Hey guys. I'm currently in my second semester of nursing school (trad BSN program).
Yesterday was my first day of my maternal-health nursing clinicals as I was in the NICU. The clinicals started at 6:30 and because of a family situation (had to drop off my sister bc there was no one to give her a ride to school), I knew I was going to be late, so I emailed my instructor at 6:09 AM. However, her rule is she only takes calls before 6:15, which I completely forgot. So I arrived 6:55.. Bc of my anxiety, I called my mom then called the professor. We met at 7:10.
Told her my situation...she said that it wasn't an emergency, how I was unprofessional, how I had only had to call, how I would lose my license if I was really working, how I should feel sorry for myself bc I need to make myself a priority, how I didn't communicate accordingly. I apologized several times & told her that I was never late last term, she told me she didn't want to hear it.
So she gave me an Unmet. And if I get two, I have a risk of failing the course. I don't know what to do bc it's not like I didn't communicate & there was no way I could just leave my sis at home. One of my friends had a similar situation & was late 40 mins, however her professor just gave her a talk because it was the first day & warned her to not let it happen again.
Any advice? I've been thinking about it since as maternal nursing is one of my highest nursing interests. I'm worried.
Mmm, I don't agree. I get to work, get report, and start check ins within 10-20 minutes later. You honestly want me to disrupt my schedule and get behind because of your non-emergency? My son also needed to get to school, but guess who wasn't late because of that. You might be paying the school for your education, but you aren't paying those individual nurses. That said, I am pretty empathetic in emergency/unavoidable situations, but this isn't that.
So you've NEVER been late, ever. There's never been a single time where another nurse had to take report for you before you could get there? That's never happened once in your entire career?
Also these are students. What's it take to give them the basics, 5 minutes? You can't find that time ANYWHERE?
So you've NEVER been late, ever. There's never been a single time where another nurse had to take report for you before you could get there? That's never happened once in your entire career?
Also these are students. What's it take to give them the basics, 5 minutes? You can't find that time ANYWHERE?
Ego.
I've never said that. So no answer needed.
What's egotistical is to say "I pay the school. I don't care about your time. This learning experience is all about me. Shape your day around me. And oh, I'm late? That's ok, you've got time to fill me in." You seem pretty entitled telling me that expecting a student to be on time is driven out of ego. Reporting to a student takes more than 5 minutes, especially in my specialty where I'll have to stop and explain most things. I've already volunteered to spend a large amount of time that I could be doing something else and you don't care about the burden that already places on me? Do you have any respect for the nurses?
What I did say is that I'm empathetic in emergency/unavoidable situations, but this is not an example one.
Then refuse to take students. Seriously, what do you do when a nurse on your floor has to be late? Do you refuse to take report until they get there because "You can be doing something else?" It's amazing how there's time to hand off to other nurses, but absolutely none to give an more limited handoff to a student.
All it comes down to is the principle of they're late. There's time to tell them what they need to know, you just don't want it.
Life happens, sometimes people are late, get over it.
Then refuse to take students. Seriously, what do you do when a nurse on your floor has to be late? Do you refuse to take report until they get there because "You can be doing something else?" It's amazing how there's time to hand off to other nurses, but absolutely none to give an more limited handoff to a student.
All it comes down to is the principle of they're late. There's time to tell them what they need to know, you just don't want it.
Life happens, sometimes people are late, get over it.
I don't understand what another nurse being late on my floor has to do with me? Why would I refuse to take report? We don't have the same patients. I'm in no way depending on another nurse to start my assignment. I'm just super confused on how this is a question. If my relief is late, that is super inconvenient to me, but I just sit there until someone comes and gets report from me. In this situation (which is not the same as the one we are discussing), I CAN lose my license if I leave without giving report. This is why its fully expected that we are on time for work. And yes, sometimes life happens, but taking your sibling to school is not an acceptable reason to be late.
Life happens sometimes. You get a warning when you are late to clinical. Get over it. I see your answer is no, you don't respect the time of the nurses you are using for your clinical experiences.
I totally get not leaving the sibling alone at home, but then you wait till the morning of at 6:09 a.m. to saying something, no, TEXT something?
If you knew you had to do this, you should have text or called the night before & if you do what you did, meaning wait till the last minute, you don't send a text, you call. How is it this did not warrant a call?
I wouldn't have gone as far to say the things your instructor did, but a warning is deserved.
Your family should take that responsibility off your shoulders...that is not fair to put you in that position and risk educational repercussions. I don't think you are a bad person, but could have handled this better. Try to plan better next time. This situation wasn't the same as an unexpected life happens like a car accident or getting sick. This was a little different, generally one knows you're sibling has to get to school ahead of time, especially if you take them on a regular basis.
I personally would just let this go, don't try to fight it, you were kinda in the wrong, so lesson learned, just show you're the good and responsible student you are from here on out.
Welp. Guess who's meeting with her tomorrow with another faculty? My car died on the day of clinical this week. I CALLED this time as I had to jumpstart. And she gave me another strike because I called by one minute late. Told me I could have taken an Uber instead. Sigh.
Welp. Guess who's meeting with her tomorrow with another faculty? My car died on the day of clinical this week. I CALLED this time as I had to jumpstart. And she gave me another strike because I called by one minute late. Told me I could have taken an Uber instead. Sigh.
Now this is absolutely a life happens event that you have no control over and while rushing around to fix it, it's easy to pass the allocated *call by time* by a minute. Had an instructor told me to take an Uber while I was attempting a jumpstart to get where I need to be then I absolutely would've gotten irked. This is a situation that could happen to anyone.
I wish you the best. If you can bring proof of the incident, like a receipt for a new battery or what have you, I'd bring it, may not help, but at least it is proof you actually were having the issue you reported. I hope it all works out in your favor, just try to be calm going into the meeting and try to explain the circumstances factually.
Okay, thanks. I'm just so scared. She didn't even let me talk. Said I was lacking and need a lot of help. That broke me and I cried with my nurse for about eight minutes. Hoping the neutral faculty hears me out.
I see your answer is no, you don't respect the time of the nurses you are using for your clinical experiences.
I never said I don't respect the time of the nurses, but life happens. You can't expect everyone to be on time every single day. There's no reason at all that you can't find some time to run through the student's patient with them. This is more of an issue of you're a nurse, but we're not. I've been in tons of situations where someone comes in late and I have to reexplain things. It happens, and you move on. Your day is not that full that you can't take any time at all, because again, what happens when you have to send a patient out? You don't have time to report to where they're going? I'd agree with you if it was a habit and a student repeatedly assigned to one of your rooms is always late, but one time, be a grown up and just report off to them and get over it.
Again, it's all ego. Your time is the most important thing in the world.
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
10 hours ago, tonyl1234 said:
Exactly, ego.
Em nope.
If you cant get yourself to my facility on time to get the basis for what will formulate patient care, I will have you removed and you will not return
I will not have my patients put at risk by a student who thinks they know it all, and dont need to get the thing which will direct the patient care for that shift
If that offends your delicate sensibilities, tough bikkies, if caring about the welfare and safety makes me a prima donna with an ego complex, I'm ok with that.
Okay, thanks. I'm just so scared. She didn't even let me talk. Said I was lacking and need a lot of help. That broke me and I cried with my nurse for about eight minutes. Hoping the neutral faculty hears me out.
NICUmiiki, DNP, NP
1,775 Posts
Mmm, I don't agree. I get to work, get report, and start check ins within 10-20 minutes later. You honestly want me to disrupt my schedule and get behind because of your non-emergency? My son also needed to get to school, but guess who wasn't late because of that. You might be paying the school for your education, but you aren't paying those individual nurses. That said, I am pretty empathetic in emergency/unavoidable situations, but this isn't that.