lostinthemix

I agree with the first two parts of this post, but don't think for one minute that you cannot be failed at clinicals unfairly. I have had a clinical instructor that I both highly respect as a nurse practioner/instructor and deeply care for as a person. She and I "clicked" from the first week of nursing school. All was fine when she was one of my theory instructors. Quite a few students did not like her then even, because she was so "my way of the highway", even if they were doing something exactly the way that one of the other instructors/her co-instructos had taught them, but I always voiced my great admiration for her. However, I ended up having her for clinicals during the semester that I just finished, and boy was there a difference in our relationship! I was told a week before clinicals were over, along with my other 5 classmates (it was an optional mid-program semester to obtain the clinical hours necessary to take LVN boards), that we had all not only passed the semester, but had exceeded the level of competency that she expected at the level we were practicing and that we were the strongest group of students that she had ever instructed at that level. The day before last of clinicals the following week, I had to ask her assistance in giving meds to a patient due to the method of administration (PEG tube), which I had never done before. I had already read the patient's history, checked (and re-checked) the doctor's orders/MAR, etc. and had taken report from the night shift nurse, so I was well informed as to the patient's condition/health status. My instructor went in the room with me, took one look at the patient's MAR and told me that he/she "did not need" to be on all of the meds the physician had he/she on. She looked me in the eye and asked me if I had intended to give the patient all of the meds that were scheduled to be administered. I thought about it for a couple of seconds, realizing that if I said yes that she was probably nail me later, but I chose to answer honestly and I told her that I did. She went straight to the charge nurse and told her that the patient was too sedated to receive the meds and that they needed to hold all but two of them. What I knew, that she assumed that I did not, was that the patient had a major stroke, severe seizures and had psych issues, was a mute and had a very low level, if any cognitive function at all. Nonetheless, the charge nurse went along with it (without contacting the physician) and I received a speech on how we could have killed the patient, everyone involved would have lost their jobs, as well as their license and that I was negligent in my assessment the patient's neurological status. She said had I done so competently, that I should have automatically questioned the doctor's orders and came to her or the charge nurse. I was not allowed to get a word in edgewise. What's really crazy is that even after the doctor found out about the meds being held (all day, he wasn't even called), he chewed both my instructor and the charge nurse involved out and told them that they were nurses trying to practice medicine on his patient, which he had been treating for years. The patient was rejected by hospice, either due to his inability to pay or the nature of his condition, but was still basically expected to die any day due to his health conditions and was being given the meds to keep his seizures and psych conditions under control. The doctor also informed my instructor and the charge nurse that had the patient been w/o those meds for much longer that he most likely would've died. I not only did not receive an apology or a chance to explain that I was aware of the patient's condition prior to pulling the meds, but I was told that I was at serious risk failing my clinicals for the semester. She then went on to "pick" out every single miss-step that I had made during the semester and said that she had been doubting my competency level all along. Even though I had just finished two clinical semesters within four months w/two different instructors that found me perfectly competent, for my level of education, of course. I am heart-broken, shocked and confused! I am always careful w/my patients. I always check vitals before med administration (even if I checked them an hour earlier), I always know my drugs and what implications may be involved, and I give my patients and the CNAs, other students, nurses, etc. 110%; I never sit down, I always go above and beyond and I always help out others when I have my duties taken care of. The students that do the bare minimum, get their charting done, and then stand around at the nurses station seem to get put on some kind of pedestal by this instructor. I just don't get it! So, right know I am doing all sort of extras just to "maybe" pass clinicals, which has been compromised of five weeks of 40-hr weeks clinicals, case studies, discussion boards, etc. I have to do "remediation" sim-lab time, even though I am competent and have been checked off on all of my clinical skill,s both during RN and LVN clinicals, I had to write a paper on warning signs and red flags to watch for while providing patient care, but most of all; I had to "suck it up" and admit that I was wrong and that I appreciated the guidance and the chance to still possibly get credit for the semester; even though I still do not feel that I was in the wrong. If I go the the nursing program director about this situation I will just dig myself a deeper hole, we all know that! It doesn't matter that I caught a huge med error while helping a fellow classmate w/her meds, that I helped out w/patients that were not "mine" whenever asked, or that almost every single patient I cared for told me that I had provided them w/excellent care and that they thought I was going to be a great nurse. SO.......failure in clinicals, even if you are competent and responsible is not only possibly, it happens all the time. I still greatly respect and love my instructor and I hope that this is all an issue of scaring me so that I am extra careful and to make me a better, stronger nurse; as I think that this may be the case, but it has still caused a tremendous amount of stress and heartache for me, as I watch my fellow classmates take their jobs already as GVNs and have already been able to apply to take their boards, while I still have an 'I' for the course. I will without a doubt find this to be a learning experience someday, whether I receive credit for the semester or not, I've been praying a lot and crossing my fingers in the meanwhile!!!! :)) I know one thing for sure though; this experience was meant to be for some reason and that I will only be better for it in the end. God Bless and Good Luck to all my fellow nursing students struggling to make it through to the light at the end of the tunnel! :redbeathe

:spbox: 1) just because you have 21 years old with no life beside nursing school and study for hours a day to make an 'a', while i have three kids, a husband, and numerous other obligations and responsibilities and maybe squeeze in a couple of hours of study per test and make a 'b' doesn't make you smarter than me or some sort of nursing prodigy; especially when it is obvious in clinicals that you have no real passion for the profession and no compassion for the patients. making all a's in nursing school doesn't mean that you will be a better nurse than the rest of us; remember that life experience and a love for the job/patient's will always trump test grades! also, the fact that you feel that you have to blow your own horn and show off with your "impressive" medical terminology all of the time speaks for itself; you apparently have low self esteem. but i guess that you will learn that next semester in psych!?! or will you be totally oblivious just because you make an 'a' on that test as well? :bowingpur :igtsyt: 2) for some (not all) of you 18-25 year old students that think that we "non-traditional" students that are in our 30's, 40's, and 50's (or beyond) are old and that you are superior to us because you started nursing school earlier in life; keep some keep things in mind. many of us have previously had very successful careers in other fields (i had one that my nursing pay will not even come close to touching for quite some time), some of us have or still are raising families, etc.;and some of us including myself have done all of the above! so get off your "look at all the old students" high horse and realize that we may just have an edge of you "young ones" in school and clinicals due to work and life experience that you are just beginning to acquire. :dncgbby: 3) many people have posted similar statements to what i am about to end my complaints with, but here goes! stop thinking that you know it all, asking the teacher a billion questions that go far too far in depth just so that you will look like an expert or intellectual, and when you do ask those questions and you don't like the explanation that the instructor gives, quit trying to prove that you are right and the instructor is stupid!!!! sometimes i do not agree w/something that the instructor says, but guess what? she (or he), has an msn title after their name and you and i do not! that doesn't mean that they are always right, but if you feel the need to further discuss your difference of opinion with an instructor, please make an appointment w/them so that you can do it on your own time. the rest of us would like to move on and get out of class on time! :hlk: oh, i said that i was through w/my comments for fellow nursing students, but i almost left out the most important, annoying thing...... stop being a two-faced, back-stabbing, gossipping, trouble making drama queen!!!! geez, sometimes i feel like i have been transported back to junior high!!! grow up, get some of your own business and mind it instead of always trying to hate on someone that hasn't done a thing to you, just so you can entertain yourself!!! :flmngmd: we are not here to make each other's lives miserable, so i wish some people would learn to behave like adults because it's a lot easier for us all to support, help, and wish each other well than to be in some kind of "catty" immature popularity contest! [color=#48d1cc] as for the rest of us, who are just trying to get through school successfully, doing our best dealing with our own unique set of circumstances and setbacks; while hopefully making a few good friendships with our fellow classmates along the way......let's "rock out" the rest of nursing school, help and support one another and become the best nurses we can be!!!! good luck to all!!! :clpty: ok, i'm finally done "venting"..................................................thanks for starting the thread, it is very therapeutic!!!

Thanks so much for sharing your similar experiences with me. I'm sorry that you have had to deal with the same types of things, but at the same time it makes me feel better that I am not the only one that feels this way. It is discouraging, but I draw strength from others who are kind enough to share their situations with me and share their coping methods. Thanks so much, you don't know how much better I feel and how much you've encouraged me! :redbeathe The best of luck to you, you're almost at the finish line!!!

Thanks for the advice and insight! I did not mean to give the impression that I had a big head or that I need to constantly be told that I am great or anything like that. When I said that I felt confident, I just meant that from my previous clinicals/instructors that I felt like I was doing pretty well and was on the right path. I have never had a ego or felt that I was better than anyone, nor do I feel that I should be able to stand around and such because that is not my style anyway. I would much rather be doing extra things for my patients and/or reviewing their charts, labs, etc. than just doing the bare minumum anyway. Nothing makes me feel better than to have a patient tell me that I helped them to feel better by doing something "extra" for them that meant a lot to them. It's just that the way that I was doing certain skills and so forth before and was told I were doinging correctly by previous instructors, I am now getting corrected and told that I have deficits. It's just confusing because I do want to be the best that I can be, but I don't want my instructor to think that I am behind or mediocre just because I was doing things the way that I was taught to do them by other instructors. This particular instructor is a nurse that I have looked up to as my nursing role model since my first semester and I guess it just "stings" a little more coming from her. I agree with you though and thank you for the advice on getting through the rest of school by just accepting the constructive criticism, doing things the way that this instructor wants them done and basically to "just keep on keeping on" and get through it. I realize that nursing is not full of appreciation and glory and that's okay, I just wish there was a little more consistency amongst our instructors as to how they do or do not want us to do things. I am just going to my next clinical with an open mind, a clean slate, and a positive attitude and hope for the best! Thanks again for your advice and insight, it is greatly appreciated!

Hi, I am in between the second and third semesters of the ADN program and just a few clinical days away from getting my GVN and being able to take my LVN boards, but I am having some problems in clinicals and would appreciate any advice/feedback from other nursing students and/or nurses. I am actually on my fourth semester of clinical rotations and based on my performance/feedback from my last clinical instructor, I was feeling pretty competent and confident. Here's the catch......every time that I get used to a clinical instructor and the way that they want things done and know all of their pet peeve's, etc., I adapt and I go on to finish the semester successfully. I am currently working on optional clinical rotations to meet the clinical hour requirements to sit for LVN boards. I came to clinicals the first day confident and ready to go, especially since I was assigned to a unit that I have done many clinical rotations at, know the nurses, etc. But much to my surprise, my clinical instructor has very different priorities, different techniques for procedures, and is frankly just extremely "knit-picky". She thinks that her way of doing things is the only right way and I have no problem with that except for the fact that I was unaware of "her way" until after the fact and her way is not always the way that we were taught previously - at school or at the hospital. I highly respect this instructor, I actually had her for theory my first semester and she is a great nurse, but she is wearing me out!!!! It seems like that if I do 99 things right that she is always around when I goof up on that one thing. I feel like I just stepped back to first semester and I am having my hand held all of the time, like I am totally incompetent. I have had so many patients as well as nurses that I have worked with tell me that I am doing a wonderful job and that I am going to be a great nurse, so it comes as a total shock to me that my instructor finds me to be behind or to have some "deficits" as she puts it. I love people, I am compassionate and I give 110% all of the time and I get chewed on, but the students who seem to do the bare minimum and stand out in the halls and talk most of the time get treated like they are some kind of nursing school prodigies. I am truely at a loss! I guess it hurts me most of all because I work so hard and all of my patients and my preceptors have been more than happy w/me and I feel like I am being punished because I am not out standing in the hallways chatting it up w/the instructors. It's really killing my desire to be a nurse because of all of the favortism and politics of the profession. I just wondered if anyone else had experienced similar circumstances? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!