Missed clinical! :(

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 10, 2015

I'm in my last semester of nursing school. I had to miss 2 days of clinicals because I had a stomach virus and I couldn't stop vomiting. On the first day, I thought the vomiting was done because it had been 48 hours since onset. I tried to make it in. Once I got to the floor, my legs got rubbery and I almost fainted. They sent me down to the ER. I was severely dehydrated and my BP was 78/46. I got a few liters of NS and some Zofran and they sent me home. I wasn't allowed to attend clinicals the next day because I was still vomiting. So, I ended up missing 2 days.

I was able to make up one day because it was a week where they only had half our group on one day and half on the next. I did both days to make up the full missed day. For the day I attempted to go, I had to do a written make-up assignment.

Like you, I've never been late or missed a day throughout the whole program. If this is the first time, they might go easy on you and let you make up the day or do an assignment. If it's something that has occurred in the past, it might be a different story. In ours, if you're late once, you're on probation. 2nd time, you're dismissed.

Red Kryptonite · Feb 10, 2015

Being truly ill is completely different from oversleeping.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 10, 2015

It happens. Get a better alarm system set up and don't let it happen again.

Should--heaven forbid--it happen again, call your instructor ASAP to let her know. IMO, at least contacting the instructor would look better than just not showing up without notifying anyone. Or just go the clinical anyway: she may send you home (and rightfully so) but at least you made the effort to do something about it.

SeattleJess · Feb 10, 2015

Thanks! I am so not relying on my phone anymore!! Gonna go buy myself a real alarm clock!

Buy yourself TWO. I've had the cell phone sound failure myself. Fortunately, not with as dire a consequence.

But really, we've all made mistakes and what defines us is how we process them, how we repair them and how we learn from them and modify our behavior in the future. If perfection were a requirement to be a professional, there would be no professionals. As my mentor told me, "We ALL commit malpractice at one point." Thank God no one was hurt.

Sorry this happened to you but please don't blow an unfortunate occurrence out of place and let it derail you. Especially not in your LAST quarter!

SeattleJess · Feb 10, 2015

You should not be thankful for a "lenient" program. You should want them to expect you to attend all clinicals. In the real world your boss won't be "lenient". And if you don't show or are late depending on the situation the nurse cannot leave. I have worked 16 hour days because of people "oversleeping" or "the alarm didn't go off". Funny those people are not around long. They will fire you on the spot and I have seen it happen. The ONE thing you need to learn in school is this job is not like working at Hardees and "oversleeping" is not acceptable.

This is true AND... I think there's a difference between being a student and being a working nurse. There needs to be some wiggle room for learning from inevitable error while one is a student. What is firing behavior for a nurse may not be firing behavior for a student.

And 2015 made a good point. I think it's important to keep communication wide open with your instructors and to make sure they know you are contrite and have remedied the things that lead to the error. (Anyone else required to log with the Gibbs Reflective Model for every clinical day?)

In any case, I bet that tbear1206 has learned from her experience and is not going to be late again. And maybe she'll even be more forgiving if she ever does need to pick up the slack for a coworker.

Whispera, MSN, RN · Feb 10, 2015

I forgot to add...if a student is late or absent without calling me as soon as is logically possible, he or she fails the course. No call/no show is serious business. Of course there are times it is impossible to call as early as one would like, but a call asap is necessary, just as a call to work would be necessary. Also, if a student doesn't show up on time, I worry, so a call lets me know the student wasn't hit by a truck or carried away by a tornado.

kaylee. · Feb 10, 2015

The charging of $400 for an accidental sleep in is robbery to me! I mean that is incredible! I actually did this as a new grad, i work nights and woke up an hour into my shift.

I was mortified, but when i got there the charge was totally fine, as it was a one-time offense. The break nurse who took my reports for me was laughing about it. Everyone was like, "it happens".

However i never let it happen again. I know that a second time offense would not be a laughing matter!

NuGuyNurse2b · Feb 11, 2015

What boss do you work for? Yikes!
Shouldn't your scenario go the other way? A Hardees employee can easily be replaced. I am a trained professional that the hospital (or whatever company) has put thousands of dollars into training. I would HOPE that they would not fire me on the spot for being late.

Sorry to burst your bubble, you're no different than the Hardees employee. Everyone is replaceable. Everyone.

Tardiness was a huge problem at the hospital I worked as a secretary. The schedule will say 7-3, you clock into Kronos at 6:45 or earlier; after that, you are considered late. My boss runs a report. She had conversations with people. First time was an unofficial warning, second time was an official oral warning, after that, it becomes part of your file. So if you had to get to that 3rd official write up, it meant you were late 5 times already. That doesn't sound unreasonable to me.

But it wasn't just her. Becky from night shift may tell you it's OK you were late, it happens; but behind your back, she's mouthing to the boss that she had to stay 30 mins to take care of that pt who turned bad at the change of shift while you strolled in 5 mins late, took report for all your patients, and only then were able to take over her work load. And your boss was the one who had to listen to that grievance and deal with it because of you.

SemiaM · Feb 11, 2015

So sorry that happened to you. If it was me I would have called and shown up anyway.

suzw · Feb 12, 2015

So... What was the outcome, tbear?

mrsboots87 · Feb 12, 2015

Windsurfer, if you are referring to my comment, then it wasn't interpreted correctly. First off, I have never been late not missed a clinical. What I meant by thankful they are more lenient is in comparison to being dropped from a program for a single missed clinical. You would not get cured from a job for a single sick day. In the two years it takes to complete a program, things can come up. I have support by people who van watch my kids if they are sick and extra rides if I have a car problem. But god forbid I catch the flu and have to miss a clinical, it would be terrible to be dismissed from the program completely. Out program has a 3 strikes your out. Missing a clinical, being late for clinical, or breaking a clinical rule will get you a write up. After 3 write ups, removed from the program. That seems more realistic to today's job market. Not just a one and done.

suzw · Feb 12, 2015

^Agree. I'm glad I am in a program that supports and works with their students to help them succeed. Is it an easy program? No, but we have a high success rate.