i was kicked out of nursing school

caliotter3 · Jul 6, 2010

You performed poorly because you did not concentrate on your work. No sense in looking for excuses or reasons, nobody who matters wants to hear it. Now you have to pick up the pieces. The real problem you are going to face is the fact that you lied and were dismissed because of that behavior as much as anything else. You should inquire at the school what will be told to anyone asking. You need to know this so you can plan how to approach getting back into school. You might want to forgo the problems you will face and enter an LPN program with the thought of going to an LPN to RN bridge program. By the time you have an LPN license, the failure at the first school will not loom so large over your future.

Prado · Jul 6, 2010

So sad brother...............i can tell how u r felling at this time................

Nursing line is so tough..,.......once u made small mistake...its very easy for them to terminate u..

now i think ur process is going to be long.........I dont know , how would u resolve this problemmmmmm

remember never lied in future...even u give wrong medicine....tell ur supervisor or dON and try to correct that problem....

at this time best of luck from my side.

allnurses Guide · Jul 6, 2010

I disagree about it being not fair. The very basics of nursing are based on ethical behavior. Covering up a med error is pretty serious. I am sorry for the illnesses in your family. Those could be reasons for a less than conscientious performance but not grounds excusing dishonesty.

Callioter gave great advise. Good luck in the future.

matilda123 · Jul 6, 2010

Which part was unfair?? you made errors, you lied about them, and then you blamed everyone else for them. The school is doing the responsible thing. A good gpa is NOT what makes a great nurse.

elkpark · Jul 6, 2010

It most certainly is "fair."

As I read your post, the biggest issue is not that you "perform(ed) poorly" under a lot of family stress, which is understandable -- it's that you lied about it and didn't take responsibility for your actions. That's the "kiss of death" in any nursing program with which I've had experience over the years ... Students can survive making serious errors, in many cases, but not lying to cover up their actions.

Under the circumstances, I'd don't think it's v. likely another school would want to accept you. Nursing is an occupation in which people's lives depend on our personal honesty and integrity. It doesn't really matter how high someone's GPA is if they can't be depended upon to be honest. And most programs assume (v. reasonably, IMHO) that someone who is willing to be dishonest to cover up their actions in school would be likely do the same thing in "real life" as a licensed nurse if in a tight spot.

I'm sorry you've ended up in this situation, and hope you'll be able to find some positive outcome.

student_nurse_11 · Jul 6, 2010

Thanks for the words everyone.

Elpark, why would another nursing program not accept me? How would they know? I would not be able to transfer to another school?

Regards.

CBsMommy · Jul 6, 2010

I agree with everyone else. The part that's not fair is you gave the incorrect medication dose and lied about it. That is not fair to the patient, the instructor or the nurse that is covering that patient.

When you go apply to another school, they will do a background check and will know that you were in another nursing program. If you don't disclose it, again, you are not being honest.

If I were you, I would look for another degree program. There are plenty of degrees out there that are fast and make really good money. I just don't know that you are ready to handle the responsibility of people's lives in your hands. No offense!

rn/writer, RN · Jul 6, 2010

Thanks for the words everyone.
Elpark, why would another nursing program not accept me? How would they know? I would not be able to transfer to another school?
Regards.

What comes across in your original post and in this one as well is that you're still not being honest. You've expressed more concern over how to conceal what happened than over what you did. In fact, you blame the school and unfortunate life circumstances rather than your own willingness to lie and put other people's licenses at risk. The apparent lack of remorse really stands out.

In so many public scandals, it's not the crime but the cover-up that does people in. Nursing students make mistakes all the time. That goes with the territory. There are concepts they don't understand or safe-guarding habits they haven't yet developed.

But lying to cover up the mistakes and choosing not to inform the nurse or the instructor suggests character problems that will require some soul-searching and a genuine change of heart to correct. Fear of consequences doesn't corrupt character. It only reveals what already exists.

I'm sorry you are experiencing all of the family turmoil, but stress is no excuse for dishonesty.

IMO, you were let go, not because of the mistake, but because you showed a lack of integrity.

No matter what career path you choose to take, you'll be faced with ethical dilemmas. For that reason, I would encourage you to do a thorough personal inventory and repair any breaches before moving forward.

rn/writer, RN · Jul 6, 2010

Lest you think we're all just a bunch of scolds, let me encourage you to take this failure as an invitation to get to know yourself better. Nursing school has a way of putting people into survival mode and shutting down anything that doesn't contribute to passing the next test. Perhaps you became so focused on the goal that you forgot that the methods used to achieve it matter.

We all have flaws. Most of us have lost our way, at least for a brief spell, and needed help getting back on the trail.

Talk to people you admire. Find out what makes them tick. Take whatever jobs you must to pay the bills, and use the rest of your time to evaluate what happened here and what you need to help you move forward.

Take this involuntary downtime to sort through your life and decide what's really important. Keep the good things and ditch the rest.

This too shall pass.

I really do wish you the best with this challenging situation.

caliotter3 · Jul 6, 2010

Thanks for the words everyone.
Elpark, why would another nursing program not accept me? How would they know? I would not be able to transfer to another school?
Regards.

A new nursing program would know because the program that dismissed you would make certain that they know, like I suggested in my first post. Why do you think I advised you to ask? Inquiring about what will be disclosed when inquiring about the nature of your prior nursing school record, is an example of critical decision making, a skill necessary in nursing.

DayDreamin ER CRNP · Jul 6, 2010

Not fair?

You made a MED ERROR that could have caused harm or even killed a patient. I'm sure the patient would disagree that you weren't treated fairly. Nor will he/she or his/her family care about what you have going on in your personal life.

I can empathize with your family situation. We all have obstacles to overcome and it IS difficult to not bring that to the office sometimes. We all do make mistakes and lapses in judgment in times of stress but we have to own up to our mistakes and learn from them. The job of a nurse is to act ethically, honestly, and with integrity.

As far as getting back into a program, I guess it all depends on the school. Maybe your best option is to go talk to the associate dean of the program and see where you stand.