I may be overthinking this but I need some help diffusing a faux pas I committed with my clinical instructor. I'm always afraid of stepping on a professor's toes and I've already done so with this one by arriving late to clinical twice this semester (I have a long commute to the hospital - I know, no excuses, but it's tough). I work hard and I do not want to be on a prof's bad side.
I have a meeting for another class this week (Wednesday). The meeting, however, cuts into some of my clinical time. I realized tonight (Monday) that I should let my prof know ASAP about this meeting and ask if it is okay that I will miss some of clinical over it. However, I didn't realize that I needed to let her know until 11:50 pm. I decided to text her anyway (all of our clinical instructors communicate with us through text). My reasoning was, "what if I wait til tomorrow? will she see that as irresponsible, that I waited the day RIGHT before the meeting to let her know I'll be late for clinical? Okay I'll just send the text now. If she's sleeping her phone is likely to be off and she'll read it first thing in the morning and it won't look so bad."
So I texted her and got a response along the lines of "I think it's quite inappropriate timing for this text. The issue at hand is not emergent. Please present yourself at the hospital upon finishing the meeting. No further discussion."
Naturally I **** myself a little and replied "I'm so sorry professor. I thought if it was too late your phone would be off and you'd see this tomorrow. Goodnight."
Do I bring this up when I see her this week at clinical? Should I apologize again, in person? Or should I just let it go? I'm afraid of there being tension. I actually admire this professor and learn a ton from her but I feel I keep messing up!
Thanks for whatever insight you guys are able to provide me. I appreciate it!
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Lose, not loose.
And many posters did answer her question about to handle it and give her good advice aside from stressing the importance of being at clinical on time, every time (which is so important that I don't think it can be stressed enough, frankly):
I go for a third answer. Play it by ear the next time you see her. You should be able to tell from her demeanor whether or not she is open to being approached about this again.
I suggest you check your school's attendance policy to see where you stand as of now, reschedule the meeting that's supposed to happen Wednesday so it doesn't conflict with clinical, and apologize to your instructor for your attendance issues as well as the communication snafu, with a plan in hand for what you're going to do differently to avoid being late for clinical going forward.
Best wishes!
Honestly, I would choose to be at clinical on Wednesday; on time.
I'm pretty sure you realize the mistake in texting your CI so late at night. However, in the future when someone texts you "no further discussion," don't text them again and address the situation later!
I would apologize and accept all responsibility for it. Don't try to make excuses. Go simply with some like, "I am sorry for texting so late. It was not appropriate."
I do hope the OP returns to the thread to further clarify about the meeting that was scheduled during clinical time.
Ok having "bashed" her out…can someone now say more positive things to this student? I am sure she has learnt her lessons. It is not a time to start displaying how good of an Angel we were during clinical. She made a mistake and asked for help. Essentially, blaming or judging someone that comes to me for counseling is not very professional of me. I mean, i would definitely point out those errors she did and pat her back (encourage) with my positive closing remarks. Remembering not to loose focus about the questions she asked shows some professionalism...
The problem is that the OP has not shown that she has learned from her/his ways. They state that this will be their third time being late with a " i know no excuses, but I live far" which is an excuse. They also state nothing to the effect that they are remorseful or worried at all about attendance. They only asked for advice on how to talk to the instructor about texting so late. Nothing about how to clear up the attendance issue. Now they may have talked tot he professor about that and cleared it up already, and hopefully OP comes back to explain. Because if not, then the way this post was written comes off that they dont prioritize clinical shifts and it doesnt really bother them.
If we were over 5 minutes late, it was counted as an absence. We could miss two days of clinicals total. After that, you were out of the program. No excuses were accepted. Strangely enough, no one dared to toe that line.
It sounds like you need to figure out priorities. Clinicals come before 99.9% of everything else going on. That being said I would not bring this up unless your instructor seems receptive to it. Good luck with your remaining clinicals.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
However, I didn't realize that I needed to let her know until 11:50 pm. I decided to text her anyway (all of our clinical instructors communicate with us through text). My reasoning was, "what if I wait til tomorrow? will she see that as irresponsible, that I waited the day RIGHT before the meeting to let her know I'll be late for clinical? Okay I'll just send the text now. If she's sleeping her phone is likely to be off and she'll read it first thing in the morning and it won't look so bad."
I'm not going to get into the whole missing clinical for a meeting part, but I do want to address the assumption of thinking a phone will be off after a certain time. For many people, their cell phone is the only phone they have- many homes have decided that a landline is not necessary and discontinued the service. Also, some people have phones on for a reason. As an OR nurse, my job requires call, and I prefer at least two methods to get ahold of me at all times (miss the call and don't get to the hospital within 30 mins? 3 day unpaid vacation. 2nd time is no more job). Anytime my phone makes noise on a night when it's my turn to be on call, I wake up with my heart racing thinking it just might be the hospital calling me in to handle some emergency. Some people have phones on because they are waiting to hear from family members- even though I'm mumble mumble years old, my mother still expects me to call her when I get home after leaving her house or when traveling to let her know I got home/to the hotel safely. Bottom line is, if it isn't an emergency, don't attempt contact that late. Use email or plan better and make the contact at a reasonable hour. (I do find it hard to believe that you didn't know about a meeting that would interfere with clinicals until 11:50 the night before.)
Specializes in Medsurg, Oncology, Hospice, Bariatric Sx.
Hi everyone!
I took a small hiatus from allnurses in order to prep for final exams which came shortly after my post. I appreciate all comments (good as well as bad! Construct criticism comes in all forms :)). However, I'd like to clarify my feelings in order for those who interpreted my post as lacking remorse for my actions. I was, in fact, very sorry for my attendance that semester (which I ultimately passed, thank God). I made a point to express this to my professor. I have since learned from my errors and am better able at managing my time (a huge life skill that nursing school is teaching me). It hasn't been easy, and I will admit that this has been a particularly weak point for me as a student. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be called out on it so I don't ignore my flaws. I love nursing and would never want such a stupid, easily resolvable issue to come in the way of my patients' care.
Nursing school teaching you lessons not just for nursing, but also lessons on life.
klone, MSN, RN
14,857 Posts
Lose, not loose.
And many posters did answer her question about to handle it and give her good advice aside from stressing the importance of being at clinical on time, every time (which is so important that I don't think it can be stressed enough, frankly):
I do hope the OP returns to the thread to further clarify about the meeting that was scheduled during clinical time.