about to fail nursing clinical

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Hello. I am in my first semester of nursing school and received a clinical improvement plan on the 2nd week for forgetting to put the glucometer stick into the sharp after using it on a patient. After this incident I have been very careful and made sure I never did this again. it has be a month and about two weeks since that incident. a day ago, my instructor emailed me saying that nurses came up to another instructor telling that instructor that I am an unsafe nurse, and now my instructor wants to give me a CIP. the nurses didn't say what i did exactly but my instructor said it is aligned with not having a good therapeutic communication with my patients. The only thing my instructor wanted me to work on after my CIP(for the glucometer) was my therapeutic communication with my patient which I have been doing. my instructor herself have told me that i have improved with my patient interactions...and I know I have... my instructor said it herself that each time she asked the nurses how i am doing they say I'm good, so i don't understand where this is coming from. Is it right for my instructor to give me a CIP based on hearsay?

again, the nurses that complained about me didn't tell my instructor directly, instead they told another instructor who told my instructor so all of this is based on hearsay.

As a student, i feel like I can't even make a mistake and I feel paranoid. Please advice me

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Thank your lucky stars , and find another career

Not even half- kidding

And no , she really shouldnt go by secondhand hearsay .

Good luck

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That sucks. Your instructor should really get your side of things before taking disciplinary action. Words can be misconstrued, particularly with illness and medications in the mix.

But you're a student and I don't think you have much recourse. Find out what the concern is first. If it's a misunderstanding, you may want to appeal the failing grade.

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If you fail because you're unsafe because of "therapeutic communication," then you need a better school. That just doesn't exist unless you're suggesting violence or suicide. And if it gets to the point that you're in trouble and you're going to fail clinical for being unsafe, as in you're actually being told by your instructor that you failed, that it's official, you failed clinical, then you get to demand exact documented examples of what you did that's unsafe. You cannot fail because of a rumor. Schools cannot do that, and there's a potential lawsuit for all your money back if they do, plus a lawsuit against the facility your clinical is in for slander.

Also talk to whoever runs your schools nursing department, possibly go above that person if you have to.

Failing for being unsafe is very serious, and unless you actually did something unsafe, you better be fighting.

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Specializes in Neuro.

It doesn't sound like your are failing am I correct? Just a clinical improvement plan? You could try to fight it and stir up a hornets nest, or roll with the punches of that plan like you've been doing and pass. You sound like you've already made improvements so this coming is disheartening, but, be cautious in choosing your battles. If you are passing still, I'd let it roll off my shoulders and continue to improve like you say you are doing and keep open communication with your instructor. I wish you luck.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it tony1234 and cleback. I made a mistake, I am actually a 4th semester student maybe that makes a difference, I don't know. do you think it is wise to talk to the instructor the nurses told these things to? I want to know exactly what was said. my instructor keeps waiving the CIP in my face, we have been communicating through email and we will officially talk about the issue next Thursday, but every time we communicate through email she mentions that she will give me a CIP and that next Thursday we will go over how i can improve my clinical performance. so it seems like she already made up her mind without hearing from me or even knowing exactly what the nurses said to the other instructor. I asked her through email for examples of what the other instructor said that the nurses told her that made me an unsafe nurse and my instructor replied that when she spoke to the other instructor, the other instructor was busy. So maybe i should speak to the other instructor or just wait?

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Thank you for your reply MiladyMalarkey. this is my second clinical improvement plan, third one and I am out. I feel like I am being set up to receive a third one. IF my instructor is ok with giving a CIP for therapeutic communication, she is just waiting to give me a third one. it's all a set up. I feel really stressed and like i have to constantly watch my back in what is supposed to be a learning environment.

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BlinkyPinky thank you for your response. there is a typo, I am actually a 4th semester nursing student. I am almost done I just need to get through this hurdle.

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T... my instructor keeps waiving the CIP in my face, we have been communicating through email and we will officially talk about the issue next Thursday, but every time we communicate through email she mentions that she will give me a CIP and that next Thursday we will go over how i can improve my clinical performance.

Look, you've invested a lot of time, heart and money into getting this far. As someone else posted, my advise is to "roll with this". Meet the instructor as planned, be attentive to the rationale behind the CIP and make a plan to salvage this term.

Don't be defensive, open your ears and close your mouth while your instructor is talking to you. Don't demand to know what was said, don't speak to anyone else about this as that will only come off as not getting the lesson inherent in a CIP. Even if you feel this is unjust or she has made up her mind without hearing your side of it you really don't have a leg to stand on. Do whatever it takes to pass and leave the instructor behind in a cloud of dust.

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Look, you've invested a lot of time, heart and money into getting this far. As someone else posted, my advise is to "roll with this". Meet the instructor as planned, be attentive to the rationale behind the CIP and make a plan to salvage this term.

Don't be defensive, open your ears and close your mouth while your instructor is talking to you. Don't demand to know what was said, don't speak to anyone else about this as that will only come off as not getting the lesson inherent in a CIP. Even if you feel this is unjust or she has made up her mind without hearing your side of it you really don't have a leg to stand on. Do whatever it takes to pass and leave the instructor behind in a cloud of dust.

When it can affect her ability to finish school, she does. If she's in trouble for being unsafe, she has a right to know exactly what she did that was unsafe.

Think of it like if you were at work, and your boss gave you a writeup for being unsafe, wouldn't you expect your boss to be able to tell you exactly what happened to warrant that writeup? So why should it be any different in school? If her instructor can't tell her exactly what warranted her CIP, her instructor should not be giving it.

Don't forget, you're paying to go to school. It's costing you thousands of dollars. Don't let teachers do things like this.

I wouldn't do anything until after meeting next week, but unless there is something concrete, an exact situation, in detail, of why she deserves it, she can and should fight it. Not just for her, but for every student after her that this is going to happen to. You don't owe instructors a single thing. They owe YOU. YOU are the customer. You're paying to be taught.

If you're not willing to stand up for yourself, are you really going to be able to stand up for your patients?

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Specializes in Psychiatry.
Look, you've invested a lot of time, heart and money into getting this far. As someone else posted, my advise is to "roll with this". Meet the instructor as planned, be attentive to the rationale behind the CIP and make a plan to salvage this term.

Don't be defensive, open your ears and close your mouth while your instructor is talking to you. Don't demand to know what was said, don't speak to anyone else about this as that will only come off as not getting the lesson inherent in a CIP. Even if you feel this is unjust or she has made up her mind without hearing your side of it you really don't have a leg to stand on. Do whatever it takes to pass and leave the instructor behind in a cloud of dust.

I couldn't agree more. Serve out your time quietly and don't rebel. You're almost out anyway. Some professors like to act like gate keepers of the profession. You are a student, you will make mistakes but learn from them. Good luck to you.

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Tony1234 Thank you again for your response. I will not let this go because I know I will be setting myself up to fail 4th semester if I do. I spoke with the instructor the nurses spoke about me to. That instructor said that those nurses detailed that i was "lazy" and " unmotivated" mostly because during lunch break, I don't eat lunch (I fast) so i stay at the nurses breakroom and watch the TV they have there untill my lunch time (15 min) is over. I didn't know that they will perceive this as being lazy and unmotivated because it is my lunch time. After talking to that instructor I learned to always go to the Cafeteria or pretend I am doing something during my break time, she said to do anything but sit in the nurses break room. I didn't know this, but now that I know I won't do it again. nothing was said about me being an unsafe nurse. The same instructor said that I shouldn't receive CIP over rumors. I don't know why my own instructor is labeling me unsafe over this...even though the nurses I have actually worked with never said negative things( the ones talking are those that see me in the break room). At this point I will tell the instructor (the one the nurses spoke to)to speak to my instructor about the CIP because if I get it I will be forced to take legal actions? Any advice?

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