Need advice?

Published

I'm a 5th (last) semester nursing student going for my ADN. Yesterday in clinical I made a huge mistake that landed me with my first U. My teacher got me for two incidences. First I was doing med pass. I knew my meds and did all my checks. The instructor asked if my pt had water. I said I wasn't sure. She said you better get some. This is our third week on the floor and I couldn't remember which side of the hall the nutrition room was on so I asked. She said I should know that by now. It takes me a while to get oriented. I get confused about what side of the hall the clean utility, soiled utility and nutrition room are sometimes. I asked the other students after clinical if they ever experienced the same issue and most of them said yes. They would have probably just tried to play it off better. So next thing was a biggie. I was removing an old IV for a patient that was being discharged. She was on Lovenox and I didn't expect her to bleed so much. So I needed more gauze since the ones I had were soiling through. I asked her to put pressure on the gauze so I could run to the supply room and get more. I met my teacher in the hallway and I just panicked. I was not so sure if I should have left the pt to get more supplies. She was Alert and Oriented, but I just wasn't sure. Anyway the teacher walks in my room. I am following her just waiting to get in trouble. I walked over to the pt and picked up the gauze to see if she was still bleeding and realized I had forgotten to don a new pair of gloves. Some blood had seeped through the top layer of gauze. I immediately went over to the sink and washed my hands. The teacher gave me a U for safety for not being oriented to the floor and not donning gloves. I personally was freaked out a bit myself about the no gloves and I do believe my awareness has been reinforced by the whole experience. The teacher asked me to stay after clinical. She said that she was sorry if no other teacher had not pointed my unsafe practices out to me, but she wouldn't want me as a nurse and that I am not where I need to be for a last semester student. What should I do? I have $15,000 in school loans and two years of hard worked invested. Is there another path I should consider or is there hope for me? I love both the elderly and skin care. I would love to work for a Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon. I also love to take care of elderly patients, but I know as a hospital nurse I could never give them the kind of one on one time I would like. I definitely know hospital nursing is not for me. Any suggestions? I also heard this teacher gave a student a U for wearing a scrub shirt that was too big. Yikes. That was harsh.

Specializes in CCM, PHN.

If you want to be a dermatologist or plastic surgeon, you should be in medical school, not nursing school.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well, the instructor gave me 2 Us. One in Safety and One in Critical Thinking. I already have 2 NI's in Critical Thinking and I have been hearing that 3 NI's in the same field will become a U, but I really need to clarify that with my instructor. One thing I didn't really like that she wrote in my review was in clinical I told her when I get corrected on something it seems to lock in my brain and I learn from it. She writes, "Student states that she doesn't learn until she makes a mistake". It sound so ridiculous I didn't even bother to argue it. Tomorrow is my first day back to clinical since my 2 U performance last week. I just can't bring myself to give up eventhough I kinda want to. I'm just taking it one day a time at this point.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Oh and 2 Us in the same area or 3 Total are grounds for failure.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pain, critical care, administration, med.

I am so sorry you have such a idiot for an instructor! She has no business teaching. Her role is to mentor you and cultivate young students. Neither of those things are grounds for such harsh discipline. As a very seasoned nurse we have all made mistakes, it's called human nature. Really not having water??? Get real! So it's lesson learned when you have to walk back and forth. I am more concerned you know your meds then having water.

As an aside, who cares if she doesn't want you as her nurse I wouldn't want her as my patient!

Go for your passion, don't let her get in your way. Rise above her pettiness and be your best! Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Honestly, these incidents seem like very minor things and I would be appalled to hear of someone being removed from a program for something so... Innocuous.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Short Term/Skilled.

Oh honnneeyyyy. No one who is "dumb" could make it to the fifth semester in nursing school!! Shame shame on your hubby for that!!

Some professors are just jerks and treat you like you're less than. Try to put it behind you....you came this far....don't give up now!!!

Hugs hugs hugs more hugs and kisses too

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I don't know your professor so I will refrain from calling him or her a jerk or a B*tch. It sounds like you need to find a way to calm your nerves during clinicals. Maybe you are a high strung person or maybe you just get performance anxiety. Either way try some deep breathing or calming exercises before you talk to your teacher. Reheorifice possible situations that you could encounter in your head before clinical. Make a check list for each skill you think you could perform in clinical and practice it at home. Have your husband check off each step on the list and tell you if you missed anything. Ask your instructor for any tips or activities that could help you achieve the level she expects from you. If she tells you that you are incompetent, ask her what a competent nurse looks like in her eyes so you have some idea what she expects from you. Above all DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!! You have come too far to back down. You are in the home stretch. You can and will do it!!!!!

Oh, and tell your husband to F&ck off! (sorry for the language) You are not dumb! He has no right to talk to you that way. Mutual respect is the only way a marriage will work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well today my first day back. The teacher printed us all our own Kardex's and gave them out. I really got the feeling she was trying to offer more help. Maybe she realized we all needed a bit more help. We had 4 patients today. No one in any other clinical group has that many. One group get 2 (They are in PACU) and another get 1 (Telemetry). We do morning/closing notes, Vitals, AM care, Fingersticks, fill out Assessment forms for all pts, write down medications and diagnostics and do a care plan for one patient in 6 hours. I just can't seem to get it all done and change all the bed and do baths. I try to prioritize, but something always get neglected to get the paperwork done. I really want to work somewhere where I actually get to talk the patient and put lotion on them, brush their hair. Make sure they are taken care of the way I would want to at that age. Where can I do this for a living? My teacher is basically letting me come along for the ride for now, unless of course I have a major safety issue. My poor friend walked into one of her patients rooms today that was on isolation precautions without the gown and got her first U. She was devastated. I told her to take deep breaths and try to let it go. That getting upset was only going to sabotage the rest of her day. She pulled it together and finished off the day without any other incident. She is like me, gets nervous under pressure. About 4 of us have been staying after clinical for lunch to share our day and get advice. The one girl, who has only had a few NIs for paperwork said that when everything is said and done she is going to our teacher to let her know that the way she has been treating her students is just not right. That people can not learn when trying to be motivated by fear. I have my first preceptor experience tomorrow. Everyone has said how much they have loved it, I hope I feel the same way. Sidenote ---- My evaluation form is so marked up with U's and NI's, it is a rather sad thing. Everyone in clinical is like I got one NI or two and sit over their like, stop your complaining.....lol

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion