I failed my first clinical!

Doog · Apr 17, 2006

Do you mind elaborating on what happened?

breakin_moon · Apr 17, 2006

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.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2006

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!

Jo Dirt · Apr 17, 2006

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.

breakin_moon · Apr 17, 2006

Thanks Tweety! I think that's great advice.

oldiebutgoodie, RN · Apr 17, 2006

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

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2006

Dose of reality here. . .the clinical instructor tells you what to do, you don't tell her what you're going to do. You can't get argumentative with the person who is totally responsible for the grade you are going to be getting. That's just suicide. When the instructor says jump, you just say "how high" and do it. It's like being in nursing boot camp. If you don't change you'll have problems at your next school too.

Why would you show up at your clinical site if you were sick? You should have just called off sick. 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.

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Apr 17, 2006

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?

leslie :-D · Apr 18, 2006

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

tencat · Apr 18, 2006

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:

breakin_moon · Apr 18, 2006

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.