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

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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:

Though I do believe it is well within the school's rights to remove you from the program for missing a clinical or for a medical reason, I cannot believe they never asked for any med info before you even started. I would think the school would not want anyone to start a program that they could not finish for medical reasons.

You mentioned that your school was for profit and their atrocious graduation statistics, it seems like another school that doesn't really care for its students or patients.

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Specializes in Med Surg.
...Just b/c I was dx with those disorders doesn't mean I have to actively seek help or spazz out lots....maybe if you understood my culture you would understand why the script is old. :crying2:

Yes, actually it does, since you are/were in nursing school. Bipolar disorder isn't something that just goes away. You should be undergoing some kind of treatment, whether meds or therapy or both. It's a pity that there is still such a stigma about mental illness in our culture, but your choice of profession means that you have to step up and seek treatment.

I attended my ASN orientation (its an LPN bridge program) and we were told in no uncertain terms that if we have medical issues that cause us to miss clinical (other than something like a cold) we HAVE to have a doctor's note saying it's safe for us to come back to the clinical setting. Is it possible your school has a similar policy?

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You should be able to get a customer statement of your prescription history from any pharmacy by just walking in to the store. They are all linked and just because you have filled it in another state doesn't mean your local Walgreen's can't give it to you. It is your right to have that information anytime you want it. In no way should it ever take 3 weeks or more to receive it.

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What do you mean understand your culture? I am a black female with Bipolar Disorder and ADD and a 4.0 GPA in a predominately white university and currently in the nursing program. I understand there is a stigma about Bipolar Disorder in the black culture but you know what there is a stigma about mental illness IN ALL CULTURES! So please STOP using the race/culture/ethnic card. I know this culture trust me honey you are NOT taking your medications and NOT seeking help if your scripts are from 2007. You are to blame for NOT controlling your own illness. If it has to do with money issues on why your script is so old there are FREE or REDUCED medications that are provided by MANY non profit health organizations. .

Culture isn't the same as race. African American is a race, not a culture. Culture is the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.

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I feel sorry about everything that you are going through. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you. I just can't stand those people who get fired, kicked out of school, don't get job offers and they relate everything to their race, ethnicity, and sometimes religion. People, people, people...let Go. Slavery was over years agoo....we don't want that back in our lives. Discrimination is a NO NO....I swear everything is turning into politics. If you want a good excuse---Don't use RACE. I respect people for their great personality and I don't even care about the color of their skin. I am not American, I speak a few foreign languages, I do have accent, I never had a hard time finding a job...I am European....etc. If people want to be mean by calling me foreign and also making fun of my accent( which it never happend to me)--( at least it was never said face to face) that is fine with me. I would just simply say go and open some books and learn the American History, when was America discovered? Also trace back your family history ( family tree).

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Just out of curiosity, where do you live? In what state? I know everyone is saying dont play the race card, but racism is still very much alive and well but of course the only people who know/see that are the ones who have been hit with it. Im not saying that your dismissal had anything to do with your race but Im just curious. I had a specialization in my first degree of studying race relations, so Im very curious. I just want to cross reference for my own selfish reasons, lol...

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Ok my first comment is that at my school, missing one clinical without any kind of dr's excuse is grounds for dismissal. I really try not to give anyone a hard time on here, but Im having a hard time understand how someone was SO sick (mentally) that they could not even try to attend clinicals (yet they don't have any kind of excuse) If you have mental illness then that WILL affect your patient care, if you are not being responsible and treating an illness you know you have. I think it is very much the schools business what your medical state is (both physical and mental) I really truly felt sorry for you getting kicked out after working so hard, UNTIL you played the race card. If you would have just admitted that you missed clinicals without an excuse instead of saying "Like its utterly unbelievable that a black person could actually suffer from a mental illness, is that so unbelievable?" It has nothing to do with you being black, you claimed to have a mental illness but had no documentation, doctors or therapist excuse, or even a prescription..that is why its hard to believe. I live in Louisiana and I will not deny racism does exist, but I really get so sick of hearing people (in my area) constantly blame race. I admit racism happens but if you do something that you know is wrong or illegal PLEASE stop screaming its a race thing. I am white and had I skipped clinicals without a drs excuse, disclosed a medical condition that I had no documentation of AND wasnt being treated for said clinicals I would be out on my butt. The president, first lady, and attorney general are all AA. Barack and Obama both are ivy league educated, so I do believe you had an oppurtunity to get your education, had you followed the rules and been accountable.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

Um I'm not going to comment on the majority of this, but....you don't need to contact Walgreen's corporate office to get prescription history. You can access it online. I do it all the time.

Racism of any kind infuriates me, but I always look for any other viable reason for behavior before pulling the race card. This whole thing kinda reeks of suspicion, so I'm stepping far away from it :) Good luck, though!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Actually, I didn't speak to anybody at the school. I filed an appeal in student affairs and that was that. When I was told I was dropped from the program the next day I attended clincals. Sigh...smh if I come across a certain way my apologies...Just b/c I was dx with those disorders doesn't mean I have to actively seek help or spazz out lots....maybe if you understood my culture you would understand why the script is old. :crying2:

I am a black woman, and I'm a little insulted that you bring "our" culture into this. If the nursing school told you that they wanted to know your medical history/information, you should have provided that for them.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Wow- sorry you are going through that! It seems to me if they were kicking you out because of your bipolar/anxiety issues, they would not have simply said, "come back in a year". Sounds like they're focussing on the attendance issue.

I have anxiety issues, too. Clinicals are a huge stressor and a very common trigger for panic attacks. I've found the best way to deal with it is to inform those with authority over you even if you aren't technically required to.

Most people accept a calm explanation up front that this is a biochemical problem, so that when you were faced with the panic of a med pass, they won't question that it's an excuse, especially if your GPA is that high. There are ways of getting through the panic. Avoidance is our first instinct. That doesn't make you a bad person or that you won't be able to be a success. You will need to trust people with a little more about you. I was afraid to, but I found people to be understanding.

You probably already know that the fear of panic in front of others makes the symptoms exponentially worse. I hope they re-instate you, you are so close to the finish line. I think it would help a lot to develop a plan for when or if it happens again, because as I mentioned, nursing clinicals can be a nightmare for people prone to panic attacks Best to you. :)

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

All I have to say is that I hep things get better for you and that you can have your life under control, for yours and your patients safety!

May God bless you and help you on your path to success!

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Specializes in Emergency.

People on this site can be so discouraging and beat someone down when they are asking and seeking advise. When you go to an advisors office at school, you want truth but you don't want people talking to you like DUH! This site seems to do that way too often.

All I can say to you is stay on your toes at all times in nursing school. The program I am in is all abut the instructors sticking together. They are there to help each other out, not the students (even though they say so). I won't get into details about this but I know how it can feel to be ganged up by a group of people when you are clearly seeking advice and support. I wish you the best and hope you do get back into the program. I don't want to see anyone fail to do their dream job and I have a friend now that is in the same boat. Her fate is going to be determined tomorrow and i pray she gets to stay in the program.

One other thing I was going to mention is my school lets you miss 84 class hours in a year, and two clinical days in a year. I think this is a state wide thing. So if you actually attended my school, you would have been able to miss that clinical day without an excuse. 84 hours seems like a lot, but it adds up quickly.

Keep your head up, God has a plan for us all. You will make it!

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