hotcoffee1

i was delighted to hear i could make you smile. and i am a character for sure. very perceptive my dear...thanks for the support. HC

So I had my informal grievance meeting. the fact that my final evaluation was altered and the paper i used to document the instructors deliberate falsifications totally disappeared. i admitted my errors (not telling the nurse the wrong iv was hung for 1.5 hrs) but i refused to take the blame the patient received the fluid because the instructor (who discovered the error) didnt turn the iv off. i was blamed for not knowing the patient should be on 2L o2; instead of the 3L she was on. (i wasnt doing meds that night, but i should have known--the same goes for the iv hanging 1.5 hrs ((i was mortified that happened))). I was blamed for incorrectly transferring a patient, (the drain hit the ground) but my instructor and a instructor assistant did the assist. kinda sucks. the real issue to me was the alteration and missing documents. Even if I won, how could i return to a program where integrity was so lacking? i stood up and said took responsibility what I did wrong. the agenda was to get rid of me. (yes, dear audience, the agenda was to get rid of me). Air bubbles in syringes were never discussed. i received an email saying i was deemed unsafe and thrown out of the program. that's that. so now i go on with my life. and it's not going to be nursing. i'm a pathologists assistant since '98. i may return to that. i would like to thank all who responded. (even the devil's advocates). the thread was disturbing to some... i could never present both sides. one thing though, this is a new nursing program. and my legacy is the story of how my final evaluation was altered and a critical piece of paper disappeared. having that follow them around forever is worth it. god bless HC

there was no time to really check the chart. and my knowledge to that point was to check the date on the bag; patency of the tube and condition of the site. the only lab we had was how to time the drip. we had this timeline that we HAD to adhere to. we took report from nurses who had nothing to report. I ran to check the vitals were taken. we had to do the assessment. up to this time, i had given one shot. i had no iv experience. i had my first two patients. i was demeaned in post conference the day before for not emptying the foley on time. i had the nurse assistant with me....i thought she was calling the shots (she was from urology) and we ended up emptying the foley late. when i returned from dinner, i couldnt get an o2 sat on the guy. he was a mrsa, i changed and ran out the door to get another o2 sat machine and i couldnt get that to work. the guy was ice cold. i grabbed the assistant and she couldnt get a reading. the guy pulled out his iv and bled all over the place. a third nurse couldnt get his o2 sat. i was a wreck. on the last clinical night the instructor was all over me. she and i went into a patients room for the first time to evaluate. she went to one side of the bed and the foley was touching the floor. she blamed me. i realized i was being set up. all night long it was like this. i was so pissed that i wrote down everytime she falsified or embellished an issue. and that paper suddenly disappeared, when it was normally given back to us. so that's a little bit that went on. im not going to work in environments like this....im too old. and lame. but i have a right to pursue this, and find my niche. yes, other people made errors. a guy previously on probation for a med error made a med error and nothing happened to him. nothing. im learning here kids. it's all personality. mercifully it's school and the handbook says you cant be tossed because of personality. losing my paperwork doesnt look too good for them.......and then there's the problem of changing the first page of the final evaluation when they finally handed it to me. the caliber of integrity is suspect.

yes, it is about injustice. and for that reason i fight. there are some rights here that have been denied me. hopefully this week will give me a sense of direction. the ball is in their court. I found life as you described it, to exist everywhere. when you get this old, not only do you have a thick skin, head; but also a few tricks up the sleeve. i'll let you know what happens. Thanks for your opinion.

got your pm email me.

my goodness all the analysis. ok by me. i have a masters in business economics and i belong to a laboratory discipline. i was in telecommunications as a business woman. made it to management at the fortune 50 level. the lab was not my thing. my bs is in social work. i practiced that as a vietnam era vet stateside doing psy crisis intervention. i know about the human heart and that it is nonexistent here. the latest development, is that i have caught them altering my evaluation. im lying in wait. hope overall to be reinstated. there's a secure place for me in nursing. i have a couple of hip surgeries pending and i need a secure place to park. secure, flexible and one that allows me to give to people. i didnt get a family in life, and there is love to give.

we're not talking about sincere thinking people like you. i caught them altering my record. im poised for the kill. waiting to be reinstated. president has to come back from vacation. yes, i have my faults. i know what they think they see. but there is a place in nursing for me. and im going to fight for it.

i just managed to catch the staff in the same kind of malarkey. they altered my final evaluation. knowing the enemy, and predicting a forgery, i kept sending emails asking where was the one i signed (they appended my signature page to a new evaluation). but i was also asking for another document about 8 times. when i was on clinical the instructor was making up errors. when she did it, i wrote it down. and wouldnt you know it, they destroyed that document as well. so after asking for it, i finally told them "we" were never going to see it. because i believed it to be destroyed. gottem'. sorry to hear you had the same kind of snakes. im waiting to see what is going to happen, as the president of the college returns from vacation monday. they are not going to get away with it...guaranteed.

thanks leslie. everyone on the site has been so wonderfully supportive. i hope i don't disappoint anyone, and act as brave as you write. HC

yes, they are working up different angles of attack. in the syllabus it says i must be competent in all skills. the only problem is i learned the skills after they put me on probation. thanks for taking the time to answer nice girl. HC

thew f...heads think that bubbles in the syringe are the product of my tremor. actually they are the product of stress, having and knowing the agenda is to get RID of me. which they accomplished. evidentally they had their meeting today. dean of students et al. feel nice and comfy they have a case. well here goes.......................ATTTTTTTTACKKKKKKKKK.

i was born w/o an acetabulum. Leggs Perthes disease. I am physically unable to work in an environment that demands heavy duty physical labor, hence disabled. i am headed for psych more than likely (i have a degree in social work). The tremor was new to me. i was totally unaware until a preceptor brought it to my attention. i found i couldnt draw up a syringe without touching the plunger. i got hell for that, until the director told me touching the plunger is ok. it has been an emotional roller coaster. Many of my classmates are sympathetic, although too frightened to come forward. Interestingly, the other 'older' student in the class was told that she was getting written up for time management (it was an empty threat). eliminating me because i draw up air bubbles is extreme. i need time to prepare, i must have a technique problem. ive only given 4 shots. all given safely to the patient with all rights observed.

Chevy thank you! all the comments have been wonderful. good luck in nursing school and i will say a prayer for your brother. HC QUOTE=Chevelle]Fight it! You have worked hard and deserve the chance! :angryfire You are in my prayers and never give up!!!! Keep us posted!

your support most welcomed. i feel inspired. i will keep you posted. HC

yes, there is something wrong. but i revel in your support. how wonderful! i will fight the good fight and keep you posted. im afraid this goes beyond lack of support and is a personality issue. thanks kiddo. patti

they are responding to my performance. i am disabled. i have posts under the appropriate columns. it appears to be ineptness, but it's really disability under stress. i will never be a nurse on a med surg flr.///looking at psych. i understand their reactions, they have not been told of my afflictions. i felt my privacy would be jeopardized. so your friends are right it's performance that they are witnessing. they could however, be supportive. i would have functioned better under those conditions. thanks for responding.

thanks for taking the time to respond. it hurts to say it, but you sound like my mother. i am a hot head from way back when. at the root of this problem, is some anger on my part that goes back to a harassment issue (before harassment was vogue). i got clobbered and i've been overly sensitive ever since. i wouldnt say i am a rude or necessarily pushy person, i am pragmatic. i always found it hard to make those clever and appropriate moves to win the person over. i am very true to myself. some people call it playing the game. i always felt i was betraying who i am to metamorph into a creature i am simply not. you have better survival skills than i. and you will win in more clutches. i am flawed.............................but 100% myself. thanks again. HC

this is just what i was looking for. i am waiting for the college booklet regarding the complaint process. i already know they violated my rights procedurally. this is a great article and one that i will cite in my rebuttal. bless you toots.

i just got kicked out of school. i was days away from finishing first year. the instructor/director appeared threatened by me (not to mention that i believe that many people in nursing-teaching have an inherent need to inflict pain). That's two masters and fortune 50 management talking. Also a vietnam era vet. at any rate, what error did you make AND was your preceptor supportive? Is it important to have support as a student? or were you, like i, left to fend for yourself?

thanks for your input. need all of that. no use waiting for clarification, as the director is behind this (just my luck). there is some ada issues here that i will exploit. should be interesting reading in a month or so. in the meantime, putting life back together again. one of my skills. thanks again for your kind words.

How did you guess? yes i am different. very different. and had trouble since day one. i have 2 masters and unfortunately intimidated them. im going to fight. i have nothing to lose. in the meantime, im redirecting life in a positive manner. no moss on this rolling stone. thank you for your kind words. they are most comforting in this crisis.

Thanks for the kind words. much appreciated. i have not had the life where doors open. more like doors closed. i was hoping this was an 'open' door. im weathering it well. will fight it. im sure at this point the school is hip to what is coming. but they (the department) have done some dumb things here that may work to my advantage. thank you again for your support. it means allot to me. QUOTE=vhope]My girlfriend got bounced because her instructor didn't like her. My firend caught the instructor 'helping' the instructer's friend on a math exam. She tried to fight the decision, but the school agreed with the instructor's version of what happened. My friend when to a different school and will graduate with her BSN instead of ADN next semester. Sooooooo, this terrible situation may turn into a new opening door for you. Don't give up. There are jerks everywhere. Don't let them ruin your dream.

Help I was 5 days from finishing my first year nursing and got bounced. i must go on record as not being the most beloved person in the class. the staff in a manner of speaking, hates my guts. i have clinical with a woman hell-bent on getting me kicked out. she has earned the name of dracula's daugher (AKA DD) from the clinical group. she is less than supportive, and when i asked for guidance regarding a straight cath (i anticipated a pt requiring one, no experience) she told me to read the book. (you get the picture, right?) The last 5 weeks of class are med-surg in ortho. we got our first two patients the third clinical day. (i was not given a patient the first day of clinical--he never materialized from the OR) I happen to have an essental tremor. i found this out in lab first semester, when trying to draw up a meds my first semester. i sought care from my physician who placed me on lopressor. it has helped tremendously. I advised the staff. Clinical was torture. we were required to fill out the paperwork described in the syllabus as well as additional forms introduced by DD. we recorded VS in 4 different places. If you did meds for the rotation, it was virtually impossible to finish on time (all my meds were administered late), and many of my classmates failed to accomplish this. My first patient had alzheimers, total hip, and was combative. i fell behind schedule in performing his care. a future clinical instructor was shadowing DD and helped me with this patient. we fell behind DD's written schedule. I made the assumption that the shadow had a some authority and i took directions from her. I was later told that i was late emptying drains, and did not adhere to the schedule of care. i was told this was MY patient and I screwed up the timeframe for emptying foley and a hemovac. (i had never done either skill up to this day). The most EMBARASSING error I made (yes dear reader, i will tell you) was not telling the nurse in charge of the patient, that the wrong IV fluid was hanging (we had IV and foley training post these incidents). We had the postoperative lecture describing the tasks necessary for post op care after four patient care days. i didnt hang the fluid, which was not ordered and also incorrectly documented on the patient's flowsheet). DD found the error and told me to tell the nurse................and god, i forgot (i told the nurse 1.5 hrs later). I admitted my error in postop conference (there was never a preop conf) and got reamed (understandably). Had I kept my mouth shut, i would have escaped probation. THEN my other grievous error is reaching out of an isolation room to grab my clipboard. Ok i have dumped all the big ones. Remember the tremor? Well yesterday when they dumped me, they told me that I didnt have the motor skills to do the job. I never made an error in med admin. no problem there. i just couldnt draw up the med. without air bubbles (sigh). it's hard to write this stuff up. i'll let this stand and wait for your comments. remember the agenda is to get rid of me......................there is no support whatsoever. i worked hard to get to this point and these creepy, unprincipled women have pushed me out. your input most appreciated. hotcoffee1:uhoh3: PS there is a guy who has been put on probation last semester for a med. error, who made a med error this session. nothing happened