Kicked out of nursing school b/c medical dx! Wth? Really?

Published

I was recently kicked out of the nursing program and boy am I LIVID!! I graduate Dec 18!! I am carrying a 3.66 GPA. I have been dx with manic depression/bi polar. I had an anxiety attack before the start of my clinical rotation (mind you the first one I ever missed) in a ENTIRE YEAR!! I called my instructor and informed her that I was having an anxiety attack..not a major one but one that was mild and I didn't think i would be a good student in my current condition. She never called me back, I showed up the next day and was told that I should return in a year and to remove myself from the premises. I appealed the decision and they met without me on Friday, informed by email that I was dropped. So I took it to the President of the school in tears((I hate that I was crying but I have sacrificed hell just to get here. I am a single mother with a piece of crap vehicle, work part time at a job that doesn't even cover my monthly bills in any way and to kick me out for that!! Is there any recourse? Please keep in mind I haven't had an anxiety attack in three years and since this is the rotation we pass out meds...I freaked out!!

Devastated beyond consolation.............:devil:

Sounds too fishy to me.....If I am on meds, I would still have the bottle. Medical records should not take that long to be mailed. Don't even get me started on the race thing!

I don't have a medicine bottle from 2007? What is fishy about that? Who does that? The records I happen to be refering to are records from the pharmacist of all prescriptions over 2 years old. I have everything I need...but I didn't come to be ridiculed by some of you. I was just fonting aloud, I am already discouraged enough and for you to be so negative immediately...I understand that this "ain't" heaven and some are dishonest but there is more honest people in this world than dishonest. ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What is the exact reason they gave you, in the email?

Its states "verbatim" The committee met on Friday July 16, 2010 to review your appeal. I regret to inform you that it has been denied. (end of sentence) no reason, nothing that states violation of this/that. Then it states its final to dispute it further appeal to president of the university ( That is where I am now)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Man, that sounds rough. I'm so sorry you are going through that. You should keep fighting it. God will pull you through it. Be the first of your race to graduate in 5 years. Break that stigma! {hug}

Thanks, I am trying to do just that!! :jester:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I don't have a medicine bottle from 2007? What is fishy about that? Who does that? The records I happen to be refering to are records from the pharmacist of all prescriptions over 2 years old. I have everything I need...but I didn't come to be ridiculed by some of you. I was just fonting aloud, I am already discouraged enough and for you to be so negative immediately...I understand that this "ain't" heaven and some are dishonest but there is more honest people in this world than dishonest. ;)

You never said that you stopped taking the meds 3 years ago. I understand you haven't had an attack in 3 years, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't still have meds just in case.

If the prescription is expired, then I don't see how that would help. But I could be wrong.

I suggest that you ignore the negative comments otherwise you're going to have another attack. You're always going to hear negative things. You've got to just ignore it. Don't fight back because then they are just going to fight back, which goes nowhere fast.

People on here don't have all the facts so we're all not understanding the full situation as to why you don't have certain things. We all just judge by what we see. You do as well, everyone does.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Nikkels....Does your school have an office for students with disabilities? This may be the route to go to try for reinstatement into the program.

Unfortunately, for me((yay)) it is a for profit school so if its not "officially needed" we don't need it. I am going to try for the reinstatement but I may just opt out and start the ADN route, IDk sigh, all I have left is about 1.5 years to finish up my degree in Public Admin but one thing I am certain of is that I will never advise anyone to attend the nursing program. I will fight till I can't anymore :yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Trust me, I am not playing the race card. I have PROOF of that but will leave that alone, RACISM will never go any where. I know this, you know this....end of conversation!! No MY SCHOOL DID NOT REQUIRE WE DISCLOSE ANYTHING. That my dear friend is NOT unheard of b/c quite FRANKLY my medical condition is not there concern, esp with a mental illness.

I understand your frustration, but technically it is their business. It is their responsibly to make sure their students are safely taking care of patients. Any condition, including mental illness, that may interfere with your ability to safely perform your clinical duties is a cause of concern for them. If I understand correctly, your prescription was written over two years ago and your last bottle of medicine is from 2007. Then, can't you get a statement from your psychiatrist or physician who wrote the prescription that they feel you are stable enough to safely care for patients? I hope I haven't come across as harsh. I also have an anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder, but I included this information on my physical and application. I was also cleared by my physician as stable. I'm just curious if that could help your situation any.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

;)

Please take this as wanting to be helpful:

Your posting style is very pressured. Are you gong thru a manic spell now? If so, you might be coming off as very stressed out and unable to continue in school.

I would doubt the school took such action lightly.

And...also - as you know, mental illness doesn't discriminate - it affects all races, so to say that beause you are AA you got kicked out is (to me at least) just another sign that you have much more going on.

I sincerely hope that you are getting some help.

Please take care.

Gosh a manic phase right now! LOL Despite the circumstances, I should be but I am not b/c I know that I have done my best and I know this is not my fault. I am devastated yes but its not the end of the world b/c I got up this morning :) If I was wrong, I am woman enough to admit that much. All that goes on in my life does not reflect my abilities as a student I am pretty good at seperating the two

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Also, you may want to rephrase from using caps. It makes it appear as if you are yelling at people... unless that was your intention, then carry on.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I understand your frustration, but technically it is their business. It is their responsibly to make sure their students are safely taking care of patients. Any condition, including mental illness, that may interfere with your ability to safely perform your clinical duties is a cause of concern for them. If I understand correctly, your prescription was written over two years ago and your last bottle of medicine is from 2007. Then, can't you get a statement from your psychiatrist or physician who wrote the prescription that they feel you are stable enough to safely care for patients? I hope I haven't come across as harsh. I also have an anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder, but I included this information on my physical and application. I was also cleared by my physician as stable. I'm just curious if that could help your situation any.

I am waiting on the information now, its coming from a completely different state . No you aren't coming off as harsh (thanks) Just to clarify, waiting on my medical records from psychiatrist as well as my PCP, tried to contact Walgreens corporate for my prescription history but that route was toooo long. I have all the information they need...just waiting

We were not required to take a physical, not even at the other nursing school I just applied to. None of that was in the application, we were only required to have tb test

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Some schools seem very arbitrary in whether missing a clinical day results in failure or not. I'd like to think that the reasoning behind those different responses were fair, but sometimes it seems like it's more a matter of whether or not the clinical instructor "feels" that the student is good nursing material or not.

Whether or not the school/instructor was consistent in applying it's attendance policy, you'll be best served by being very calm and professional with them as you work through your grievance. If you get very upset and seem to come unhinged while fighting it, it will just make the instructor look justified in not allowing you back in clinical.

It might not be fair if you have to wait a year to finish the course, but given how competitive it is to get into nursing programs these days, it might be worth it to you to do your best to show the school you want to what it takes (which might mean maintaining a respectful and professional attitude to an instructor/administrator even if they aren't behaving that way towards you).

If the school is THAT bad, then you'd be better off applying to finish up somewhere else where you'd get better training anyway.

And while I agree that telling the instructor the reason you were missing clinical was due to an anxiety attack probably wasn't a good call, I can appreciate that you were trying to be honest as well as taking patient safety in mind by not going to clinical when you didn't feel you could provide your best.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Kind of curious why you refer to yourself as a woman in your last post but use the male symbol in your post headers.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
Please take this as wanting to be helpful:

Your posting style is very pressured. Are you gong thru a manic spell now? If so, you might be coming off as very stressed out and unable to continue in school.

I would doubt the school took such action lightly.

And...also - as you know, mental illness doesn't discriminate - it affects all races, so to say that beause you are AA you got kicked out is (to me at least) just another sign that you have much more going on.

I sincerely hope that you are getting some help.

Please take care.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

To the OP

If the your manner of posting is any indication of how you communicated with your school, I can fully understand the school's concern about you.

Your having Bipolar disorder (and I believe that you also indicated ADD) is most certainly your school's concern. It affects whether you can be licensed in some states, and perhaps where you do clinicals. In the admission to nursing school process, there is usually a form that asks about whether there is anything healthwise that might affect how you perform in school.

And please do not throw race out there.....whether you think that it is a factor or not. My sister is bipolar - the disease knows no race. Nursing Schools are used to people that toss the race out there as an excuse, valid or not, and that will make anyone that is even remotely sympathetic to your cause, shut down completely. If they were that biased, you would not have made it this far.

A question, why is the proof that they need, this prescription bottle, several years old, and why are all the records in another state? If you have bipolar, and are going through something as stressful as nursing school, plus working and are a single mother, you should be getting treatment on a regular basis, as well as a local MD/psy that monitors your condition and therapy. For someone that has this disorder, to not have a current script or local health provider, frequently indicates that they are not being closely managed and/or compliant with therapy/meds, and that is a problem that the school is going to be rightfully concerned, especially in light of your anxiety attack.

If a diabetic student missed clinical because they went into DKA, and those trying to ascertain whether they were safe to attend NS - found that they did not have a local provider and didn't have an updated (less than several years old) script for their meds... there would be serious questions about their ability to continue. Same thing with a student with epilepsy.

And even if the school is okay with it, clinical sites are less sympathetic. Any chance of a student being impaired by ANYTHING, and they will be hesitant to allow them to practice there.

I have depression and UC, and had an instructor that thought that UC should have disqualfied me, though it is well controlled. I had to provide clearance from several MDs to let me continue at one point.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion