Help!!! Caught btw rock and hard place--Instructor sending students home early...

[meatballgirl]

Hi Everyone:

I need some savvy advice from some smart seasoned nurses. I'm in nursing school and a terrible situation has developed....

We are suppose to have clinicals from 3pm-midnight. Our instructor lets us out at 7pm, and we spend about 2 and a half hours total on the floor. The rest we are sitting and chatting about nursing stuff. But we get let out 5 hours early, every day. Today, she cancelled the whole day all together. We lost 9 hours.

Now I know some students are happy to play hookie and to get out early, I feel like I'm getting ripped off. I'm seriously not learning anything at all. And all the other students are not saying anything. We are pressured by the instructor not to tell the Dean who is very strict, but it's getting ridiculous.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

I want to squeal.

Don't get me wrong, if we can't do anything on the floor from 7pm on, then I don't want to just sit there for 5 hours. I want to learn something, to do something.

But I feel like I can't say anything. The whole class will kill me. And I still have 9 months to go with this group. And the instructor will give me hell if she finds out it was me.

So what do I do, wise nurses?

Leave an anonymous note in the Dean's box? Any ideas that will not get me hanged by the class?

Thanks!

[loriangel14, RN]

You need to tell someone.You and the others are getting cheated of the education you are paying for. Sure it may seem like fun now but when you get out of school lacking the skills you should be practicing it won't be so funny.You should be able to speak with someone higher up on the condition of anonymity.If you are not comfortable doing this then write a letter.

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

I can't believe this is a serious quandary. There are very straight forward ethical and pragmatic issues here.

#1, you (collectively) are cheating and lying. None of you, including the instructor, have any honor.

#2, you are not getting the education for which you are paying (hopefully not borrowing).

#3, you aren't going to pass your board exams without preparation

#4 you aren't going to be able to hold a job if you do pass

The answer is clear.

[meatballgirl]

But the class will hang me. I don't want to get "accidentally" injected with 50cc of insulin. I'm not diabetic and I don't want to die.

Anyone know HOW I should tell this terrible secret?

[nursel56]

Yes, let the Dean know. We recently had a distance learning student complain about the same thing. It's really disturbing to think even one nursing instructor would think this is OK. The "I won't tell if you don't" attitude applied to anything nursing is serious, but to instill that value in nursing students is extremely unethical, imo anyway.

You could also share it with the BON of your state, or those who approve nursing programs for accreditation.

[meatballgirl]

Thanks to all who have replied, but even my MOTHER has told me to keep my mouth shut. She doesn't want the instructor or the other students to retaliate against me. I'm so frustrated and scared. I can't run to the instructor and say, "hey, this is wrong. You are a lazy ass and are cheating us out of our education." She'll just make me sit there until midnight and let all the other kids go.

Someone out there, PLEASE help me. PLEASE, please, please. How can I tell the Dean without committing suicide (socially) or invite homicide upon self?

[YouSmellLikeCDiff]

This is unacceptable. You are PAYING these instructors to teach by spending the required amount of hours in the assigned unit, not paying them so they can leave & go watch Honey Boo Boo on DVR (or whatever it is that seems much more important than your education). The answer to your question is obvious. Yes, yes, yes you must report the instructor. I suggest that you go up the chain of command (a different instructor, their supervisor, the head of nursing) before you go all the way to the dean. They're more likely to understand the importance of this issue.

And as for being worried about your classmates finding out that you were the one who snitched, are you kidding me? THIS IS YOUR CAREER! You are missing out on valuable clinical time & this could severely hurt you in the long run. You will need your clinical skills when you start working as a nurse, not your classmates. If you are more worried about your reputation than your education, I suppose sending anonymous tips may help. But if you really want something done about it, discuss your concerns with whoever you believe will put an end to this. Call, make an appointment, or ask to speak with them privately. Them him/her that you wish to remain nameless. Anything that will stop this nonsense & finally get you prepared to become a nurse!

[MoopleRN]

But the class will hang me. I don't want to get "accidentally" injected with 50cc of insulin. I'm not diabetic and I don't want to die.

Anyone know HOW I should tell this terrible secret?

Accidentally injected with 50 cc of insulin? Sounds trolly to me....

How should you tell this terrible secret? You just did. Print this thread and leave it in your dean's mailbox.

[MoopleRN]

... Someone out there, PLEASE help me. PLEASE, please, please. How can I tell the Dean without committing suicide (socially) or invite homicide upon self?

Do you seriously think you're "inviting homicide upon self"? Leave a note in a safe place (with your mother, maybe?) where it will be found after you're, you know, homicided.

Ahem! Over and out.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

But the class will hang me. I don't want to get "accidentally" injected with 50cc of insulin. I'm not diabetic and I don't want to die.

Anyone know HOW I should tell this terrible secret?

Well.....50 cc's of insulin is a lot of insulin and difficult to hide a 50cc syringe

The 50cc syringe is to your far left and the insulin/TB syringes

are the last 4 on the right. But I understand what you are saying.

Academic dishonesty is a problem. You, your classmates are begin cheated of valuable clinical time (which you pay for) that will hurt you when you try to take boards and will place you further behind other nurses upon graduation so it will affect your ability to obtain/maintain a position.

There are state regulations that specifically state the required number of clinical hours to qualify for graduation and to sit for boards many state are now requiring concurrent clinical so if you are not receiving them you will not sit for boards nor be able to pass.

Your CI is cheating the students for she is paid for a specific amount of time......which she is not fulling....she is stealing....from you and the school.

I think you need to have an anonymous talk with the Dean of Nursing. Don't chatter to your nursing friends and tip them off that it was you.......leave the drama for daytime TV ......make a meeting time or call the office to speak with her. You can also call the state board and lodge a formal/anonymous complaint.

As this is a CI problem and maybe not a institution/program issue I encourage you to speak to your Dean before the state......allow the Dean to rectify the problem first before involving the state.....it may not be a program issue but a personnel issue that can be rectify by that CI being fired.

But you must tell......keep your actions to yourself. I wish you the best.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Pretty sure the hospital would be saying something to the school if this were real. We floor nurses get pretty vocal when student nurses are committed to us and then just randomly disappear before their shift ends.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

You (and your entire class) are being cheated out of an education!! I've honestly never heard of such behavior =( I can't believe the clinical site doesn't wonder what the heck is up either, since I'm sure they are planning on having students from 3-12 on those nights.

No real advice except to take cover when the sheet hits the fan, b/c it eventually will!!!