Hi,
I need your advice. I am a nursing student with a 3.8 G.P.A with 115 credit hours. Yes I have taken Pharm, Ap1 and Ap2, Advanced physiology , micro, Algebra 4, Physics, Patho etc etc. My nursing G.P.A is just a 3.0. My overall is based upon the 115 credit hours outside core nursing classes, like Fundamentals etc.
I am at the point where I don't know what to. I suffer from sleep wake disorder. Basically my body doesn't naturally sleep until 3 A.M.....from there I can get 6-7 hours of sleep. This is important information.
Before I applied to this Nursing program, I called the Director of Nursing. I asked if they offered evening or afternoon clinicals, they DON replied yes they did, in fact sometimes they have to force students in afternoons because most want mornings. So I applied based on this ( see my sleep patterns ). I get accepted. Upon acceptance, I met with a new nursing director ( DON ). This is their third Director in 3 years. When I met with the new DON, 2 months after the previous conversation with the previous DON, I had a sheet of 7 questions, 3 pertained to my sleep, if none of these could be checked off, I was not going to. I looked the new DON directly in the face and gave a brief summary of what me and the old DON talked about in regards to afternoon clinicals. I then said, they were a new DON and did not have to honor what the old DON two months previously stated in regards to afternoons. I informed the new DON with documentation of my sleep circadian rythym disorder. The new DON informed me she would uphold what the last DON said two-3 months previous and afternoons are there,
Well I got my schedule in end of August and it said 6:30 in the morning. I then went to the DON and stated their must have been an error in schedule. I got the reply that they didn't have afternoons ( which defies the convo I had with her and the old DON previous ). She did state that next semester they probably will have afternoons, and if she known they had a student with a disorder, she would have pressed for an afternoon ( which again is here say, on the premise she new when I got accepted ).
I go through a semester with limited sleep. Showing up to exams with 1 hr of sleep. Going to clinicals with no sleep, and almost got into two car accidents on the way. I passed all my skills on no sleep. Got a B in my first semester nursing classes. Next semester roles around, .....get my schedule, no afternoons yet again.....it was one deceptive statement after another.
Well now I am desperate. I would have only 3 semesters to go. However, I only got 2 hours of sleep in 4 days. On a clinical this past week, I thought I would barely make it. I was in the shower and my body dropped to one knee as the water hit my back. I did make to clinical on time, but my body was shot. I took care of a Parkinson's pt ( that is all I will divulged ) and was in their room from 7:30 A.M-10:00...bc not stop requests and multi commode, and had to transport many times. I am sure the Nurse was thinking, "Glad we got this guy here." . I talked with the wife and seen every body fluid besides blood. That's when I knew, I can handle this from a nursing prospective, academics....always a straight A student. In patho 98.8 %, Micro 97%, Advanced phys, 95%, AP1 and Ap2 A's...etc etc. This is not gloating, this is just letting you know how torn I am.
I am torn and desperate for opinions because my sleep. Now, I am not going to bed at 3 A.M and sleeping till 11, even on my off days. My whole rythym, which was off already got worse. I think it is because of my body now use to almost no sleep on a daily basis because of what I was open about, with afternoons. So this past week I went 4 days with only 2 hrs of sleep. My whole body ached from sleep deprivation, I was dizzy while walking. My girlfriend took me to the E.R, I was desperate. The E.R Doc asked if they could give afternoons.....I explained the situation....they were suppose to. I got injected with 2mg Ativan and took an antihistamine for sleep. It still didn't hit me....so after 2 hrs of sleep in 5 days, I slept 5 hours yesterday, I am dizzy and fatigued to where I can't study much. I even brought my powerpoints to the E.R to study. I just don't know if I can continue to do this to my body. However, I only would have 3 semesters after this to finish. It's a shame because on the last clinical I was given the worst pt out of all, even the Clinical coordinator told me this, and I handled it with 2 hrs of sleep, and at the time 2 hrs in 3 days. I just don't know what to do. I am thinking about withdrawing. I have a test on Tuesday, that since my sleep has been so deprived, I couldn't study....although the N.P at the E.R gave me an excuse for the whole week. However, you know the politics of nursing school, I use the medical excuse and.....you're screwed. AM I wrong?
Yes, I do take sleep meds, Xanax, doxepin, and melononin and still nothing. Even with the 2mg IM of Ativan with al that, just 5 hours of sleep.
I can see if I was just having troubles sleeping for a morning clinical and that was it...I can live with one day a week. However, you have to understand this is 5 days of the week.
Should I stay? Drop? I am desperate. All of this could have been midigated had the Nursing DON's just been honest about the clinicals up front, or delivered on what they said. However, it is what it is.
