I LIED to a professor

strawberryluv, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2015

Don't say anything and learn the next time to be on it with all your patient's data before your instructor asks.

I'm glad you rechecked because thats important too.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Feb 28, 2015

I would not advise you to confess. Instead forgive yourself, let it go and resolve not to lie in the future. Also remind yourself to be more diligent if a lab is off next time. The most important thing is you did no harm and the patient is ok.

pinklonghorn · Feb 28, 2015

DO NOT confess. There isnt a hurt patient, you realized you made a mistake and ensured yourself it will not happen again. Forgive yourself and move along.

JMCP · Feb 28, 2015

HAND THIS ONE A BEER. CHILL OUT! SERIOUSLY I UNDERSTAND YOUR STRESS, WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL MY FAMILY WAS BROKE, GOING THROUGH MY MOM'S DEATH AND OTHER VERY SERIOUS FAMILY MATTERS. TO TOP IT OFF I HAD NO MONEY MYSELF AND IT WAS NO USE ASKING MY DAD FOR 5 BUCKS HE DIDNT HAVE IT... OMG, HOW WE NEVER LOST OUR HOME OR CARS WAS BEYOND ME. ANYWAY... RELAX, PRETTY SOON IT WILL BE OVER AND YOU WILL BE A BETTER PERSON FOR IT!

gigi_gin · Feb 28, 2015

I would just let it go at this point and learn from your mistakes. The important thing is that you followed up with the patient to made sure the patient was all right.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2015

Follow your conscience. If you have a spiritual/religious adviser, talk with that person and ask for prayer for guidance. You can ask God to give you peace and strength to do whatever you believe He would have you do.

If this is something that shocks your conscience, and it does seem to do that, you need relief from the shock and guilt.

You need to know, first, that Jesus has already forgiven you and has paid the price for your sin of lying. He knows you panicked and didn't plan to lie He knows all about the human, fallible nature you have and is not surprised by the lying.

I dare say He is glad you now see what is inside your own and every other heart on Earth, and is happy to be able to offer you succor and forgiveness. He asks that you extend forgiveness and aid to others in need, in distress.

Remember how He told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more? He didn't stone her, he forgave her. He counseled her and, scholars believe, He pointed out to her accusers, to her would-be stoners, their own sins.

In other words, He loved her enough to acknowledge that she had sinned - and so had her accusers, from the oldest to the youngest of them. He dealt with her own heart and with their hypocrisy.

If I were your Professor, I would appreciate the character strength it takes to confess, I would respect you for your honesty. We would discuss the matter, make sure you and I have no legal liability, then tell you to let it go and let's move on. You would have made me a friend for life, not just a Professor, although we'd have to maintain the teacher-student decorum for the present.

So, again, follow your conscience, gain peace for yourself. Things like this can be very hard to drag around for decades, minor and inconsequential though they may seem.

Once you have spoken to your professor, let it never be spoken of again, except to maybe someone else who needs courage and forgiveness and the love of God, as shown through you. I would not be specific at all to anyone other than your Prof. HIPAA and all that, you know.

Good luck, God bless. Haters here of Jesus and religion, flame away if you must.

OP, I hope the rest of your school time goes more smoothly - financially, etc.

Everline · Feb 28, 2015

Do not "confess". Really. Don't do it. Let it go and move forward in a smarter way. Additionally, seek some assistance for your stress levels.

JoseQuinones · Feb 28, 2015

Whether you are religious or not, there is wisdom to be found in the book of Proverbs. It says, "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (28:13, ESV). It is a good rule of thumb throughout life to tell the truth always, and when you slip up and tell a lie, to admit it.

Remember that real experts in whatever field have a sort of "sixth sense" for when something is "off." They may not even need to see the specifics to know. Chances are this professor knows you lied and is waiting for you to come clean. She will respect you more for having the guts to confess than she would for your not having the mistake to begin with.

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Feb 28, 2015

The take home from this experience is that no matter how hard you study, no matter how much experience you get as a student and then as a practicing RN, there will always, always be things that you don't know and things that you will forget to follow up on. You will also continue to make mistakes throughout your career. One of the most important markers of a professional is being OKAY with this reality. There is no shame in saying "oh, I forgot to follow up on that, I will go back and do it right now." Or, "Wow, I didn't realize that was abnormal or required follow up. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, I will look up that value and it's implications so I am sure I understand it for next time."

Nursing is a high stress and high responsibility profession. You obviously have a strong set of ethics and a good handle on personal responsibility, which is admirable and will serve you well. Now you need to learn how to accept your limitations and be okay with the fact that you will never, ever be a perfect nurse.

I wouldn't confess, but I don't think much will come of it if you do. I would encourage you to seek outside help for your anxiety if this is a pattern for you. Your response seems pretty out of proportion to the nature of the incident.

You have the makings of a great nurse, you can do this!

Aliareza, BSN · Feb 28, 2015

For next time, if you haven't done something and your professor comes to you and asks you if you have, just reply with, "Doing that now!" and walk off quickly to do it. Works every time for me.

When you have more experience, you will much more easily anticipate the values that need checking up on and be able to put those re-checks into your routine. As a student, there's so much pressure that it's very easy to forget. I'm in my last semester and just the other week forgot to check the IV fluids & rate during my initial bedside report on a patient. Yikes! But your professors know about the stress/pressure and don't expect you to be perfect; that's what they're there to work on! They aren't going to let you harm a patient. For that one value, the professor is looking at it, and whoever the patient's actual nurse is that day is looking at it, so even if you miss it, that patient is definitely covered.

P.S. I cannot stress enough that not sleeping is a HUGE detriment in nursing school!! If you aren't sleeping, you need to work it out and start! I am naturally an insomniac so when I can't sleep 3 nights in a row, I start taking doxylamine succinate. Easy to find over-the-counter and cheap. Look into it.

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2015

OK, nursing school is stressful. It makes us do things that we wouldn't normally do. Think about these things:

Bible says let he who has not sinned cast the first stone. You think seriously that this professor has never told a lie? Don't bet on it. yet he or she is someone you admire. One lie doesn't make a person horrible!

You are a student, not a licensed nurse. That means that in all likelihood a nurse checked on it even if you didn't. What did you learn? hopefully the answer to that is that when you are a nurse, you need to check all that stuff or you will endanger a patient. if you learned that, then some good came of this!! A lot of nurses do not learn that until they hurt someone, think of yourself as ahead of the game!

I don't condone lies, but we have all slipped up that way. As stated, school is stressful, it makes us act out of character. No one got hurt, so why destroy the professor's confidence in you just to make yourself feel better? Do not confess, just don't do it again! Don't forget, it is human nature when we lie that our biggest fear is getting caught. I think that is more than half of what you are feeling, and it probably isn't going to happen, so I suggest you leave it alone.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 28, 2015

Whether to tell or not...I leave that up to you and your conscience to decide.

The one piece of advice I will give you is this: ditch the habit of lying, especially at school or work. Let me rephrase...don't develop the habit of lying in the first place. There's no excuse or justification for it. If you're blaming anxiety, insomnia, etc., for why you lied, get those problems addressed to prevent a repeat.

Lies often have a habit of coming to light, and just because you got away with it once doesn't mean you always will. Your name and professional reputation can be on the line, and once there is a reason to doubt you and your word--such as being caught out in a lie--that's hard blow to come back from. Plus, get caught lying at work once, and your coworkers are always going to wonder what else you may be lying about (his pain is still 10/10, did she really give the patient his medication?). They're going to feel like they'll have to follow behind you to make sure about things...and that's not a fun feeling to have when you've got a full workload as it is.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but better you learn this lesson now.

Best of luck.