I was supposed to take an exam at 8:30 am in the morning today, but my phone which was fully charged and plugged in decided to completely die over night, how? I have no idea.
I woke up at around 10:00 am and noticed how bright my room was, I quickly tried looking at my phone to see the time and noticed it was off. Yep, I have missed a nursing exam! I felt sick to my stomach and started panicking.
The very thing I immediately did was explain my situation honestly to my instructor and what happened. Our Syllabus policy states that we are able to make up an exam with a VALID excuse before the test, but I of course decided to be honest, and well, guess what? I was denied my exam and got a big fat 0.
So I pretty much lost a letter grade.
Anyway, I know the instructors will tell you to be honest all the time, but in situations like mine, you should lie.
She even encouraged me drop out of nursing school, even though I got A's on my last two exams. I can still make a B if I worked hard, but I can't believe she would encourage that.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
All screen names are made up, this person chose a bad one.
I definitely agree with PP, I wouldn't answer the door either. Why get involved & potentially risk losing MY life? What if the murderers kill me regardless if I say yes or no? Yeah, unless it was a family member/close friend, they aren't coming in.
I wouldn't answer the door in the first place. Either time.
Sleeping through an alarm wouldn't rise to the level of "valid" excuse. Valid excuses would be things like my grandfather died and his funeral is on the same day as the test (only time I ever missed a test in 4 years of college) or I had a seizure in the middle of the night and was transported via ambulance to the ER (every time that happened to me in college, I signed myself out in time to make it back to campus for my tests, though). It's not true that honesty gets you nowhere- often it does. This just wasn't one of those times.
Letting someone die when in a position to prevent it safely is the same as killing the person yourself, way to go.
I think it's a silly comparison.....lying about oversleeping an alarm vs. lying to save a person's life? Quite hyperbolic. Set several alarms, and loud obnoxious ones, if you are prone to sleeping through them. Sleeping through an alarm to get to work on time won't fly: it won't in school either.
I think it's a silly comparison.....lying about oversleeping an alarm vs. lying to save a person's life? Quite hyperbolic. Set several alarms, and loud obnoxious ones, if you are prone to sleeping through them. Sleeping through an alarm to get to work on time won't fly: it won't in school either.
Letting someone die when in a position to prevent it safely is the same as killing the person yourself, way to go.
No, it isn't. And your scenario doesn't guarantee that I'm in a position to prevent anything safely. Saying "No I haven't seen this woman" doesn't guarantee that the gunmen will move on. Maybe they think she got away and now they want to just kill me instead. If I'm not expecting company or a delivery I don't answer the door. Period. I don't know this woman. For all I know, she's working with the gunmen. Either way, this is an absurd comparison to the OP's situation.
No, it isn't. And your scenario doesn't guarantee that I'm in a position to prevent anything safely. Saying "No I haven't seen this woman" doesn't guarantee that the gunmen will move on. Maybe they think she got away and now they want to just kill me instead. If I'm not expecting company or a delivery I don't answer the door. Period. I don't know this woman. For all I know, she's working with the gunmen. Either way, this is an absurd comparison to the OP's situation.
Adding elements to my scenario does not justify your inability to see the simple choice I gave to save the person's life. Like testing adding elements that the question did not have will cause the answer to be wrong
We had people late to class all the time, it was an interruption especially if there is a test. If class starts at 7 am I try to get there 30 min prior. It doesn't always happen but it's my responsibility to be there at the start of class. If there is a test, if you are late you wait until next class or at lunch break, you are docked for being late then again on the test. At clinicals those same people were late, and these people said to the group, and I quote....doesn't matter if I'm late to work or school, I get there...needless to say I never paired with them in lab nor at clinical. Their final grades reflected that attitude and I'm sure an employer would do something.
So I just make sure I'm on time and I study, and if I don't for either it will only take one time to straighten my booty up so it never happens again. Prove to yourself and your instructor it won't happen again.
OP, sorry to hear of your misfortune. There are several issues at play here. If this is in the handbook, by becoming a student you agree to abide by it. As an educator, I believe that there should be a penalty for late exams. However, I do believe that your school's policy is a bit harsh. Our policy is one of progressive discipline, much as you might encounter in the working world. I was late to work in the hospital once and was certainly not fired, but I did receive a verbal warning. Had I been late again, I would have received: a written warning, being sent home, then finally fired.
At the school where I teach, a late exam results in 10% deduction and probation. A second late exam results in 25% deduction and probation, and a third, in dismissal. I doubt you will be able to find much recourse based on your school's written policies, but if your school is ACEN accredited, the school must be able to show that students have input into the program. This might be via a student affairs committee or a nursing student organization. You might bring up the possibility of revisiting that policy for one less Draconian. Certainly, in the real world, punishment occurs when we make mistakes, and sometimes the consequences of an error can be severe and permanent (ex-medication error). However, I prefer to show my students the road to professionalism with rules that are strict, yet fair, and most of all, rules that will prepare them for the real world.
in other words, if you make an honest error, you should take a hit to your grade. If you keep making the same error, it's time for a more extreme stance. As an educator, drawing the line can be incredibly frustrating as some will always manipulate and try to game the system, just like people do in the real world. However, I don't think that's what you did or are doing. I would focus on acing the next test and being an advocate for change within the program. Do not make the erroneous conclusion that you should have lied. The most dangerous nurse is one who lies when an error occurs. You are better than that. Be one who chooses to try to make changes that encourage a climate of improvement vs an excessively punitive culture.
Clearly you are smart. Use that to try to cause change. Doesn't mean that anyone will listen or change, but acting as an advocate for yourself and others is at the heart of nursing.
OrganizedChaos, LVN
1 Article; 6,883 Posts
All screen names are made up, this person chose a bad one.
I definitely agree with PP, I wouldn't answer the door either. Why get involved & potentially risk losing MY life? What if the murderers kill me regardless if I say yes or no? Yeah, unless it was a family member/close friend, they aren't coming in.