Insulin question

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I had a patient (who had Congestive Heart Failure, pleural effusion, diabetes, and a history of hypertension, and emphysema)... my instructor claims that those medical conditions will make insulin (subcutaneously) take a much, much quicker effect (so if the book says that the onset is 15 min, in his case it will be 3-5 min)... Can someone please explain how this would happen and why? What do you think about this??

Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

Ok, this is ridiculous. If the instructor cannot come up with any proof for any of this, then she should reinstate you. Two, what semester are you? Her job is to teach you and guide you, so she should have done that.

I know at my school, if there is no harm, there is no foul. You didn't hurt anyone, so I don't see why this is happening. At the very least she could have failed you, but to kick you out of school?

You need her statement of what you did wrong in writing.

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I am in my 3d semester (2 years prereqs + waiting list + 2 year program which consists of 4 semesters and I was in my 3d semester).

I am not a minority... I'm white/caucasian, but I am originally from Russia, and I speak with an accent.

I'm 21 (youngest one in my class) and I look young/quiet, and sometimes I get comments which make me feel that I am not being taken seriously.

I also limp a bit when I get physically tired.. (I had a knee injury in August 2006), and my teacher was saying how I have "attitude" cause I stood once with a "hand on my hip"... I brought a form from the emergency room + knee MRI results, and showed it to the committee, and said she should not even bring up the way I stand (considering that it has nothing to do with how competent I am).

So I don't know what is it exactly that she had against me, but I really feel that the fail was undeserved.

I have her evaluation in writing (where she wrote about insulin and such). And I am continuing to look for a lawyers.

And for those of you in the Los Angeles area, do you know any places/firms where I can find probonal lawyers?

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PS= I don't mind paying $100-$200 for a letter, but I want more out of it because I just invested 4 years of my life (time, money, energy, etc) into becoming an RN, and it's something I am so passionate about...

And right now this evaluation is preventing me from becoming an RN, its preventing me from transferring ANYWHERE because majority of colleges require normal record (and I have the expulsion for "unsafe conduct" and so on...)

So not only I have to start over, but it makes it so difficult to even go anywhere else because of what she wrote and how it escalated.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

Screw the fail, you got kicked out of school over this.

If you can prove what your instructor failed you for is erroneous, then you need to fight it. From what I'm reading in this thread, that is the case.

Are you sure that the only issues in that statement are about the insulin and the INR? I just don't see enough evidence here to justify kicking you out of school.

Something else has to be up. :uhoh21: :uhoh21: :uhoh21:

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She also claims that I don't look up labs, but I do. My mistake was that the first day I looked it up, and I knew they were within normal limits, but I didn't write it down on a paper...

So I got a warning for that. The 2nd day I had all the labs (print out AND hand written on paper), and the 3d day one of the labs didn't print out, so I looked it up in a chart AND wrote it down on paper, but she said that I need the print out paper too (that I have no access for, and I didn't want to ask the nurse because my last instructor would get us in trouble if we "bothered" the nurses for any reason) ... I was kind of surprised because I still knew them, and I had them written down, but it seemed like she was just LOOKING for things to fail me for.

So labs, insulin and the ASA/INR.

They have certain guidelines to follow (which are in our student hand-book), but they don't follow it. It seems like that can use anything as an excuse to fail you or kick you out for.

If I try to fight it on my own, as I was doing for the past couple of month, I'm afraid I won't get far, cause so far I haven't had much luck. That's why I want to do it with a lawyer, and that's why I'm looking for a probonal lawyer (cause I just can't afford the hourly fees...)

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PS= And on the 3d day, she didn't even say anything about the labs (2nd and 3d day she told me I was doing great)... but she brought it up at the meeting.

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I woud think it would be easier to go after a public college- they accept government monies and have to adhere to stricter standards. Does the college have a board of trustees or something else that you can go to?

Stand up for yourself on this and fight! She is screwing with your career and your life and there is no reason for that!

Also be sure when you speak about the case- present the facts and try to keep emotions out of it except when talking to your attorney or counselor if you have one. If you haven't already- write everything down that you remember including nurse names and pt names & where to go for information if it is needed inthe future. Time will dull your memory and you may be in a for a fight.

Are you sure she isn't targeting because you are foreign born and young? I would not rule anything out at this time as it obviously is over more than the insulin.

I hope everything turns out for the better for you.

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Thank you.

We have several people who are foreign born (many phillipinos too), but we only had 2 people out of 11 (in her group) that speak with an accent (me and a 44 year old Mexican man), and we are the only 2 people who failed. She failed him for a mistake that he did (he gave lopressor without cutting it in half... it was a mistake, however, the nurse or the instructor were supposed to review all the meds and dosages with the student before we administer... at least according to their policy... but from what I heard, the nurse told him to go ahead and give the meds by himself, and when he did, he realized he made a mistake, and he told the nurse and instructor ASAP... and he failed, but was not kicked out of school).

I am keeping all the records, all the kardexes, names, etc

The meeting I had today with the Committee, they have 5 days to make a decision. If they feel that I am right, then they will make a recommendation to the President of College. And then he may or may not make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees (and he has 10 days to decide). So I should find out what their decision is by the end of the month.

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Specializes in tele, stepdown/PCU, med/surg.

Some people on this thread have been focusing on why the student needs to look up INR etc. The truth is, this nursing instructor is a quack. She is a drama queen who likes to scare nursing students with borderline false info.

While there may be a lot more going on in this situation than the OP told us, we need to support this person and focus on ways for her to deal with it instead of rationalizing the instructor's nurse-eating behavior no?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ER, L&D, ICU, OR, Educator.

She didn't check your cohort's meds before he gave them?!? That is HER mistake, and while he should have caught it, it is ultimately HER mistake! This goes to what kind of a teacher she is, and is fair game.

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Update coming up.

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