I DON'T GET IT!

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Sep 27, 2012

could be the other student is having real problems and needed help. I suggest you keep calm and carry on. There will be many such frustrations and in the end they only mean you have learned to be flexible under stress. That is a lesson in itself. Good luck!

P.S. If you have to readjust the cuff after you have pumped it up once, be sure to allow time between pumping. Otherwise the vessels will not have time to dilate and you will get an incorrect BP. I see people do this a lot is why I mentioned it.

LCinTraining · Sep 27, 2012

The other student may be in a job that he does vitals daily. The instructor may know this and know he's ready because she is familiar with him. Or he may be like me, and have gone through an EMS course, proven himself to the faculty by way of being certified and forcing him to practice something over and over again that he does routinely is stupid. I do more vitals every day than any practice session for school permitted. I teach vitals to new hires (how these kids graduate their CNA courses without it, I don't know but they are clueless when I get them for orientation). I helped most of my lab group when we started vitals. It goes to say, I was ready to test out much sooner than others in my group by default of having done it for years before getting there. You don't know this other students circumstances, but the instructors do. It's not your job to say "no fair!" It's your job to do what is out lined in your syllabus. And if your instructor does not think you are ready, she has already identified something you need work on. Her job is to help you perfect your skills. Your job is to practice. It's not personal. It just is.

allnurses Guide · Sep 27, 2012

Today we were practicing for our competencies which we are supposed to do on Monday. It's just vital signs, since this is my first semester. We were able to go early if we wanted, but no one really volunteered so we started practicing.
We were practicing and a student decided he wanted to test out so he went with the one of our nurse instructors to do so. I asked the other nurse to listen in with the dual stethoscope while I was practicing and I got the exact blood pressure. I felt really confident so I told her I wanted to test out. She told me, "No...you're not ready. and I refuse to let you all practice for two hours before you test out." WTH. We had just gotten there 20 minutes before and there was another student testing out. When I confronted her on the topic she said "well he's a different story." He isn't a different story. He is going to be there on Monday, he just decided to go early! And she doesn't want us to practice? I'm "not ready" even though I was MORE than ready. I feel like I go to a prison. I am educated, I have a bachelor's and I'm almost through with a master's in counseling. I just want to scream at her. I am not a child! I am so frustrated. This is how the nurses are at the hospital school I go to and I don't want my future to be like this. Anyone else have these issues?

Two mottos to live by:

Stay under the radar.

Keep calm and carry on.

AspergersRN · Sep 27, 2012

The two mottos that the person gave you above, words of great wisdom. Take if from the person who could have used that advice. You have no idea what was going on with the other student, absolutely no clue.

If she let you test early and you messed up, you could always say that the test was early yadda yadda yadda.

The point is to get it right, doesn't matter what day.

Another thing I would say, jumping the gun isn't a good attribute. I was at the top of my class, and even if I knew everything to the T I would continue to practice up to the time I had to do whatever. Getting a blood pressure on target one time would not be enough for me to go early for a test. Different people are harder to hear then other people, and who was controlling the blood pressure meter because I have to go slow for the systolic and I drop fast after that.

Your teacher did you a favor.

rubato, ASN, RN · Sep 28, 2012

Gotta agree with everyone else. Your instructors know better than you do. You don't know the other students extenuating circumstances, and, you really shouldn't question authority at this stage in the game. I wouldn't be "confronting" anyone, if it were me. Plus, I can't see how you could be ready after 20 minutes either. Just because you got the same reading as the instructor once, doesn't mean you've got vitals down pat. What's wrong with practicing more?

I have had to learn to accept that people that are younger than me hold all the power and I have to do what they tell me to (I'm 42 and going for a 2nd career). I'm okay with it. Even if I don't understand why at the time.

Beautiful Mind RN · Sep 29, 2012

I would like to add on to what the others have to say in this thread, since I have seen other students in my cohort do the exact same thing as you and this is the advice I gave them...

Please, please, PLEASE, be humble. These teachers are there for YOUR benefit. They are not wardens, they are not going to lock you up in school and throw away the key, but they do want to ensure you get things right so you are prepared for the real world of nursing.

Also, even though you have degrees in other areas under your belt, don't flash that around and use that as an excuse that you know more than your nursing instructor. You are the one learning the subject from THEM.

Wishing you all the best in your endeavor. :)

MrChicagoRN, RN · Oct 1, 2012

Reading your other posts, you indicated that grad school was easy. Nursing school is not. "just vital signs?" It's a simple task that really isn't that simple when you take into consideration the nuances involved.

Just because you felt ready doesn't mean you are.

"I wanted to scream, I'm not a child."

Wow. What is that statement telling you?

Be humble. Be open. Learn.

Nurse Kyles, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2012

I wouldn't worry about what others are doing in nursing school. We always had people who would duck out early from skills lab. My skills partner and I always stayed for the entire class period every time. There is always something more you can work on or review in nursing school. Plus, I guess I like to "get my money's worth". I do not think that anyone who questioned authority ever got anywhere at my school. I would just keep under the radar & please don't compare yourself to others. You just never know their situation. Good Luck!