Fell asleep during clinical.

[lolplayingnurse]

Hello,

So I accidentally fell asleep during OB clinical. The nurse reported me to the director and I met with my professors and they gave me a 30 minute lecture and I said I was sorry which I truly am sorry. I have no excuse for my actions and I really am so stupid for doing this and am a true embarrassment to my program. I promised this would not happen again and I have to meet with the director tomorrow. What can I expect out of this? Will I get kicked off the program? Also, I have an internship with this hospital in a different unit a medical surgical unit. Will I get kicked off of this internship?

Thanks guys I appreciate the feed back.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

There was one kid I knew in tutoring who got accepted into the program. He was accepted in the Fall and by end of Fall, he was kicked out. His story was pretty hard to read but he said something about violating HIPPA during clinical.

What does violating HIPAA have to do with the OP's question?

This is one of those "How would we know?" scenarios. No one here can answer your question; we can speculate about it just like you can.

You have already done the right thing: you have been contrite and accepted responsibility for your actions. Do the same with your director and you may simply receive some kind of "you get one more chance" type of conversation. Be grateful and make sure to address the problem that caused you to fall asleep. Good luck.

[Julius Seizure]

The best thing that you can do is go into the meeting with the same tone that you had in your original post. Be contrite, acknowledge that you have no good excuse and that you recognize that you made the school and yourself look bad. Be ready to tell them how you plan to fix it (making sure you go to bed and get enough sleep the night before clinical, etc.), and be willing to write a formal apology to the hospital if they want you to do so.

I'm not going to lie, you could potentially get kicked out. I can imagine a scenario where they fail you for that clinical course and you will have to repeat it next semester. If you are lucky, you will get a stern warning. I hope they show you some mercy. Let us know how it turns out.

[gypsy26]

I think falling asleep is inappropriate but by the same token I highly doubt you'll be punished beyond a talking to. My undergraduate program did not kick out students who were blatantly plagiarizing and cheating on exams, I think you'll be okay in the long-run. I actually fell asleep during my practicum (it was way more boring than I expected) and other than my preceptor not being happy about it, I turned out just fine. I did however pick to work as a nurse in something I found more interesting. I looked at it as a learning opportunity.

[Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN]

I can see getting a major antidote for it but I wouldn't think they would kick you out. Hopefully they won't and hopefully that has made your paranoid enough to not do that again! Wish you the best of luck!

narcolepsy?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

How do you "accidentally" fall asleep?

It's possible. I once fell asleep standing up and leaning on the code cart. The nursing supervisor came by and pushed the cart away from me -- I feel over and she thought it was hysterically funny. Fortunately, she thought it was so funny she never wrote me up.

Falling asleep at work is a firing offense. Getting cozy in a recliner with blankets and pillows is especially egregious, but even dozing off while sitting upright and trying to read or write on a patient's chart can get you fired. I'm thinking you may flunk your clinical, but my crystal ball isn't all that dependable.

[RNrhythm, BSN, RN]

Could there be anything medical going on, like sleep apnea?

[virgobutterflies]

I feel asleep on a job for 15 mins and got fired and they turned me in and I got two years of probation from the state board so you better watch it!

[sunnyskies9]

I don't have any advice on how to deal with your instructors and your director as far as you digging yourself out of this situation, but I came here to say that it is imperative you work on your well-being and health, even if it comes at the price of your school work. I was like you in school, studied the best I could on the least amount of sleep I could survive on. Although I never fell asleep in clinical, I know I could have been a much better student if I would have prioritized my health.

First, forgive yourself and move on from the mistake of falling asleep in clinical. Don't beat yourself up over this. No one is perfect. You are not a worthless person. You are valued and loved by many, and you will someday soon make a great nurse.

Cut out time every day to manage your stress and to get 7-8 hours of sleep, even if that means buying a planner and writing down what you will be doing every minute of every day. Don't study for 1 hour before you plan on falling asleep, instead do some sort of relaxing activity like yoga, reading a non-scholar book, stretching, deep breathing, even showering can be meditative. Really focus on you and develop a bedtime routine that last hour of your day. Make sure you are giving yourself enough time for sleep to get a quality 7-8 hours each night. Sleep is never emphasized enough with any wellness or diet program. I'm here to tell you it is EXTREMELY vital, for all aspects of our health.

Lastly, focus on nutritious food whenever you decide to eat, and make it as easy on yourself as possible. A lot of groceries offer pre-cut vegetables and proteins you just heat in the microwave. They are more expensive, but set a budget for yourself and write out your meals for the week. I have found that vegetarian dishes save A LOT of money in the long haul, because meat and fish are so expensive. Canned and frozen meats are usually cheaper, compared to fresh. Then if you have any extra time in your day, exercise or develop some sort of fitness plan because it's important that your body move throughout the day. Focus on how your body feels during exercise, not to burn some pre-conceived calorie amount. Even if that means only being able to take a 15 min walk each day, you will notice the difference it makes in your sleep quality, stress reduction, maybe even your school work. Good luck to you moving forward!

[Steffy44]

Just take your lumps and move on. Tell them you made a grave error...no buts added. I find most bosses...in this case the program boss...are very understanding if you DO NOT make excuses! I think you'll be fine.

[DeeAngel]

Be prepared to demonstrate to them that you deeply understand why sleeping on the job is so bad and some of the negative things that *could* have happened. If they see that you genuinely "get it" that will most likely be the end of it.

Not saying you will do this OP but do not assign blame to anyone or anything else because that's a clear indication that you do not "get it".

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

Try to get more rest otherwise have some coffee on your rougher days.

[Ben_Dover]

I just thought that this whole sleeping incident is comical and cute! My advice... ask the RN, if this happens again, what makes them think you really are asleep? And if they say you're eyes are closed. You can simply say, you're resting with your eyes closed. Unless your snoring and all! Well, that is also debatable. Now you can say, what is it like, labored or agonal...