Friend kicked out/quit the program

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I am an ADN student due to graduate this summer. There was a girl in my class (we'll call her Liz) who was always friendly to me. Over the past 2 years we always joked, sat together at lunch, did a presentation together, and went out to eat once, but aside from that we never really hung out outside of class. I'd say she is in my gorup of 7 or 8 close select friends.

At our clinical site the instructor is the only one with pyxis acess so she pulls our meds for us puts them in individual bags per patient with the pyxis recipt in the bag. We then get those meds together along with any meds not in the pyxis like insulin, stuff in the fridge ect. We are then supposed to go over the meds with the instructor before giving the meds to the patient. But it is important to know that this was our second day with this instructor and at this site. Our last site was LTC and we pulled the meds out of the med carts and gave them ourselves without checking with the instructor. :uhoh3:

So Myself and the other leaders were in the breakroom discussing tele strips when Liz comes in. She asked the instructor a question and the instructor answered her and asked if her meds were ready to be checked. Liz: I gave the med. Instructor: Liz! you know you're not supposed to give meds without checking them with me first. Liz: I'm sorry Instructor: What did you give? Liz: blah blah blah Digoxin Instructor: What was the apical pulse rate? Liz: Well the nurse said you can't hear one of the heart sounds and to multiply by two, so it was 88. Instructor: no, how many beats did you hear?

Liz: 44. :eek: At this point the instructor gets up and takes liz out of the room. The instructor called the director, Liz was sent home for the day.

The next day at class was a theory day and I didn't ask her about it before class. Before break the instructor announced that the director wanted to speak with her. After break she wasn't there, about 15 minutes into class she came in, got her stuff, and slammed her door on the way out. I haven't seen her since. I don't know if she quit, got kicked out or what.

I want to call her, but I don't know what to say. Should I ask what happened? Should I just tell her I'm here if she needs a friend? should I let her call me, or what? It has been over a week since this happened though, I don't think she's gonna call me. Also another question I have is have anyone out there who's ever heard of such a thing. To me it seems strange that a nurse would tell someone that and not show them what they mean, and I've never heard of anything like that. But on the other hand I know the nurse must have told her something?!? but what? Sorry this is so long..... any thoughts???

i would call her. provided it is out of concern for her and not to get the gossip mill running. she doesn't have to tell you if she doesn't want to. she probably does need someone to talk to, it never hurts to offer that you are concerned and are there to help/listen if she needs it.

Yeah i agree with shock you should call her let her know she has as shoulder to cry on if she needs one,If its possible I hope she can find a place to finish school she got so far. I know patients safety is key, but did anyone actually get hurt or did she mainly not check in with the instructor first before giving the med. At any rate call her you seem to care and she probably needs that right now

Wow, sorry about your friend. She must be very upset to come so close to graduation and then get kicked out. Undoubtedly she could use a friend right now, I'd call her and see if there's anything you can do for her, or just to be there for her.

I hope it will be possible for her to simply repeat the last semester instead of having those two years count for nothing, I am sure she has learned a lesson she will never forget about listening to the apical pulse herself for a full minute before giving digoxin. She might be feeling railroaded since the RN told her the HR was 88. Gosh, this is sad.

Hope it works out!

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Don't get involved. First of all, anything that was said to this student was done in private, as it should have been, and that is why you don't know the whole story. If "Liz" wanted to share what was said to her, that was her choice. Obviously, she didn't want you to know what the people in charge of the program had to say to her. Secondly, you said that aside from sitting together at lunch, going out to eat once, and doing a presentation together one time you guys never hung out outside of class. "Liz" obviously wants to keep it that way. She's also angry right now and you could probably rightfully imagine that she could be too embarrassed to talked about what happened. Knowing how management works I would also add that it's possible that she was told not to discuss anything about her situation with the other students.

I know it is only human nature to want to know what happened. My best guess is that her biggest sin was not following instructions. However, there is probably much more that you, I and anyone else will ever know about because "Liz" and the people running your nursing department chose to keep confidential--as they should.

Lesson to you, and a really hard one to follow: No matter how hard you want to know what has gone on with someone with regard to their employment or, as in this case, matriculation stasis, you just have to keep your nose out of it and anything you might know about it you need to keep your trap shut about it. Your nursing department leaders handled this very, very professionally and I am proud of them! Some might have broken down and given in to the desire to gossip about this and share what went on behind the closed doors with the student. For the future, just remember that whenever you take aside any subordinate who you have supervisory authority over, any conversation between the two of you is confidential and no one else's business. If the subordinate chooses to break the confidence and tell all their cronies, so be it. But it can't be you or you lose any respect and authority you have as a leader.

Dig is one of the drugs that we get warned and warned about. I can't imagine giving that s checking the last labs for levels and taking a full apical.

They would've watched to see how high my butt bounced when it hit the pavement.

I am not commenting on the 'rightness' or 'wrongness' of it, but if she were at my school, she would have been kicked out too.

As far as whether or not you should call her, I think I would let her make the first move on that. Just me tho...

Specializes in OR.

I would wait for her to contact me also-she's probably going through a whole range of emotions right now. I also would have been kicked out of the program though. We are finishing up in 3 weeks, and still have to have the instructor with us when we give drugs and especially drugs like digitalis. Not to judge her, but I think I would have gotten my instructor when the whole "missed beats" issue came up with that nurse. Sounds terrible but I don't trust some of the floor nurses either because they resent students or they are clueless. I tend to be more on the cautious side...My future nursing carreer is too precious to me.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

Is it just me, or is anyone else not getting what was meant by the ''missed beats'' comment?

Can someone explain?

Specializes in ICUs, Tele, etc..

I think some details were missed...I don't think a second year adn student due to graduate would rely on a nurse for an apical pulse...

Specializes in Cardiac.
I think some details were missed...I don't think a second year adn student due to graduate would rely on a nurse for an apical pulse...

That's a good point...Especially with a med like Dig.

I think some details were missed...I don't think a second year adn student due to graduate would rely on a nurse for an apical pulse...

She didn't. HER apical pulse was 44 and the nurse said to double that so she did and gave the drug.

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