I failed my first clinical!

Do you mind elaborating on what happened?

Wow, I typed all of it out and it's gone!! (I don't know how to do this.)

The clinical instructor said that I didn't know how to do vitals (I made an A in my CNA class - I have been doing vitals for a while. A thermometer was broken once; the nurse couldn't get it working either??) She said that I refused to participate in treating a 3rd degree burn patient. I had bronchitis, and was running a temp.; I only came to turn in my case study. I explained to her that I was really sick. I shouldn't have been in the same room with the patient. I stood at the door, hacking with kleenex in my hand. I shouldn't have been there. We couldn't miss. I had a doctor's excuse.

I didn't think I should take my patient's vitals when she was finally going to move her bowels (she had been constipated for 3 days).

She said that I wasn't a team player (because I didn't sit around and gossip with other students).

I know - do what ever they tell you, and don't tell anyone anything.

If you're starting another program, I would just leave the anger aside and start fresh.

I would also let go of the blame game and take a good look at areas where you might improve and work on those, leaving the rest of the garbage in the can.

Good luck!

She said that I wasn't a team player (because I didn't sit around and gossip with other students).

I know - do what ever they tell you, and don't tell anyone anything.

If you carry this kind of hostility, resentment and contempt with you to the next nursing program you can expect the same results you have gotten now.

Thanks Tweety! I think that's great advice.

If you carry this kind of hostility, resentment and contempt with you to the next nursing program you can expect the same results you have gotten now.

Let's not blame the victim here. There really are nursing programs and clinical instructors who are vindictive. I graduated a year ago (at an older age), and was shocked at the actions of some of the clinical instructors, who booted people out of clinicals on VERY weak charges.

Oldiebutgoodie

Wow, I typed all of it out and it's gone!! (I don't know how to do this.)

The clinical instructor said that I didn't know how to do vitals (I made an A in my CNA class - I have been doing vitals for a while. A thermometer was broken once; the nurse couldn't get it working either??) She said that I refused to participate in treating a 3rd degree burn patient. I had bronchitis, and was running a temp.; I only came to turn in my case study. I explained to her that I was really sick. I shouldn't have been in the same room with the patient. I stood at the door, hacking with kleenex in my hand. I shouldn't have been there. We couldn't miss. I had a doctor's excuse.

I didn't think I should take my patient's vitals when she was finally going to move her bowels (she had been constipated for 3 days).

She said that I wasn't a team player (because I didn't sit around and gossip with other students).

I know - do what ever they tell you, and don't tell anyone anything.

I/m still not clear on what happened. So, the thermometer was broken and you couldn't take vital signs, so she failed you?

What is the policy on missing clinicals if you have a dr's note? Why were you there at all if you were sick?

And what's up with the vital signs and a patient having a bowel movement? What does on have to do with the other? Did you need to do a rectal temp? I'm confused.

I know in our clinicals we have clearly defined outcomes we have to meet and every week it became increasingly more important to meet them all. I f we missed anything, we had to redo it and turn it in, if written or just redo the skill. We also had three CPE's: vital signs which we had to do BP and had to be 8 beats +/- away from what the instructor heard. Then we had pulse and respirations that had to be 3 +/- from the instructors findings. Our other two CPE's were med administration and a careplan. We had specific things we either did or didn't do to pass or not. We had the list of competencies so we knew what was expected and nothing was purely subjective.

So, exactly how were you graded?

accountability was drilled into our heads in nsg school.

those who didn't do the work, clearly didn't pass....even if the sn thought it was for a valid reason.

nsg school is not for the faint of heart. one really needs to be able to stand up to many challenges on varying levels.

leslie

Nursing schools are always feeding students that baloney about not working with patients if you are sick. That's nothing but a dream, the ideal situation. That doesn't happen in the real nursing world or else you eventually get written up and/or eventually fired for a poor attendance record.

Meanwhile, the staffing ratios are good, but the immunocompromised patient dies from pneumonia....that just doesn't make ANY sense to me to make myself sicker and spread around my crud to people who are already sick to begin with. :uhoh21:

I/m still not clear on what happened. So, the thermometer was broken and you couldn't take vital signs, so she failed you?

What is the policy on missing clinicals if you have a dr's note? Why were you there at all if you were sick?

And what's up with the vital signs and a patient having a bowel movement? What does on have to do with the other? Did you need to do a rectal temp? I'm confused.

I know in our clinicals we have clearly defined outcomes we have to meet and every week it became increasingly more important to meet them all. I f we missed anything, we had to redo it and turn it in, if written or just redo the skill. We also had three CPE's: vital signs which we had to do BP and had to be 8 beats +/- away from what the instructor heard. Then we had pulse and respirations that had to be 3 +/- from the instructors findings. Our other two CPE's were med administration and a careplan. We had specific things we either did or didn't do to pass or not. We had the list of competencies so we knew what was expected and nothing was purely subjective.

So, exactly how were you graded?

My final grade WAS purely subjective. None of my procedures performed, injections/meds. administered, paperwork, careplans, case studies, Fundamentals class - which I had an A in, labs (completed and passed), etc. were taken into consideration.

I really don't know why she said that about not being able to take vitals; the broken thermometer was the only thing I could think of.

I bucked the teacher when I refused to take vitals while my constipated patient was finally going to be able to use the bathroom.

I know - it's insane.

Oh... I was there to turn in my case study which was due that day. I told the instructor that I was sick when I turned in my paper.