I've Been Arbitrarily Dismissed By My Instructor From The Nursing Program...

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I am a fourth semester student set to graduate in May (2007). Just today, my instructor dismissed me from the program for what she claims was "unsatisfactory" performance in clinicals. I've had her for clinicals all semester. She has never reprimanded me during clinicals. She has never ordered me off the floor from clinicals. She has never ordered that I go to the "lab" to clarifiy my technique. She waited til the day before our final exam to tell me that I "will not be completing the course" and that I "don't have to take the test tomorrow."

I have never had an "unsatisfactory" clinical evaluation. Even on the "ONE" day she claims I was performing "unsatisfactorily", the nurse I worked with gave me a good, clean evaluation.

Are instructors allowed to do this? Please advise! I'm a very good student. I'm Vice-President of the class. I truly feel she is "picking on me". I know of incidences that have occurred with other students that have jeopardized a patient's life- and they have been allowed to continue with the program. I have never put a patient's life at risk. I have followed the rules and regulations. What should I do?? Please advise!!!

First, I am sorry to hear what happened to you. Did you have a midterm evaluation at all during clinical? Because is you were in jeopordy of failing you should have been notified then so you good improve. Second, in a professional manner, which all you ducks in a row and justifications write a letter of grievance. CC this letter to the instructor, your nursing advisor( who may have a good relationship with this instructor), director of this particular rotation, and the dean of your college of nursing. Find out if there is something you can do to rectify the situation while allowing the instructor to not have to admit to being wrong e.g. mandatory summer lab hours. How was your lecture grade thus far in the course if it was good this too may work in your favor.

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Specializes in OR Internship starting in Jan!!.

We only do midterm and final evaluations. At the time of our midterm evals, we had only been in the hospital for one week (I'm a first semester student), so it really didn't have much information.

To the OP: That is a horrible situation to be in. I hope everything is resolved quickly.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

I saw this happen to a student in my class, the exact same way it is going on with you. This student fought it and was able to continue, so it is worth the fight. Hope that you can resolve this. Best wishes.

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How can an instructor just in one fell swoop take away an entire year of studying and clinicals?? That is just WRONG!! I think there has to be some sort of chain of command, because that nurse has too much power and at her whim, for whatever reason, she can just squash your dreams without warning or reason??

I hate that!! I had a friend whose instructor gave her grief and did something similiar. She went to the dean and told her she was being targeted and her instructor (ADN RN Class) had a reputation of hating certain girls because they were good or pretty or skinny, but turns out her mom had died and was taking out her mean nasty self on my friend. Needless to say, she did graduate a year ago, but not without a fight. She was a top student except for this one lady who had it in for her.

She just prayed and prayed and would not let this woman steal her dream.

I hate this is happening to you, I will definitely pray about it. It really burns me that one person has that much control and for what reason?? Did she even give you a reason?? Sounds very much a set up and unfair to me. I would demand an investigation of this lady.

Good Luck and God Bless!!

Deb

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Specializes in OB/GYN.

So what ever happened with this? I stumbled onto this thread and now I want to know what happened??

Anyone know?

OP what about that update?

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Specializes in acute care.

hhhmmm, the last time this OP signed on was july of 07, so we may not find out. I hope everything turned out good for her, though.

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I was in the same position as you at a point in my life and this caused me to be very depressed. The Teacher told lies on me and she was unable to produce documentation. The students were very mad to the point where they gave her a very bad evaluation. The Dean did not want to get involved and now she had to leave. However, I am in another nursing program and I am very happy. God always provide a witness and some of these Instructors think they are little Gods. When they are like that most times they do not know what they are doing. I have been there but my dream will never be a distant memory. I have seen students put patients at risk and nothing was done about it but because I did not tell this child-like Instructor how pretty she looked, I had a problem with her.

I am a grown woman and I will not allow immature Instructors to take away my happiness. From now onwards, I will be the woman with good morals and ignore those who try to block students goal.

Have faith my dear, God has never given up on us.

Love,

Ann.

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Get a lawyer NOW

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I just got canned myself, in the 5th of 6 semesters. I was accused of something awful 3 months ago by some mean spirited nurses, which I did not do, and the instructors have had it out for me ever since. None of this has anything to do with patient safety, yet I've seen and heard of others in my class who have given wrong meds, etc and they are still in the program. I had a 4.0 last term. seems so unfair, and I've grown tired of trying to reason with them. If they let me back in this time, they will only look for something else. Seems they want people to fall "into their mold" of what they think nurses should be, and anyone who doesn't is not likely to make it. I'm looking into other options. anyone have advice? does anyone know if you can just go sit and test for the nclex-pn? I've got 4 terms completed.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.
I just got canned myself, in the 5th of 6 semesters. I was accused of something awful 3 months ago by some mean spirited nurses, which I did not do, and the instructors have had it out for me ever since. None of this has anything to do with patient safety, yet I've seen and heard of others in my class who have given wrong meds, etc and they are still in the program. I had a 4.0 last term. seems so unfair, and I've grown tired of trying to reason with them. If they let me back in this time, they will only look for something else. Seems they want people to fall "into their mold" of what they think nurses should be, and anyone who doesn't is not likely to make it. I'm looking into other options. anyone have advice? does anyone know if you can just go sit and test for the nclex-pn? I've got 4 terms completed.

That sucks, I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you.

If you want to take the NCLEX-PN you should call your BON and ask them to see if they allow this. I also believe that you have to get some proof or paperwork from your school saying that you have been through a certain amount of classes to sit for the exam.

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Ive read a few of these types of problems happening here on this board and I have to ask, do you not get hard copy evaluations weekly with a satisfactory or UNsatisfactory?

I can't imagine a school NOT doing this. If you do, were all of your evaluations satisfactory?

I can't imagine being dropped from clinical if you had this sort of paper trail and I can't imagine a school NOT doing this.

We NEVER got midterm evaluations, even though this was supposed to happen. Personally, I never got one. We got evals at the end of the term, too late to do anything about the things the instructors might see as weaknesses. The next term, we were off to a new site, new system and a new instructor, so the evals really meant nothing, we had to figure out what this new instructor wanted and just run with it the best we could, while figuring out a new environment, charting system, etc. It was crazy to expect us to focus on what we needed to work on clinically when we were just trying to keep up with extremetly busy nurses and learn a new system every few weeks.

I'm just wondering, does anyone have experience actually being TAUGHT by their clinical instructors???? We rarely ever saw ours. We learned everything we got from the nurses on staff, who were overworked already, not to mention having to teach a student. The instructors were incognito, sometimes caught sleeping in the break room, when they were supposed to be supervising 8 students, passing narcotics, etc!!!! In 4 terms, I had exactly 3 times when an instructor actually went into a patient room with me, and only one of those times, they showed me what to do (suction a patient). I though nursing school would be different. WHY do they expect the nurses to do all the teaching??????? What are the instructors even there for????? Anyone else have this experience???

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We NEVER got midterm evaluations, even though this was supposed to happen. Personally, I never got one. We got evals at the end of the term, too late to do anything about the things the instructors might see as weaknesses. The next term, we were off to a new site, new system and a new instructor, so the evals really meant nothing, we had to figure out what this new instructor wanted and just run with it the best we could, while figuring out a new environment, charting system, etc. It was crazy to expect us to focus on what we needed to work on clinically when we were just trying to keep up with extremetly busy nurses and learn a new system every few weeks.

I'm just wondering, does anyone have experience actually being TAUGHT by their clinical instructors???? We rarely ever saw ours. We learned everything we got from the nurses on staff, who were overworked already, not to mention having to teach a student. The instructors were incognito, sometimes caught sleeping in the break room, when they were supposed to be supervising 8 students, passing narcotics, etc!!!! In 4 terms, I had exactly 3 times when an instructor actually went into a patient room with me, and only one of those times, they showed me what to do (suction a patient). I though nursing school would be different. WHY do they expect the nurses to do all the teaching??????? What are the instructors even there for????? Anyone else have this experience???

I'll just add that some of the things written on the end of term evals never even happened. They were made up. How could they know what we did when they were never, ever in the patient room with us????? Whenever we tried to clarify what was stated incorrectly on the evals, we were "dinged." or seen as trouble makers...just for trying to tell the truth.

I feel like things are just not right in the nursing school world when lying by instructors is taken as a "normal" occurance. How do students PROVE they are telling the truth when they are up against the program which keeps the college in business? If it weren't for the nursing program, our college would probably be bankrupt. Why would the DEAN put themselves out of work?????

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