kicked out nrsing school-would u fight?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was 5 days from finishing my first year nursing and got bounced. i must go on record as not being the most beloved person in the class. the staff in a manner of speaking, hates my guts. i have clinical with a woman hell-bent on getting me kicked out. she has earned the name of dracula's daugher (AKA DD) from the clinical group. she is less than supportive, and when i asked for guidance regarding a straight cath (i anticipated a pt requiring one, no experience) she told me to read the book. (you get the picture, right?)

The last 5 weeks of class are med-surg in ortho. we got our first two patients the third clinical day. (i was not given a patient the first day of clinical--he never materialized from the OR) I happen to have an essental tremor. i found this out in lab first semester, when trying to draw up a meds my first semester. i sought care from my physician who placed me on lopressor. it has helped tremendously. I advised the staff.

Clinical was torture. we were required to fill out the paperwork described in the syllabus as well as additional forms introduced by DD. we recorded VS in 4 different places. If you did meds for the rotation, it was virtually impossible to finish on time (all my meds were administered late), and many of my classmates failed to accomplish this.

My first patient had alzheimers, total hip, and was combative. i fell behind schedule in performing his care. a future clinical instructor was shadowing DD and helped me with this patient. we fell behind DD's written schedule. I made the assumption that the shadow had a some authority and i took directions from her. I was later told that i was late emptying drains, and did not adhere to the schedule of care. i was told this was MY patient and I screwed up the timeframe for emptying foley and a hemovac. (i had never done either skill up to this day). The most EMBARASSING error I made (yes dear reader, i will tell you) was not telling the nurse in charge of the patient, that the wrong IV fluid was hanging (we had IV and foley training post these incidents). We had the postoperative lecture describing the tasks necessary for post op care after four patient care days. i didnt hang the fluid, which was not ordered and also incorrectly documented on the patient's flowsheet). DD found the error and told me to tell the nurse................and god, i forgot (i told the nurse 1.5 hrs later). I admitted my error in postop conference (there was never a preop conf) and got reamed (understandably). Had I kept my mouth shut, i would have escaped probation. THEN my other grievous error is reaching out of an isolation room to grab my clipboard. Ok i have dumped all the big ones. Remember the tremor? Well yesterday when they dumped me, they told me that I didnt have the motor skills to do the job. I never made an error in med admin. no problem there. i just couldnt draw up the med. without air bubbles (sigh).

it's hard to write this stuff up. i'll let this stand and wait for your comments. remember the agenda is to get rid of me......................there is no support whatsoever. i worked hard to get to this point and these creepy, unprincipled women have pushed me out.

your input most appreciated.

hotcoffee1:uhoh3:

PS there is a guy who has been put on probation last semester for a med. error, who made a med error this session. nothing happened

I don't agree with and am tired of hearing that if there is a conflict between an instructor and a student that it is the student's fault. Some people are hard to work with and go on this power trip and refuse to validate that on occasion the student may know something you don't know. I am speaking from personal experience on this and yes I am one of the "different" ones. I have an instructor now, who for some reason just doesn't like me. I speak up when I don't think something isn't right and have gone to the nursing director to ask for guidance. I have found out from post grads that I am not the only one who has had a problem with her and that she doesn't like people who speak up or who ask to many questions. I have learned to though that if I want to get through this that I have to say that I was wrong even if I was right because I want to graduate. Sometimes you do have to take a back seat just to make it through. Just remember that your goal is to graduate, and that when you do, you will not be one of those who aren't willing to listen to what on of your students might have to say. I think that some instructors forget that just as the students learn from them, they can also learn from their students.

Most nursing instructors want to graduate intelligent, competent professionals and might try to weed out someone who doesn't fit their idea of this, in theory. I just don't believe there is a conspiracy of instructors...there's just a few bad attitudes in every group and some are on power trips...just like in real life and real nursing.

Most instructors like to hear themselves talk and appreciate attention...give it to them and they're likely going to work with you. I learned this in kindergarten. Act entitled, force an agenda or expect extra special treatment and guess what...they're not likely to care for you and would probably just as soon you'd leave their class if you're making their job harder for them.. Just like in real life.

Hot coffee what is going on with your situation?? Please let us know how everything comes out. :rolleyes:

So I had my informal grievance meeting. the fact that my final evaluation was altered and the paper i used to document the instructors deliberate falsifications totally disappeared. i admitted my errors (not telling the nurse the wrong iv was hung for 1.5 hrs) but i refused to take the blame the patient received the fluid because the instructor (who discovered the error) didnt turn the iv off. i was blamed for not knowing the patient should be on 2L o2; instead of the 3L she was on. (i wasnt doing meds that night, but i should have known--the same goes for the iv hanging 1.5 hrs ((i was mortified that happened))). I was blamed for incorrectly transferring a patient, (the drain hit the ground) but my instructor and a instructor assistant did the assist. kinda sucks.

the real issue to me was the alteration and missing documents. Even if I won, how could i return to a program where integrity was so lacking? i stood up and said took responsibility what I did wrong. the agenda was to get rid of me. (yes, dear audience, the agenda was to get rid of me). Air bubbles in syringes were never discussed. i received an email saying i was deemed unsafe and thrown out of the program. that's that.

so now i go on with my life. and it's not going to be nursing. i'm a pathologists assistant since '98. i may return to that. i would like to thank all who responded. (even the devil's advocates). the thread was disturbing to some... i could never present both sides.

one thing though, this is a new nursing program. and my legacy is the story of how my final evaluation was altered and a critical piece of paper disappeared. having that follow them around forever is worth it.

god bless

HC

Hot coffee what is going on with your situation?? Please let us know how everything comes out. :rolleyes:

hotcoffee,

personally, i found you quite the character and smiled when i read your posts, giving you the thumbs up all the way through.

wherever you go, may peace follow.

leslie

i was delighted to hear i could make you smile. and i am a character for sure. very perceptive my dear...thanks for the support.

HC

hotcoffee,

personally, i found you quite the character and smiled when i read your posts, giving you the thumbs up all the way through.

wherever you go, may peace follow.

leslie

I do not find it hard to believe that some instructors are to get specific students. You see and hear about favoritism in nursing schools all the time. I went to LPN school before I got my ADN. I had one clinical instructor who was incredibly unjust. She screamed at me because my uniform was wrinkled(which it was not bad) She taught two courses. I clepped out of one. She told me that no-one has ever clepped out of her class before. The class I clepped out of was the first one of the day and I did not have to be there untill her second one. She would flip the classes around and stated oops I am sorry I did not call you You will have to study on your own. She also told me that I would never make it to be a nurse. Well she was wrong.

Hey HC I forgot to mention, I've had an essential tremor for years? Guess what makes it worse? performance anxiety! also my blood sugar being off, or any stress. I take atenolol for it and it sorta helps. I've also learned how to lean my hand against something, or how to hold something, so I don't shake as bad.

Sure makes me look like a basket case, it also affects my head, so I look more nervous than I really am! Very embarrassing ...

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Is there another school of nursing near you that wil consider all of the issues

at a tribunal where justice is measures hopefully unbiastly as it should be.

If you really want to be a nurse seek family G.P. for a letter and/or a letter

from a Lawyer. We have the right to be heard.,so sue there glutes off. :angryfire

I have a hard time believing in the "instructors are out to get me" type of mentality. , they have both said for every student who claims the instructor was out to get them, they can tell you the real reasons for their failure; it is a direct result of their own actions or inability to perform in the nursing field and not because of a personality conflict with the instructor.

I once was in a mental health worker program. I had a supervisory instructor in my program who indeed was "out to get me". My work was GREAT. My paperwork was FLAWLESS. I was consistantly complimented on my methods of dealing with clients and the results I was able to produce in very short times with clients. I had great reviews every other time but with this supervisor. I was never late. I was reliable. etc etc and etc.

Now lest you think I'm some perfect being (hah!), I'm not - I made a POINT of doing *everything* for that placement flawlessly. I made a point of being amazing wherever possible. I HAD to. With all that, I still received a "C" on that segment of my placement - because this instructor had it in for me. She even went so far as to hold a meeting with all who could possibly be concerned to discuss whether or not I be allowed to continue in the program.

During this meeting she flat out LIED about MANY things that I'd supposedly done. Up to that point I'd fought it. I'd strived for the truth to be told. Well, at that meeting I gave in. I agreed with her lies. I apologized for my supposed misdeeds. I caved in and bowed down to the "powers that were" (her!) at the time. I'd done almost 4 years of work towards that degree at that point and I wasn't going to let her take that away from me. And I wasn't going to win if I kept on fighting her. So I took onto my reputation whatever she wanted me to.

Those who knew me well knew that she was lying but being as she was a major "top dog" of the program, no one could fight her and win. All my other grades for placements were "A's" but for that one that I was directly under her, I have a "C" on my record. And I consider it to stand for Courage today. Because I did get through it and I did graduate. But not without having my own integrity eroded quite a bit through agreeing with lies or rather essentially, lying myself about myself, to agree that I was worse than I actually was.

Yes indeed, such instructors really do exist. And sometimes it really doesn't take much to get on their bad sides.

Following all that happened, I tried to discuss things with her. I wanted to see if I could even find out how on earth I'd gotten on her bad side in the first place - there was no direct obvious anything there - well she then claimed I'd never been on her bad side and even told me to my face, in private, that I'd actually done the things she'd lied about - and she said it to me that time in a rather gentle almost caring manner as though she was trying to enlighten me to why my behaviors weren't working. Er lets put it this way, the things she was referring to were NOT subjective things. They were things like whether or not paperwork or reports were handed in on time, they were things like whether or not I'd showed up at certain places, etc. At this time, I could see clearly that she actually believed what she was saying. And that was probably the scariest part of all.

Anyways, this was all a long time ago and doesn't bother me today or anything, I just wanted to let it be known that yes, such instructors might be few and far between but indeed, they exist.

Specializes in ICU-Stepdown.

Anyways, this was all a long time ago and doesn't bother me today or anything, I just wanted to let it be known that yes, such instructors might be few and far between but indeed, they exist.

I know such instructors do exist. I've never (that I know of) really been on the bad side of a vindictive instructor. Sure, some have had personality issues with myself (hey, we're all human, right? and I'm the first to admit that I can be very rigid in my opinions, and have some pretty solid convictions -if I believe I'm in the right, I'll fight tooth-and-nail. However, to my own credit, I also know how to eat crow.

While I have never been targeted like you, I HAVE seen an instructor or two that DID target a student here and there. Nothing directly that the student did wrong, but the personality conflict was obvious to all, and the students (except one, who somehow redeemed herself to the teacher) dropped out of the program.

I enjoyed my nursing program, but I'm also glad to be done with that phase of my career. Now to pay the bills, and save some bread (get a new roof on the house etc) and go back to school (guess it never ends) to get further up the ladder (grin).

Specializes in Critical Care.
Help

I was 5 days from finishing my first year nursing and got bounced. i must go on record as not being the most beloved person in the class. the staff in a manner of speaking, hates my guts. i have clinical with a woman hell-bent on getting me kicked out. she has earned the name of dracula's daugher (AKA DD) from the clinical group. she is less than supportive, and when i asked for guidance regarding a straight cath (i anticipated a pt requiring one, no experience) she told me to read the book. (you get the picture, right?)

The last 5 weeks of class are med-surg in ortho. we got our first two patients the third clinical day. (i was not given a patient the first day of clinical--he never materialized from the OR) I happen to have an essental tremor. i found this out in lab first semester, when trying to draw up a meds my first semester. i sought care from my physician who placed me on lopressor. it has helped tremendously. I advised the staff.

Clinical was torture. we were required to fill out the paperwork described in the syllabus as well as additional forms introduced by DD. we recorded VS in 4 different places. If you did meds for the rotation, it was virtually impossible to finish on time (all my meds were administered late), and many of my classmates failed to accomplish this.

My first patient had alzheimers, total hip, and was combative. i fell behind schedule in performing his care. a future clinical instructor was shadowing DD and helped me with this patient. we fell behind DD's written schedule. I made the assumption that the shadow had a some authority and i took directions from her. I was later told that i was late emptying drains, and did not adhere to the schedule of care. i was told this was MY patient and I screwed up the timeframe for emptying foley and a hemovac. (i had never done either skill up to this day). The most EMBARASSING error I made (yes dear reader, i will tell you) was not telling the nurse in charge of the patient, that the wrong IV fluid was hanging (we had IV and foley training post these incidents). We had the postoperative lecture describing the tasks necessary for post op care after four patient care days. i didnt hang the fluid, which was not ordered and also incorrectly documented on the patient's flowsheet). DD found the error and told me to tell the nurse................and god, i forgot (i told the nurse 1.5 hrs later). I admitted my error in postop conference (there was never a preop conf) and got reamed (understandably). Had I kept my mouth shut, i would have escaped probation. THEN my other grievous error is reaching out of an isolation room to grab my clipboard. Ok i have dumped all the big ones. Remember the tremor? Well yesterday when they dumped me, they told me that I didnt have the motor skills to do the job. I never made an error in med admin. no problem there. i just couldnt draw up the med. without air bubbles (sigh).

it's hard to write this stuff up. i'll let this stand and wait for your comments. remember the agenda is to get rid of me......................there is no support whatsoever. i worked hard to get to this point and these creepy, unprincipled women have pushed me out.

your input most appreciated.

hotcoffee1:uhoh3:

PS there is a guy who has been put on probation last semester for a med. error, who made a med error this session. nothing happened

Sounds like the instructors were just giving you a assignment without supervision, did they expect you to function as a nurse and not a student nurse? You may have grounds against them, discriminating against a person with a disability is illegal, if they percieve you as disabled from your tremor.

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