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

That you and some others have insisted that you have "never" seen, heard of, or experienced any type of bullying behavior in your umpteen years of nursing. Ever.

I wasn't saying YOU ARE BULLIES. I am saying that the hypocrisy that you urge her to acknowledge the bullying, keep her head down and mouth shut so she can graduate....flies in the face of the "bullies don't exist in nursing because I've never seen it..

Excuse me but when did I EVER say that! You're putting words in my mouth that I NEVER SAID and I don't appreciate it AT ALL! You are, in fact, LYING about me and that really pisses me off. You are discounting my advice on the premise that I am some sort of hypocrite when I am NOTHING of the sort. God I am so hacked off right now.

I'm going to carefully say this. It concerns me that posters here, veteran nurses, are telling you to "keep your mouth shut and do whatever you're told". Yet some of these same nurses are swearing up and down that they have never, EVER seen or heard of bullying in the workplace. Hmmm.

On to your problem, OP.

You have a clinical instructor who wants to give you a CIP---we called them "Just Culture" write-ups. It was originally designed for a clinical instructor to fine tune young nurses, counseling on what happened/why it happened/a plan for moving forward.

I had two just like this. And it wasn't only me experiencing it. We were allowed all the way through clinicals, until 4th year--and then the BS "just culture" write ups began. A girl was given one for dropping a cap from a needle on the floor in the medroom while she was drawing up a medication. Another was given a write up for allowing the primary tubing to touch the bed without the RN "cleaning the entire tubing with an alcohol wipe". Yet another was given a write up at her final review to graduate her capstone internship---not a word was said about her performance, but a write up was given--the RN was off duty already, being given her final review, holding her purse and bag, OFF DUTY....and had the audacity to put her earrings (just simple one in each ear) back in.

That was RN #1.

The second was a truly vicious person. She was forced out of one BSN program in town, only to be picked up by our program due to "wonderful references" (BS interpreter says: We wanted to offload her quietly so we gave her glowing reports.). It came out later, when the lawsuit was filed against the school by the entire senior class, that the former school had disciplinary records on this woman 3" thick.

She was just Just Culture happy. Everything. Her philosophy was that JC was not a teaching tool...it was an administrative tool to weed out people that didn't fit her standard. She didn't follow the Nursing Handbook for the school, or comply with the clinical parameters--she rarely, if ever, witnessed or asked for proof of any type of violation before slamming a JC in front of you and telling you point blank, "Sign it, or fail."

This isn't a "weeding out" technique. If that were true, you would have been written up and spoken to about this long ago. You would never have reached 4th year not knowing you have "therapeutic communication" issues.

We had a theory, and you can take it for what it's worth--that this is something in the last stages, to "knock your confidence down a bit"---especially nurses that show that they can hold their own. This isn't unusual in the workplace, either. Again, it's a bullying tactic. "keep you in your place". Many, many senior nurses would "withhold"---help, information, support, simple acknowledgement---in order to "put a newbie in her place". I've heard comments by senior nurses that newbies have to "do their time" before being given interesting or challenging assignments (even if they can handle it). This is hazing. Another form of bullying.

You can do what some are telling you---play the game until you get what you want, as long as you have a plan. Do you have a job lined up? Are you trusting these people with your plans? DON'T. If you want to get what you want, and if what you want is nursing and have a good job....be a hypocrite, smile and nod---and then when your BSN is in your hand? You do whatever you want.

If you threaten legal action, you had better be sure that you have legal grounds to do it. Like my weapons instructor told me--never draw your weapon unless you are going to use it. Never threaten and then don't follow through.

The class that took this woman to task--it was because the school admin was ignoring months of complaints from very good students. On paper, all of a sudden, everybody was crap. These two instructors were at the root of it.

Bad apple #1 retreated when people confronted her and challenged the JCs, after they realized she was doing it because she really had nothing to show for her "teaching skill" (absenteeism, doing lectures via Mix and it would be 4 hours of her reading the text, blowing off material because she "wasn't comfortable with it"--she was supposedly a Cardiac RN for 25 years). I believe she eventually was forced out, but not when I was there.

Bad apple #2 was forced out immediately, and her clinical group was divided amongst other clinical groups---it was a hot mess. The entire senior year was pretty much wasted, nothing truly learned (other than when a staff preceptor would teach the student something). She was reported to the BON for a particular incident, where she had a student do a procedure with no supervision, and no order to do it. I have not checked her license lately, but I hope she lost her license. She definitely lost her job.

It's up to you, OP. I would suggest the easiest route for you--it's not YOU, it's this instructor. I would say whatever it is that would get me through the semester---with or without a write up---and put her and this school in the rearview. Be as insincere as you like.

This is what they want. I am not sure how something as subjective as "therapeutic communication" can be objectively quantified--because unless a patient is complaining about your bedside manner, I am not sure where this is coming from. When something abstract is being used against you, like this is, this is a red flag to me.

They don't have any solid evidence of any type of procedural or policy mismanagement by you. What they are basically saying is that they don't like your personality.

If that isn't bullying, I don't know what is. Nursing schools are so keen on "evidence based" and "if you didn't document it, it didn't happen"---where is the evidence that OP did anything that broke this nebulous "therapeutic communication" rule?

OP...I would say just smile, nod, agree and then do whatever the hell you were doing in the first place. They want to feel powerful. When you get out there on your own, if someone tells you you're a real b**** at the bedside, and that comes from a PATIENT? Then you need to worry about yourself. Til then, you keep your own counsel, your plans to yourself (because clearly someone is not a fan of yours) and fly under the radar.

I appreciate you caring enough to write such a lengthy response and I read all of it. I will stay under the radar but at the same time I will speak up against this CIP respectively. The student hand book instructs that CIP should be written within 8 days of an unsafe incident. The nurse that complained about me being lazy and unmotivated met me a month ago and is talking based on seeing me sitting down and watching tv in the break room during lunch time. That incident is way past 8 days

I was going to say the exact thing. Homebound, we "veterans" share your sentiments as well. I will continue to tell people, pick your battles. Nursing school is not the place to be a freedom fighter: you know nothing. If she decides to pursue this and fail out then what? she would have wasted her time and resources. OP be brave, be quiet, and graduate.

Lol thank you! By God's grace i'll make it out...I came this far already.

I'm sorry but you are telling her to do the exact same thing the "veteran" nurses here are telling her to do while also implying that we must be bullies for saying it. She is in her LAST semester. If she puts up a stink they will kick her out and she will have to start over. Few people have the time or money for that and many nursing schools will not accept a student who's failed out. Yes it sucks but she's in a no-win situation and now you've gone and told her that she is a sell out if she just does what she needs to do to get through. I don't know, maybe the OP wants to be the Norma Rae of nursing students but if she doesn't then that's fine too.

Kicked out for what? Defending herself?

Her whole issue is this is her last warning, one more and shes out anyway. So if she's getting one for being unsafe, that teacher better be able to prove that she was unsafe. And if she fails for defending herself, she can sue. We're talking about libel from the school and slander from the facility, which is pretty serious and can end careers. This isn't something you just push aside. Unless she has an EXACT example of acting unsafely, she didn't act unsafe and should not be getting that CIP.

Kicked out for what? Defending herself?

Her whole issue is this is her last warning, one more and shes out anyway. So if she's getting one for being unsafe, that teacher better be able to prove that she was unsafe. And if she fails for defending herself, she can sue. We're talking about libel from the school and slander from the facility, which is pretty serious and can end careers. This isn't something you just push aside. Unless she has an EXACT example of acting unsafely, she didn't act unsafe and should not be getting that CIP.

Thank you so much! I'll keep everyone updated this will all come to a close a couple days from today when I see the clinical instructor. I noticed that a lot of people on this forum are afraid to speak up even when they are being sabotaged or have done nothing wrong...and they think that not speaking up will get them a win and a pass. With my experiences at my school I have learned that speaking up is what let they instructors know that the student understands their rights and can not be pushed around. I wonder how many people something like this has happened to and they just went along with it until finally the clinical instructor found a reason to give a third CIP and fail the student. Enough is enough

Maybe those that are afraid to speak up even respectively never had this type of issue in nursing school and got by quietly. I really dislike this overwhelming culture of shut up, take it, put your head down and let professors say or do whatever they like.

Specializes in MICU, Burn ICU.
I'm sorry but you are telling her to do the exact same thing the "veteran" nurses here are telling her to do while also implying that we must be bullies for saying it. She is in her LAST semester. If she puts up a stink they will kick her out and she will have to start over. Few people have the time or money for that and many nursing schools will not accept a student who's failed out. Yes it sucks but she's in a no-win situation and now you've gone and told her that she is a sell out if she just does what she needs to do to get through. I don't know, maybe the OP wants to be the Norma Rae of nursing students but if she doesn't then that's fine too.

She's in her FIRST semester (stated in second sentence).

If they fail her with no explanation to why she is deemed "unsafe", then they would have to show proof of how and what time, when and where. Forgetting to put a lancet in the sharps container as a new student for the FIRST time - BIG DEAL. But if it keeps happening after being warned, then that would call for a CIP or possible unsatisfactory based on clinical expectations.

OP, you have to tread lightly. You're walking on eggshells. I know staff who had purposefully targeted students to make them fail and it's happened smh. Keep a journal of anything you hear or see for yourself that may rise to you possibly failing. You failing a clinical shouldn't be based on hearsay. If you've already done your CIP, speak with the instructor to better understand what you are supposedly doing wrong that is unsafe, be honest on how you feel - they were once in your shoes too. Hopefully all was a misunderstanding and this will be the last of your worries. Keep up the good work, stay confident! This is only the beginning.

She's in her FIRST semester (stated in second sentence).

If they fail her with no explanation to why she is deemed "unsafe", then they would have to show proof of how and what time, when and where. Forgetting to put a lancet in the sharps container as a new student for the FIRST time

Check your facts, she's in her FOURTH semester as corrected in post #5. This makes a big difference.

She's in her FIRST semester (stated in second sentence).

If they fail her with no explanation to why she is deemed "unsafe", then they would have to show proof of how and what time, when and where. Forgetting to put a lancet in the sharps container as a new student for the FIRST time - BIG DEAL. But if it keeps happening after being warned, then that would call for a CIP or possible unsatisfactory based on clinical expectations.

OP, you have to tread lightly. You're walking on eggshells. I know staff who had purposefully targeted students to make them fail and it's happened smh. Keep a journal of anything you hear or see for yourself that may rise to you possibly failing. You failing a clinical shouldn't be based on hearsay. If you've already done your CIP, speak with the instructor to better understand what you are supposedly doing wrong that is unsafe, be honest on how you feel - they were once in your shoes too. Hopefully all was a misunderstanding and this will be the last of your worries. Keep up the good work, stay confident! This is only the beginning.

Thank you for your input and encouraging words!!!! I am in 4th semester but every thing you wrote still stands...I am walking on eggs shells and will continue to be extremely careful because I'm a target.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.
Maybe those that are afraid to speak up even respectively never had this type of issue in nursing school and got by quietly. I really dislike this overwhelming culture of shut up, take it, put your head down and let professors say or do whatever they like.

Many of the members have said pretty much the same thing: pick your battles.

Best wishes.

Hoping it went well...OP any update?

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