I've messed everything up.

[AmyL]

I'm a second level student currently; I'm states away from my closest family member.

I've always got the impression that the majority of the faculty I'm studying under didn't care for me and have experienced an immense amount of anxiety due to this on multiple occassions. That being said, I also have not always been a model student.

I'm in my 4th semester and have been on probation for two of those; tomorrow I will be placed on probation for the third time. Twice for unprofessional conduct (being late without notifying prior) and once due to a medical reason. I went to great lengths to go to physicians and prove the "medical reason" would not affect my nursing ability. Some faculty were fine with this and other faculty are to this day not convinced.

Monday was my first clinical experience of 4th semester, which I was late for -- I know this is unprofessional of me. I did not anticipate being late, and therefore did not call ahead. Tuesday, I had to stay home with a sick child (I called and unavoided another unsatisfactory mark, although the faculty was not convinced). So I'm in 4th semester, facing 20 days of clinical (probably less than most, I think) on probation and having to make up two days, the max makeup allowed.

This semester, also, we will be performing "nursing skills" only. We will also not know anything about our clients until report that morning. While I understand that this is to prepare me for a nursing career, there has been no transition to this level of independence, and our way to learn "skills" was to read about them. On top of the stress of being so close to being dismissed, I don't know where to begin. Our program is very disorganized and one faculty member will hardcore an issue that another thinks is unnecessary. So I've never figured out exactly what I need to have memorized and what I can carry around a MedSurg Notes flip-book for.

My ultimate goal is not to get the disapproving faculty to "like me" again, but to be confident in my nursing skills and pass these 20 clinical days without issue.

Rant, I know. I also know other nursing programs are much harder than this. But I need helpful advice, please, or any encouragement. I've messed up, but I want to be a nurse more than anything, and I know actions speak louder than words.

[puffinsrule]

AmyL - just pick yourself up, dust off and keep going. You'll get there. Just be determined to do better. You really want this, it will happen for you. Try not to stress about it. Just my

[MB37]

First of all, don't be late again (I'm guessing you've already figured that one out). Really make some changes to your schedule to ensure that it doesn't happen. If that means setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier, or changing to a daycare that opens earlier, you have to do it - according to our syllabi an unexcused tardy was equal to an unexcused absence at clinical, and had to be made up. If you're already at the max for makeups, you really don't want to mess around by being late.

The not knowing about your pts until the morning of thing really isn't tough - in my program, that's how every semester was. Do you know who assigns them? Is it your instructor, or do you work with a nurse and pick up a certain number of his/her pts each day? Our nurse and I chose our pts together, so I'd usually try to pick at least one with a condition we were covering in class that week. Then I'd pick another that might require a skill I hadn't practiced much - needed a major dressing change, or had a trach, etc. If you're passing meds, also check our their MARs and try not to take multiple pts with 20 meds each on the same day - you won't have time to look them all up. If I was taking more than 2 pts, it kind of depended on what the nurse's load was that day - I'd try to make sure I had at least one that was ambulatory so I wasn't totally swamped, especially early in a semester. Make sure you at least have an idea why each pt is in the hospital, but you don't have to know every detail of their patho down to the cellular level by 0800 - I always had time to look it up later.

I don't understand what '"nursing skills" only' means - you haven't been practicing skills in clinical so far? Is your CI on the floor with you, or does your nurse supervise? We usually only had to be checked off on a skill once or twice before we were allowed to perform it independently, but I know this varies by school. We always had to be supervised for med passes though. Don't worry, you won't ever be truly on your own in school. You're still a student, and you should always have either your CI or the nurse you're assigned to readily available to answer questions if you're unsure about a procedure.

[t_rae42]

tardiness is unexcuseable try to be at least 15mis earlier. whenu get to the floor its ok to be scared it makes u more cautious. take ur report then read the pt admission history and the plan of care. this will give u a basic idea of what u r dealin with dont take more than u canhande tell them if the assignment is heavy. trust me its ok if u cant manage u cant u will get there someday. go quickly at ur own space use ur resources to clear up anything u dont understand they get paid for this its their job. pray an ask god for favour hell give it to u if u believe. u'll be fine do what u can.pull ur self together and give up fear.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

I would be setting my clock 15 minutes ahead so that I would be getting everywhere early--I'm not kidding. And as for illness, unless I had hospital admission papers to prove where I was, I'd be dragging myself to school and clinicals no matter what, period, end of story. When the school provides a recommendation for your first job (they are the only ones who can attest to your abilities as a nurse), they will most likely be asked about your attendance record. Every facility that I worked for that hired new grads did. An employer won't be so kind to you, believe me.

[PedsAtHeart, LPN]

You only have 20 clinical days?? And I am assuming that you are an RN student considering you state you are in your 4th semester. I'm sorry but in LPN school I had way more than 20 days of clinical... And you haven't gotten to practice your skills at all before being thrown out into real world nursing? Thats kind of scary, I'm sure you will do fine, but I am sure you are very nervous as I would be! I don't know how other schools operate but in mine we picked our own assignments (we were encouraged to pick the more complicated so that we could gain that knowledge) and we were to research everything about them before we went in to clinicals the next day. This was 4-5 patients each. I understand the part of not knowing until report because that is real world, but you are in school, which is for learning and it doesnt seem like the school is doing a very good job of teaching you if you havent even gotten to practice your skills or anything. Maybe I read your post wrong and I'm not school bashing. But if thats the feeling you get from the school too then just work extra hard and learn as much as possible, even if they arent stressing it, take that extra step and work with the nurses where you are doing your clinicals and just absorb as much as you possibly can.

[Jolie, BSN]

You've dug yourself a hole. but it is not imposible to find your way out.

Be a model student. Be early every day. Arrive professionally dressed and in a pleasant and agreeable mood. Fake it (the attitude) if necessary.

Accept assignments without so much as a blink of an eye or a grumble. Never question your instructor's choice of assignments, even if you consistently get the easiest, hardest, nastiest, most demanding, etc. Be conscientious. No one expects a senior student to be proficient at every procedure or knowledgable of every condition, but we do expect you to: 1.) Demonstrate professionalism, 2.) Demonstrate sound clinical judgement, 3.) Utilize critical thinking skills, 4.) Provide evidence-based care following policy and procedure, 5.) Develop time management and prioritization skills, 6.) Work well and communicate with all members of the interdisciplinary team, 7.) Keep your instructor and precepting nurses aware of your patients' status, and 8.) Recognize when you need to seek help, and know where to find it.

Nothing is more gratifying for an instructor than to see a student thrive, and to believe that s/he influenced that student's progress. Give your instructor an opportunity to see that in you.

Best of luck!

[lainith]

Biggest tip about being professional - be on time. I never realized how aggravating being one or two minutes late can be until I had to work with someone who was consistently late for every shift she worked. I generally try to be awake for at least thirty minutes MORE than I need to be ready. This keeps me from running out of time before I leave. And I always allow myself at least ten extra minutes to get to where I'm going than I need. I hate being late and I used to be late for things all the time. My biggest problem though was getting distracted by other things. So now I don't turn on my computer or do anything really other than shower and get dressed before I leave for the day.

It will help if you think about school and clinical time as a job. Nobody at your job gives a rat's behind if you have a sick kid, if you woke up late, your dog threw up on the carpet, you got caught in traffic, you are having a bad hair day, forget to take your meds, whatever. All they care is that you're late and now you screwed up THEIR schedule as well as the patient's. If you are late to work too many times, you'll get fired. If you show up late to class anymore, you're going to get kicked out. That's the reality of life. Don't let it happen anymore.

If you're on-time for things, you'll find your life runs more smoothly and you are less stressed. As for your anxiety over the faculty not liking you - may you're not totally off-base. Sorry but no one likes it when a co-worker calls off or calls in or is late all the time. Try your best to be a model student and be on time and see if it doesn't improve just about EVERYTHING in your school life.

Best of luck.

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

Rant, I know. I also know other nursing programs are much harder than this. But I need helpful advice, please, or any encouragement. I've messed up, but I want to be a nurse more than anything, and I know actions speak louder than words.

I think you KNOW what you need to do. Honestly, if you've already had problems in prior semesters, your faculty probably has reason to be keeping an eye on you. No one wants to work with someone who's less-than-reliable as someone pointed out above.

It's time to put on the big girl panties and do what needs to be done if this is truly what you want. Sounds like you're fortunate to have gotten as far as you have; be grateful.

Addressing your issue of "surprise" patient loads, welcome to the real world again. We didn't have a "transition" either. We went from one semester to the next and it just became the norm in a very short period of time. With the education you have to date, you should have the foundation you need to work with your assignments. Will you know everything? No, and neither do I when I go in to work as a new nurse. I feel like everything I learned went right out the window at the end of each semester and for sure by graduation. The most important thing will be conscientiousness and being open to learning AND asking questions.

Good luck!

[rn/writer, RN]

You do not have 20 clinical days left. You have one day left times 20.

Take each day as an individual entity. Concentrate on that day and that day only to keep your focus sharp.

Have backup childcare. That's probably difficult with no family nearby, but do what you have to do to make sure you have a sitter. When you have that arranged, find a backup for your backup. A third layer wouldn't hurt.

Get to the site early so you have a chance to gather your wits about you.

If your instructor criticizes you, thank her. Tough to learn but necessary.

Finally, breathe. Seems simple, but it's amazing how people under stress tend to tighten up and take shallow breaths. This sets off a whole chain reaction that drains your strength and creates tension. Breathe consciously at first. Fill your lungs and let the air out slowly. Loosen your neck and shoulders. Gradually, your body should relax and your mind should mellow out.

Remember--you have one clinical day at a time.

You will get through this. And someday, when you're a preceptor or an instructor, you will be a tremendous encourager because of what you're going through right now.

[NoviceRN10]

You only have 20 clinical days?? And I am assuming that you are an RN student considering you state you are in your 4th semester. I'm sorry but in LPN school I had way more than 20 days of clinical... And you haven't gotten to practice your skills at all before being thrown out into real world nursing? Thats kind of scary, I'm sure you will do fine, but I am sure you are very nervous as I would be!

At my school we only have 16 clinical days per rotation (half semester/8 wks)) so I don't think the OP stating she has only 20 more clinical days to prove herself seems like not enough clinical time.

I hope that you get your game on and start meeting the expectations of your instructors. You can do it if you really put your mind to it! Good luck!

[chevyv, BSN, RN]

We go in 8 week semesters and also have about 20 clinical days (per semester).

I think you get the pic with never be late. That goes for your job as well. If your late, your going to miss report. We have never been able to get our pts until right before going on the floor. Last semester we each had 2 pts. You need to be there for report or you will miss vital information.

I agree with another poster. Take your assignment with a smile and fake it if you have to. Look into sick child care to get through the next 20 clinical days. If your sick, doesn't matter go in ther puking and they'll send you home. I never miss a day and am always early. I am not the best student, but the instructor knows I'll be there and am reliable.

It's time to make a plan that you can live by. If setting your clock ahead helps, do it. If you need to get up an hour earlier and be tired, do it. Put your stuff out and your childs out the night before so your ready. Have your bag packed the night before. If you notice your going to be really early, just go in. Its better to be 30 minutes early, you can always sit in your car and relax for a few minutes if you can't get onto the floor. I hope that you can correct this now. When your a nurse, your being late will alienate you from your fellow coworkers and whoever has to take your pts or stay over. I wouldn't like it one bit.

I have heard nursing instructors take calls regarding students to potential employers, so its true what another poster stated regarding an instructor and a potential employer.

I have 2 children and no close relatives around so I know its hard. You've got to want it more than you want what is happening now. For many its a no brainer, but to be in the situation is difficult. Change is hard, but if you want this, you'll have to make some changes. I'm chronically late, but never to class or clinical. I made a promise to myself when I started ns that I would never be late. I might struggle as a student, but it won't be because I didn't give 100%. I even trudged through a snow storm with closed highways only to find myself and my instructor at the clinical site. She told me to stay for a couple of hours if I wanted to and get home as soon as I heard the roads were better. Make it that important to you. Fill your child(ren) in on the new way, if they're old enough, and go for it!

Good luck and believe that you can do this.