first year and floundering

[Helen46]

Hi

I'm new to this forum, from South Australia and a first year student nurse. I'm also a mum to two young children. I was previously at Law school, but that is not practical with two small children. I have just pulled out of first placement today, after things look like not turning out and need some advice.

I started a first year placemnt for three weeks at a Nursing home, and ran into trouble. I felt I would lose confidence if I continued and probably couldn't be successful on this placement, and so will try again next year - but am hoping some of you can offer advice - as the people I deal with are very different to the sorts of people I am used to dealing with.

I acknowledge that some of this is my fault.

1. I missed a day because of car problems (among other things) and had to have it fixed (failed brakes). I contacted my college supervisor giving details of why I couldn't make it that day and indicated that I had kept verifying documentation. I also contacted my placement venue. I was told that she (my college supervisor) didn't have to know all the details (fair enough) as that was unprofessional.

I was then in trouble for not providing documentation - the placement venue had complained about this.

2. It seemed as if everything I said and did was used against me (although the complaints were made mainly by one girl). eg. We had learnt to make a bed at college a bit differently than the Nursing home made them. I told them that I didn't realize their way of making beds was a bit different and was happy to do it their way while I was there. I just assumed this was part of the learning process.

I didn't realize it was grounds for a complaint to my college supervisor.

3. There was a complaint from the same girl that read - "seems pre-occupied and doesnt follow directions". I needed specific examples to know what they were talking about - but wasn't given them.

4. There was something that read "unsafe manual handling". The day before I was told it had been reported that I was using safe manual handling. So the complaint related to one specific day, and was made by this one woman - but again the college supervisor was reluctant to give me details. She uttered something about a resident being left in a lift unattended. But I know I would NEVER have done this, and I can't verify or deny the accusation without details of the incident. On my previous placement, my final report read that I was "very cautious". But it was used by my college supervisor to potentially fail me. I was put on contract etc, with the incident being used to potentially fail me. I contacted my supervisor saying that I had decided to withdraw and try again next year, but also said that the accusation was untrue.

Well, at least to the best of my knowledge it was. That means that I can't recall an incident that matches the description given.

5. I won't deny fault on my part. eg. I was asked to feed a resident. She literally took 5 minutes for each mouth full. I was sitting next to her. So while I was sitting at the table with her, I flipped the pages of the newspaper that was in front of me - and got reported for reading the paper.

I don't deny it - but also thought this was part of a learning thing so I knew not to do it later - rather than a repotable offence - especially as this was an official first placement.

6. I didnt wear the right badge the first day on placement (something that didnt much matter on my first placement but seemed to matter here - fair enough - I changed it the next day)

7. There was a disticnt personality clash between the girl who made the complaint and myself - though I certainly said nothing. I thought she was very 'hard and rough and loud and grew up on the wrong side of town. I thought how horrible it was for elderly patints/residents to have to have a girl like this attend them.

8. This was my college supervisor's first time as a 'supervisor' and I tended to think from the beginning, that she was of very average intelligence - though a nice enough lady.

CONCLUSION: I felt that my confidence would spiral downhill by trying to stay on, as I thought all sorts of things could be presented as complaints. Also, as there was about to be increased surveillance of me, and an official testing of my skills (which I have passed before wouldn't normally have been a problem) I felt that the extra stress would make me perform worse - my experience in the past. And that it was better to withdraw now without official failure (even though I lost the fees for the topic) and try again next year, hopefully being assigned a supervisor and environment that suitied me better. My classmates thought I should have stayed on and tried to see it through.

Workers in the 'placement venue' are presently quite stressed as new bullying laws have come in, and staff have been stood down under the new laws for bullying.

ANY ADVICE. The episode of my college supervisor coming in to present me with all the complaints and contracts that I would be put on, only happened a few hours ago. I made notification of my withdrawal from the topic only a couple of hours ago - so I am feeling pretty lousy.

helen

[AussieTina]

Hi

I'm new to this forum, from South Australia and a first year student nurse. I'm also a mum to two young children. I was previously at Law school, but that is not practical with two small children. I have just pulled out of first placement today, after things look like not turning out and need some advice.

I started a first year placemnt for three weeks at a Nursing home, and ran into trouble. I felt I would lose confidence if I continued and probably couldn't be successful on this placement, and so will try again next year - but am hoping some of you can offer advice - as the people I deal with are very different to the sorts of people I am used to dealing with.

I acknowledge that some of this is my fault.

1. I missed a day because of car problems (among other things) and had to have it fixed (failed brakes). I contacted my college supervisor giving details of why I couldn't make it that day and indicated that I had kept verifying documentation. I also contacted my placement venue. I was told that she (my college supervisor) didn't have to know all the details (fair enough) as that was unprofessional.

I was then in trouble for not providing documentation - the placement venue had complained about this.

2. It seemed as if everything I said and did was used against me (although the complaints were made mainly by one girl). eg. We had learnt to make a bed at college a bit differently than the Nursing home made them. I told them that I didn't realize their way of making beds was a bit different and was happy to do it their way while I was there. I just assumed this was part of the learning process.

I didn't realize it was grounds for a complaint to my college supervisor.

3. There was a complaint from the same girl that read - "seems pre-occupied and doesnt follow directions". I needed specific examples to know what they were talking about - but wasn't given them.

4. There was something that read "unsafe manual handling". The day before I was told it had been reported that I was using safe manual handling. So the complaint related to one specific day, and was made by this one woman - but again the college supervisor was reluctant to give me details. She uttered something about a resident being left in a lift unattended. But I know I would NEVER have done this, and I can't verify or deny the accusation without details of the incident. On my previous placement, my final report read that I was "very cautious". But it was used by my college supervisor to potentially fail me. I was put on contract etc, with the incident being used to potentially fail me. I contacted my supervisor saying that I had decided to withdraw and try again next year, but also said that the accusation was untrue.

Well, at least to the best of my knowledge it was. That means that I can't recall an incident that matches the description given.

5. I won't deny fault on my part. eg. I was asked to feed a resident. She literally took 5 minutes for each mouth full. I was sitting next to her. So while I was sitting at the table with her, I flipped the pages of the newspaper that was in front of me - and got reported for reading the paper.

I don't deny it - but also thought this was part of a learning thing so I knew not to do it later - rather than a repotable offence - especially as this was an official first placement.

6. I didnt wear the right badge the first day on placement (something that didnt much matter on my first placement but seemed to matter here - fair enough - I changed it the next day)

7. There was a disticnt personality clash between the girl who made the complaint and myself - though I certainly said nothing. I thought she was very 'hard and rough and loud and grew up on the wrong side of town. I thought how horrible it was for elderly patints/residents to have to have a girl like this attend them.

8. This was my college supervisor's first time as a 'supervisor' and I tended to think from the beginning, that she was of very average intelligence - though a nice enough lady.

CONCLUSION: I felt that my confidence would spiral downhill by trying to stay on, as I thought all sorts of things could be presented as complaints. Also, as there was about to be increased surveillance of me, and an official testing of my skills (which I have passed before wouldn't normally have been a problem) I felt that the extra stress would make me perform worse - my experience in the past. And that it was better to withdraw now without official failure (even though I lost the fees for the topic) and try again next year, hopefully being assigned a supervisor and environment that suitied me better. My classmates thought I should have stayed on and tried to see it through.

Workers in the 'placement venue' are presently quite stressed as new bullying laws have come in, and staff have been stood down under the new laws for bullying.

ANY ADVICE. The episode of my college supervisor coming in to present me with all the complaints and contracts that I would be put on, only happened a few hours ago. I made notification of my withdrawal from the topic only a couple of hours ago - so I am feeling pretty lousy.

helen

Hi Helen

You poor thing.

I am up here in sunny Queensland and am also in my first year. Luckily my first clinical went well.

Have you thought of approaching your nursing teacher at Uni to explain the problems to her? It sounds like a bit of a personality clash to me.

Although you are meant to give your attention to the resident not the paper :wink2:

I just know that if we had problems with our supervisors than we were to contact the Uni and see what could be done, maybe do clinical somewhere else, after all we are all only human and don't always get along together.

You are almost through the first year, don't give up now!

Good luck

Tina

[Helen46]

Hi Helen

You poor thing.

I am up here in sunny Queensland and am also in my first year. Luckily my first clinical went well.

Have you thought of approaching your nursing teacher at Uni to explain the problems to her? It sounds like a bit of a personality clash to me.

Although you are meant to give your attention to the resident not the paper :wink2:

I just know that if we had problems with our supervisors than we were to contact the Uni and see what could be done, maybe do clinical somewhere else, after all we are all only human and don't always get along together.

You are almost through the first year, don't give up now!

Good luck

Tina

Thanks Tina

That was nice. I was quite teary again today - am normally not like that. And yes, everyone agrees about the 'paper' thing - just got bored staring at her, so I flippped the pages of the paper - didn't think much of it at the time.

My information is that I can retain the theory component of my work - but I need to repeat the placement next year. I cannot repeat the placement this year to try to make it up. And I didn't feel strong enough to 'tough out' all the new stresses on the placement - I would feel very stigmatised being 'on contract'. I thought one had to commit serious offences for this.

Hopefully it was just bad luck. I will strike different personalities next time round, and will be OK. I hope it's not me - because I don't really understand the logic of a lot of the complaints and actions. eg. if they wanted my documentation - why didn't they just ask for it?

Thanks once again. I don't feel quite so alone now.

Helen