PLEASE HELP Before they kick me out!

[FutureRNKat]

I am in my 2nd semester of nursing school. My school has never been big on strictly enforcing attendance rules. So imagine my surprise when I get called into the DON's office to be told that they are failing me for missing 2 days in this term! Come to find out, they are also doing this to 4 other students. No warning, or anything.

I have 3 kids so things come up and I may miss a day here and there but I put in MORE than enough study time to make sure I do not fall behind. I am a straight A student and I do not think this is right! Two of the other students they are doing this to had doctors notes for being absent, but they were told that absences are not excused under any circumstances.

I don't know what to do. I have put so much time, energy, and money into this program and I am not ready to give up.

Is there any advice anyone can give to help me out??

[cnoto34]

I don't wine, I whiskey.

lol that's right :)

[mailnursetobe]

Kat...your best approach is to forget what everyone else does, forget that you didn't get any warning, because in fact you did, don't make excuses, don't behave like a child. Put on your grown up pants and be your own advocate. Write a letter appealing their decision. Get your advisor to go to bat for you. Do not offer any excuses. Come up with a plan on how you will improve. Arrange with your instructors to make up the time you missed, if you can't do that negotiate making up for the time in doing a project of some sort to present to your cohort. Obviously the presentation should represent the time you have to make up for. Get it done sooner rather than later. What ever you do, do not take it lying down.

MN2b

[Stephalump]

I reread the OP and am not clear whether it was lecture/class time lab time, or clinical time she missed. We hear so much about how little clinical time students get and how unprepared they feel when they graduate, but that's not my concern for the OP. The deal is that the state Board of Nursing approves your program with a minimum number of clinical hours. I have never heard they gave a damn about classroom or learning lab hours per se (which is Latin and means "of itself" and is not spelled "persay"), but they sure as heck do care about clinicals. It is very likely that your program has the number of clinical hours for which you are scheduled to be ::this close:: to the minimum, so there's a real small margin for you to say, "Uh gee, I have kids, things happen." I think it very likely that they did get a pop survey and discover that their entire program could be in jeopardy because they have not been rigidly enforcing their own rules. Or perhaps there's something else you aren't telling us, like you missed clinical on short or no notice because, gee, something happened. Do that much and you'll find yourself not only out of school but out of a job. Sorry, OP. If you could clarify what you missed, specifically, and what you have discovered about your school policy and procedures it's remotely possible that the OP'll find some mitigating information and be in a big hurry to share it c us. But somehow I doubt it.[/quote'] I assumed she missed lecture because of her comment about other students providing doctors notes and being excused. The BON doesn't excuse meeting minimum clinical hours because you have a note.

ETA: and then I Re-read it and realized the notes weren't accepted.

Go home, Steph.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

I would review the policy and then write a letter of appeal. Basically throw yourself at their mercy. And come up with plan B regarding your kids. They may not allow you anymore absences. Good luck!

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

I'm assuming you've missed lectures, not clinicals, correct? I think any school that has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to lecture attendance needs to be challenged. People get sick. People get flat tires. Children get sick. You will NEVER have a cohort of multiple students for two years and not have some miss lecture for good reasons.

I think it's absurd to kick people out for missing lectures, even with a note.