Phlebotomy Clinical - Sent Home

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So here's how my day plays out. I've been doing my phlebotomy clinicals at the county medical center. It'll be awhile before I can get into the nursing program, so I figured taking the PCT program at the 500 dollar cost might be worth it for getting some more skills and maybe another job. I did very well in the classes for EKG, wound care, catheter, ect... All very easy, as only the lab stuff was new to me. So they send me to a county lab for my 100 required venipunctures. I've got over 60 under my belt and had been there 5 days total.

So, today after being there 2 hours, the supervisor from the main hospital lab calls and sends me home, telling me my instructor from class would call later. I'm like ....okay??

So as soon as I get home I call my instructor. She wants to meet with me tomorrow, but basically tells me some feedback she received from the lab. They told her that I acted like I didn't want to be there and that they decided to remove me from the site. I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the problem was. Over 90% of the people who came in to that particular lab were Hispanic, and didn't speak English. It made it very difficult to verify information with them considering the preceptor who works there always acted like it was an imposition for me to ask for assistance (I never displayed any frustration though). So I guess you can say I was quiet/reserved, but it's only one other person in this little room, and she never wanted to talk about anything, just play games on the computer. I really got the feeling she didn't like me for some reason and felt hindered by having a student around. I was always as pleasant as can be, and felt real bad when I missed on a stick. Apparently it's not okay to feel bad and want the preceptor to go ahead and draw them because I'm having difficulty and the pt is obviously unhappy.

The positive side is my instructor from school was very nice and is going to send me somewhere else to get my 44 remaining draws, but I still can't figure what this girl didn't like about me. She was always so abrasive and rude about everything. She'd even use real foul language that the pts had to hear, sitting just outside the room and all. Hopefully this will be a blessing in disguise.

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Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Resource Pool, Dialysis.

Maybe your instructor pulled you and is sending you somewhere else because after she spoke to the (very unprofessional) person who complained, she realized that you would get better preceptorship elsewhere? Don't worry about what that girl's problem was. Some people you will never be able to figure out! Good luck with the rest of your education!!

Jen

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Thanks. :) I can't wait to see what my instructor says. The whole thing is just so strange. I feel I get along with most people very well, and can only attribute it to this girl not liking me for reasons that are her faults, not mine. I've had wonderful feedback from my instructors from other clases and everything. I find out tomorrow at 1000, so we'll see what happens. I'm anxious to get it over with. Naturally, they changed it to 50 sticks for the next group of students :chuckle I'd be done with it and on to my hosptial clinicals already.

Take care,

Chris

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Please if you can do not let this incident get to you. A couple of years ago while in nursing school I had a preceptor hate me on the spot. It was my last semester and the woman never gave me a chance. She was strange, stressed out with work, and had a huge ego. Long story short she did not understand or even care what the preceptor role was all about. She wanted a student nurse slave. My ego was so bruised at the time. I was so upset. I am now a nurse and realize now the whole incident was minor for me in the great scheme of things. Just move on, keep up faith in yourself, stay positive and do your best. I am so glad your instructor is behind you. Take care and let us know how all unfolds.

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Thanks. :) I don't know why preceptors have to act that way. They shouldn't be allowed to be in a position they abuse and/or neglect. I always ask myself, don't these people remember starting out in the beginning? They weren't born with this knowledge and skill.

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My closest nsg school buddy went through something similar to this during one of our 'community' clinicals this year. She felt like everything went swimmingly, had lots of chit chat with her nurse about kids and home and nsg school, felt like the whole experience went great. Nurse was friendly, she came away feeling like it was a good experience.

Then the eval came in.

The nurse who was so friendly said in her notes that my friend was "uncomfortable" with a blood pressure cuff, and did not know how to take an oral temp. This was just beyond weird, and she and I have talked about it numerous times trying to figure out what the heck she could have meant. This lady (the student) has kids..no way on earth she wouldn't know how to take an oral temp. We've gone over it a zillion times and cannot fathom what that nurse could have been talking about. As far as the BP goes..I am a CNA and take about 15 manual BPs a shift and always look like I'm trying to find a good spot for all the danglies. It would seem to me that it doesn't matter where you arrange the stuff so long as you get the right numbers.

Anyway, the whole thing ended up kind of shrugged off, but I certainly know how you feel trying to figure out what went wrong. It sucks to have someone give a bad report on you to an instructor when you don't even know for sure what you did..let alone what you might need to work on. I think some of them just feel like they need to stick it to the nsg students..after all, that's what happened to *them* in school..

Deana

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