No, no, no, I am getting a bad cold!!!

Our policy is that if we miss more than 3 clinical days we are removed from the program. We have 2 clinical days per week. I am battling this right now. Yesterday was my first clinical and today I have a fever and feel like utter crapola! I am going to school tomorrow regardless. I think I am sick b/c the girl who worked on my patient the day before I did was sick but went in anyway. Everyone kept commenting on my patient feeling hot and not looking real good(temp only 96.2). I think she may have gotten it and then I got it from her.

As soon as I feel a cold coming on I start sucking down orange juice. It always seems to help me. What I have isn't a cold though. I have a fever of 99.2 which isn't very high but jeez Louise I feel like I have been hit by a Mack truck! Good Luck! I hope you feel better soon!

Go get some zinc lozenges to suck on. The zinc somehow blocks the replication of the cold virus in the throat which might help to limit the infection. I find it works really well...I start sucking on them as soon as I feel a cold coming on and never really get the full-blown nasties.

Load up on the vitamin C, echinicea (supplements, teas). REST! Hope you're feeling better!

we (other nursing students and myself) always defined sick as vomiting and/or diarrhea profusely otherwise we went to clinical. our school had a very strict policy about absences and the make up assignments were horrible case studies that you wound up writing a 30 page paper about.

doesn't seem right that we were encouraged to be around populations that were immunocompromised. however, one seems to do whatever one needs to do in order to survive nursing school.

hope you get to feeling better. and remember, washyahands! :chuckle

Lots of Vitamin C helps, our instructors allow 1 missed clinical. They encourage us to show up even when sick and to wear a mask during close patient contact, especially the really compromised ones. It has worked for me, and I will graduaute in March. We cannot make up clinicals. Good Luck..

I had a cold...lots of congestion and sneezing , but I "FELT fine." I went to clinical and talked to my instructor right away. I felt that I could continue for the day, but I did ask that my patient assignment be changed because I was on the onc. unit and my patient was in really rough shape. I got a different patient and wore a mask during patient contact....and of course washed my hands about a million times in that shift!!

Anyone ever thought how much you can learn when you're sick? All you do is wish you'd be tucked in in bed...

See I'm not in the US and our schools NEVER encourage you to come in when you're sick. And that policy just seems silly to me. It's not like it's your fault that you've got a cold.

Our schools do make you take the clinicals again next year if you miss a lot, meaning like 2 weeks...

Just two cents from a girl who cannot ABSORB any information when I'm sick...

ah, a nasty cold! i pray you feel better soon.

After my last cold in November 2001, I started taking multivitamins. I don't know whether this is just a coincidence or not, but I haven't had a cold since!:)

I had to do a clinical day in a daycare...been sick ever since.

I can't absorb anything with any type of febrile illness. Is nursing school just a little bit like the Marines?

Get REST, REST, REST :zzzzz this weekend if you can! I'm sending healthy vibes your way!

Our policy is two absences only (which do have to be made up--and paid for!) After two absences, you must have a hearing in front of the faculty to continue in the program.

I have heard, however, that last year a student was EXTREMELY ill (like in the hospital) and missed six clinicals, and her clinical professor made them all up with her so she could continue in the program. I have to admit that our faculty seems to want to work with students and help them to succeed.

I missed my first clinical because my daughter was having surgery, and my clinical professor actually made me a really attractive offer: I'll make it up by going with her to Hospice one day--she's something of a guru in palliative care (does research, has written/edited texts you all may be using), so I'm thinking it's going be a great experience!