgets things and forgets to report off? Have you actually finished your nursing education?

aarg, it's eaten my post!

[Khow89]

I think this is a really good time to just settle down and figure out if you really want to be a nurse for the rest of your life. Personally, I think figuring out a career that you will enjoy both getting there and doing is one of the hardest thing to do. Maybe try figuring out what your interests are when it comes to a career, what you enjoyed in nursing school, what you hated, what you would have enjoyed. From there do a bit of research to figure out what careers fit you the best. For example, I enjoyed patient interactions but hated giving medications. I'll look into careers that has patient interactions without have any medications involvement.

There are times when it is good to keep trying and there are times when it is good to stop and move on. The important thing is to make a decision and not regret it later especially when things don't go your way. I was in a similar situation as you but in my case, I "wanted" to be a pharmacist or optometrist. A short version of what happened was that my marks were falling term after term to the point where I was on academic probation for 8 months. I hated physics and calculus and simply had no interest in those professions but chose those career paths because I enjoyed biology, physiology, anatomy, and they were great careers. I ignored the advice of my academic adviser and friends of pursuing something different and stubbornly stuck with my decision until something happened in life and made me re-evaluate everything. That's when I decided to go into nursing which I enjoy. The reason why I'm sharing this is because I made the mistake of delaying on reflecting what my interests are, my strengths and weaknesses. I wasted a lot of time and a lot of money because of that.

Sometimes failing is a good thing where it is an opportunity to lead to something better.