Students who don't belong, being pulled through LPN program (long rant)

nurse4theplanet, RN · Nov 22, 2005

You are exactly right. All I was pointing out was I don't think anyone who can graduate high school or pass the GED or however you got your diploma can NOT do simple conversions. I mean how hard is it to slide a decimal to the left or right? I am simply pointing out that maybe the underlying reason for some people's failure on dosage tests is the PRESSURE rather than the inability to do the work.
The way the OP and others put it, these people are incapable of doing the work.

I see what you are saying and i think it has much truth to it...in fact, my school preached to us on "survival day: day one of nursing school" to speak to our doc about test anxiety if we felt that we had issues with pressure holding us back from reaching our full potential!!!! Talk about a warm welcome (we even had a lady from a mental health facility talk to us about depression, anxiety, and the importance of maintaing your mental health while in nursing school):rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Nov 23, 2005

I see what you are saying and i think it has much truth to it...in fact, my school preached to us on "survival day: day one of nursing school" to speak to our doc about test anxiety if we felt that we had issues with pressure holding us back from reaching our full potential!!!! Talk about a warm welcome (we even had a lady from a mental health facility talk to us about depression, anxiety, and the importance of maintaing your mental health while in nursing school):rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

On one of our many days of orientation that we will be having in January, we will have a session called" Academic success for Nursing students" or something like that. Hopefully this will give those people who do have any anxiety issues or problems working under pressure, some good tips on handling it all.

CrabbyPatty · Nov 23, 2005

Ya know a month or so ago, before our Drug Dosage test, I had almost the same opinion as Don. Since then, I have started to think about things differently. I passed my drug calc test with a 99%. We were required to pass with a 90% or above. More than half of our class of 60 failed the test. Just basic stuff....not rocket science. However, I have to say that I know a few really smart people who didn't pass....one even got a 70%. But, I know the reason for her low score is just her "fear" of math. She's very bright, an EMT and if I were dying, I'd ask for her before I'd ask for some of the "nurses" I work with in clinicals each week!

I'm in my 6th week of clinicals and am absolutely amazed at the stuff that "real nurses" do!!!! My first day, my nurse had meds to give to a patient and dropped one on the floor while she was giving report to a doc and had I not pointed it out to her, she wouldn't have noticed. The next week, my nurse was standing at the Pixis (sp?) pulling her meds and putting them on top of her clipboard. No cups, nothing...they were sliding off as she was racing out the door. Did she verify the meds 3 times??? NO!!! Did she know what they were for???? NO!!!! I had to tell her what one of them was for!!!!! Another week, my patients meds were listed incorrectly in his chart. The nurses were giving him Advair, when he was supposed to be getting Allegra....he brought a list from home of all the meds he was on!!!! I was told today that one of my fellow students discovered a "major" medication error in the patient's chart.

Today, my patient was on contact isolation and I had nothing but a non-functional BP cuff and a stethoscope to do vitals. When I asked my "nurse" where to get the proper equipment I needed to do vitals, she stated "I don't know, the tech does that stuff". Yet, she had signed off that SHE did vitals earlier! How was that possible??? When the same pt's pressure ulcer dressings needed changed, she told me she didn't have time to do it and would get to it later. This poor patient had three stage 4 and 3 or 4 stage 2 pressure ulcers! Her left leg was amputated recently b/c of pressure ulcers! Her feces had seeped into one of the dressings and I did my best to clean it up, but was told I wasn't allowed to change the dressing without my "nurse" there. When I finally pulled my instructor in to do the dressing changes, she told me that the nurse had been applying the wrong medication to the stage 4's.

Sometimes I wonder what the heck I'm doing here! Sure, someone may be smart enough to get good grades and pass the NCLEX, but what does it all mean??? I see RNs each week who chart things that they didn't do or who just don't "get around" to doing what they're supposed to!!! Last week I had a patient who was completely AAO. He smelled like he'd been living in a sewer. I asked him how long it had been since someone bathed him...he said 4 days, yet his chart indicated AM Care for the past 4 days!!!! I had to ask my supervising nurse 3 times for pain meds for him. He had a kidney stone, enlarged prostate and had JUST had his catheter removed. Each time he tried to urinate, I thought he'd pass out from the pain. I tried to distract him for an hour while I waited for her to come. Each time I went to find her, she was either on a personal phone call or charting!!! Besides the med administration and catheter removal, I never saw her again.

I realize that things in the "real world of nursing" are going to be insane and there's probably no time to get to everything. But, why does it seem that it's almost a given that you're supposed to do the bare minimum and cover your ass no matter what??? Our instructor has told us how it's illegal to have all 4 rails up b/c it's a form of restraints, yet she tells us during clinicals to put all 4 rails up and document that 2 are up and 2 are down. Or whatever we need to do to cover our butts!

Oh, wait....there's more!!!! Last week after clinicals, our instructor asks us to stay after our "debriefing" if we want to have our evaluations done. Of course, I'm eager to hear mine, so I stay. Two others go before me and while 6 or so of us are waiting for the second person's evaluation to end, we can hear laughing and loud talking going on behind the door for about 10 minutes or so. When this person comes out of her evaluation, our instructor says "ok, I only have time for one more". In the meantime, we learn that her daughter called while she was giving evaluation #2 and since our classmate knew the daughter, the instructor hands the phone over to the classmate!!!!! We're all standing there in the hallway, waiting for our evaluations and the instructor is on a personal phone call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She takes phone calls DURING lecture!!!!!

I'm getting physically ill over the crap that goes on each week! I can't leave and go to another school's program. I am afraid to complain b/c of retribution. Many of my classmates and I are disgusted with and ashamed to be associated with our school.

I only pray next semester is better and I pray I don't become one of the nurses I've worked with who are "too busy" to give adequate care to their patients.

I've seen things in clinicals that make me want to NEVER be a patient in a hospital! :uhoh3:

AnnieJac, RN · Nov 24, 2005

I totally understand what you mean. I had that same thing with the math. People couldn't get it and I was like, its a formula. Just set up the fricken formula. They could not cross multiple and divice for nothing! I also have a problem that walk into class late. I am always there and always on time. Usually a half our early. You look at these people and think, is this how your going to be on the job? I sometimes wonder if the "old" generous of nurses are going to be extinct. The ones who truly care and know there stuff. I study so hard because I want to know it. I don't want to just get by like some of them. I really like the school I'm in and glad I chose it. I here of another school in my town and its like they just slide them thru. I don't want to go for a ride! I want to know it. So I do understand and it is so frustrating, but I just do the best that I can and know that I'll be a good nurse. I'm going into my second term. I'm counting the days LOL! Going into the second means I have only 3 more terms to go lol. I think being on the job will really teach me alot. Good luck in your studies!

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Nov 29, 2005

Ya know a month or so ago, before our Drug Dosage test, I had almost the same opinion as Don. Since then, I have started to think about things differently. I passed my drug calc test with a 99%. We were required to pass with a 90% or above. More than half of our class of 60 failed the test. Just basic stuff....not rocket science. However, I have to say that I know a few really smart people who didn't pass....one even got a 70%. But, I know the reason for her low score is just her "fear" of math. She's very bright, an EMT and if I were dying, I'd ask for her before I'd ask for some of the "nurses" I work with in clinicals each week!
I'm in my 6th week of clinicals and am absolutely amazed at the stuff that "real nurses" do!!!! My first day, my nurse had meds to give to a patient and dropped one on the floor while she was giving report to a doc and had I not pointed it out to her, she wouldn't have noticed. The next week, my nurse was standing at the Pixis (sp?) pulling her meds and putting them on top of her clipboard. No cups, nothing...they were sliding off as she was racing out the door. Did she verify the meds 3 times??? NO!!! Did she know what they were for???? NO!!!! I had to tell her what one of them was for!!!!! Another week, my patients meds were listed incorrectly in his chart. The nurses were giving him Advair, when he was supposed to be getting Allegra....he brought a list from home of all the meds he was on!!!! I was told today that one of my fellow students discovered a "major" medication error in the patient's chart.
Today, my patient was on contact isolation and I had nothing but a non-functional BP cuff and a stethoscope to do vitals. When I asked my "nurse" where to get the proper equipment I needed to do vitals, she stated "I don't know, the tech does that stuff". Yet, she had signed off that SHE did vitals earlier! How was that possible??? When the same pt's pressure ulcer dressings needed changed, she told me she didn't have time to do it and would get to it later. This poor patient had three stage 4 and 3 or 4 stage 2 pressure ulcers! Her left leg was amputated recently b/c of pressure ulcers! Her feces had seeped into one of the dressings and I did my best to clean it up, but was told I wasn't allowed to change the dressing without my "nurse" there. When I finally pulled my instructor in to do the dressing changes, she told me that the nurse had been applying the wrong medication to the stage 4's.
Sometimes I wonder what the heck I'm doing here! Sure, someone may be smart enough to get good grades and pass the NCLEX, but what does it all mean??? I see RNs each week who chart things that they didn't do or who just don't "get around" to doing what they're supposed to!!! Last week I had a patient who was completely AAO. He smelled like he'd been living in a sewer. I asked him how long it had been since someone bathed him...he said 4 days, yet his chart indicated AM Care for the past 4 days!!!! I had to ask my supervising nurse 3 times for pain meds for him. He had a kidney stone, enlarged prostate and had JUST had his catheter removed. Each time he tried to urinate, I thought he'd pass out from the pain. I tried to distract him for an hour while I waited for her to come. Each time I went to find her, she was either on a personal phone call or charting!!! Besides the med administration and catheter removal, I never saw her again.
I realize that things in the "real world of nursing" are going to be insane and there's probably no time to get to everything. But, why does it seem that it's almost a given that you're supposed to do the bare minimum and cover your ass no matter what??? Our instructor has told us how it's illegal to have all 4 rails up b/c it's a form of restraints, yet she tells us during clinicals to put all 4 rails up and document that 2 are up and 2 are down. Or whatever we need to do to cover our butts!
Oh, wait....there's more!!!! Last week after clinicals, our instructor asks us to stay after our "debriefing" if we want to have our evaluations done. Of course, I'm eager to hear mine, so I stay. Two others go before me and while 6 or so of us are waiting for the second person's evaluation to end, we can hear laughing and loud talking going on behind the door for about 10 minutes or so. When this person comes out of her evaluation, our instructor says "ok, I only have time for one more". In the meantime, we learn that her daughter called while she was giving evaluation #2 and since our classmate knew the daughter, the instructor hands the phone over to the classmate!!!!! We're all standing there in the hallway, waiting for our evaluations and the instructor is on a personal phone call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She takes phone calls DURING lecture!!!!!
I'm getting physically ill over the crap that goes on each week! I can't leave and go to another school's program. I am afraid to complain b/c of retribution. Many of my classmates and I are disgusted with and ashamed to be associated with our school.
I only pray next semester is better and I pray I don't become one of the nurses I've worked with who are "too busy" to give adequate care to their patients.
I've seen things in clinicals that make me want to NEVER be a patient in a hospital!

All the above is so true. I see it all the time as a nurse aide. Let's hope we all become more careful nurses and that we get staffing that allows us to do all of our job.