This is from a document I post for my students at the start of clinical. Doing any of these things will probably result in failing clinically. Remember, we faculty have wide leeway in making a call on this. It often boils down to not letting you move on if you are unprepared, unprofessional, unsafe, unskilled, are unable to critically think, or communicate poorly with others or fail to take responsibility for your actions.
The following infractions may result in a clinical failure:
Tardiness or absenteeism (See course syllabus).
Recurrent or flagrant dress code violations
Rude, disrespectful, undermining or uncivil behavior toward a patient, family member, staff member, peer, or faculty; OR repeated actions that create unnecessary conflict and turmoil for others.
Serious complaints from the agency nursing staff concerning the student's behavior
Being unprepared to provide safe patient care to patients, OR inability to answer common questions or explain the client's pathophysiology or medications, treatments, procedures and/or nursing interventions.
Inability to create or communicate a reasonable plan of care, or inability to through and evaluate the client outcomes
Serious lack of organization that leads to late treatments or medications, or that forces others to assist a student so that care can be completed on time.
Failure to follow up on an action after being specifically directed to do so. For example, failing to recheck I&O or vital signs or a client's response to a med after being directly told to do so by the instructor or a staff nurse.
Repeated failure to convey important changes in the client's status promptly to the staff nurse of the instructor.
Breech in confidentiality or HIPAA violations
Administering medication without the instructor or without having attained prior approval to administer a medication with a licensed RN
Misleading or misstating facts or events, or fabricating client assessment data
Repeated submission of late or unsatisfactory work (even if ungraded); failure to redo and resubmit written material as requested by faculty.
Delay in responding to or noncompliance with a faculty directive to undergo remediation to address a skill or knowledge gap.
Actions or inactions deemed unsafe by the faculty.This goes beyond serious medication errors; it includes actions or inaction that puts clients at risk for avoidable complications or potential harm.
Violations of the Code of Conduct found in the School of Nursing Student Handbook. Failure to achieve master the skills or knowledge needed to provide safe care to patients, including physical assessment skills; or failure to meet any of the other course objectives.
I would add to this that a NO CALL/NO SHOW (unless you were in a serious accident) is an automatic failure.
Nursing faculty take seriously their responsibility to protect the public from anyone who does not live up to these standards, or who lack the thinking skills, judgment, and organizational skills needed to provide safe, effective care. There are times when we recognize that a student simply is not ready to move to the next clinical, where he or she will encounter sicker, more vulnerable patients; in that case, the student may benefit from repeating a clinical, and go on to be a stronger, better nurse as a result. It is not easy to fail students clinicallly; no one I know does it lightly or looks forward to doing it. But it does happen. That said, it generally can be avoided by coming very well prepared, following the rules, being on your best behavior, communicating well, and by seeking and being open to early feedback.
These are my guidelines, which reflect a combination of the student handbook, honor code, and course syllabi. It also includes language form out clinical evaluation tool, which spells out other failing behaviors (safety, communication, critical thinking, preparation). Students are juniors in a BSN program with max two patients. This is OB, so I gather some data for them, and they have about 30-40 minutes more to review the chart, etc.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
The students need clear cut guidelines of the expectations. Nothing wrong with that.
I remember WHITE shoes only a certain kind. Hair up and off the collar. Cap in the carrier worn ONLY INDOORS. White or blue sweater. White panty hose at ALL times. No nail polish. 1 necklace if it was a cross. Wedding bands only not rings with stones. A watch with a second hand allowed on the wrist but preferred pinned to your shirt. Uniforms only if matching and actual uniforms. Pants allowed but not preferred. NO earrings, no perfume minimal lipstick allowed...nothing flashy. White underwear.
I went to a regular college in the late seventies....don't you think I stood out? My CI used to carry white shoe polish and if you were scuffed you polished.
There are things about those days I miss.....and things I don't (wink)
I take no issues with those guidelines. I wish clinical instructors were required to follow the same or be dismissed. Especially punctuality and respectfulness.
Clinical shoes should NEVER be worn outside of the clinical area!!! NO WAY do I want to take that stuff home to my family!
In my second year of Nursing school, we were required to park in a mulch lot at one of our clinical sites. It had rained all night. the mulch lot was a muddy slush lot. I had some mud on my shoes and on the cuff area of my pants near my ankles. I was nearly sent home about it. Yelled at and embarrassed in front of the entire class until several others pointed out we had parked in a muddy bog and their shoes looked as bad or worse than mine. There was no apology from the instructor, just an assurance that if it happened again I would be dismissed. I eventually had to make a visit to the dean to get her to stop, and I wasn't the only one who had to make that visit.
If you make your students park in a quagmire, expect dirty shoes.
I guess I am saying that it would have been nice if some of my instructors had used common sense when enforcing some of their "rules."
Oh Amen to that! One clinical rotation I had the facility CLEARLY stated that acrylic nails were an absolute no-no. AS was the schools policy. My instructor had the most beautiful set of acrylics...
I take no issues with those guidelines. I wish clinical instructors were required to follow the same or be dismissed. Especially punctuality and respectfulness.
My first clinical was a nightmare, I had to wear the nurses hat, have my shoulder length hair off my collar, my hair would never stay up and my hat always slid off, my instructor gave me the impression I would fail and then when it was over, she said "you were one of my best students" whew! I'm glad those days gone. There is no reason for an instructor to act like a drill sargent.
I think these are all totally reasonable. I would be willing to follow these rules as a student, But also as a students we should have some expectations of our instructors as well. The main one is to be treated respectfully especially, with all the prereqs, most of us are adult learners, not children at reform school. All nurses should be treated respectfully including showing each other respect and that should start in school.
I just saw a fellow student get dismissed today. He was given lots of chances, and instead of really being humble and admitting his shortcomings after the first few incidents, he just kept going. He conveyed a sense of not taking things seriously, he was confused about what paperwork was required, and he didn't ask for help.
I appreciate your view as an instructor. I think you make a valid point; most instructors are not out to make your life a living hell for no good reason. There is a reason they want you to read all that stuff and do all those assignments. This is not going to be a job where you can just kind of sit at your desk and nurse a hangover or otherwise be distracted.
These rules are really not that big of a deal. These are the kind of rules you would be expected to follow in the real world, and you could lose your license and your livelihood for doing these things.
Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.
Hear hear, regarding clinical instructor behaviors. I had one once where our post meeting regularly consisted of her sobbingly sharing her personal details about her pending divorce and soon-to-be ex-husband. Those who were the most helpful and empathetic ended up with the best grades, strangely. And the amazing thing is, she didn't get fired... she ended up getting promoted to the head of the PN program! Of course, she got fired the next year, for saying to the class, "If you don't like it- [flips the double bird]".
cnmbfa
151 Posts
These are my guidelines, which reflect a combination of the student handbook, honor code, and course syllabi. It also includes language form out clinical evaluation tool, which spells out other failing behaviors (safety, communication, critical thinking, preparation). Students are juniors in a BSN program with max two patients. This is OB, so I gather some data for them, and they have about 30-40 minutes more to review the chart, etc.