Scary story I heard from some nursing students

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Specializes in Acute Care.

We had some nursing students on my unit a few weeks ago and I overheard their instructor and the students discussing an incident that happened with another clinical group at another hospital.

They said this group of nursing students had pts on a med surg floor.. and one nursing student was assigned to be the "charge nurse" of the group and was supposed to help with FSBS. Apparently, this student informed the other students of their patients' FSBS results. Well, long story short, at the end they couldnt find the documented FSBS in the computer and when the instructor asked the "charge" student about it ,he fessed up he had "made up" the numbers because he didnt know how to do a fingerstick and didnt want to ask someone :eek:

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

If it were me?

That would be an IMMEDIATE FAIL.

Ethics: #1.

You don't have integrity, you shouldn't get a license.

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Specializes in Dialysis, Long-term care, Med-Surg.

This is live or death. Someone's FSBS could have been 500 or 30 and this person made them up!!???? Time for the boot for a semester.

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Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).

*head on fire*

If this had been my student:

Step #1: Fail the kid on the spot. Confiscate student ID and any school-issued equipment, and escort out of the hospital. Consider calling Security if I really want to make an example.

Step #2: Go to SON and university administration and file academic misconduct charges. At the very least I'd seek dismissal from the SON, though a disciplinary expulsion from the university would be preferable.

It might sound draconian, but I don't want this kid in my clinical, nor in my hospital, nor in my profession. Ever. As Jo from PACU said, lack of integrity is an instant and permanent disqualification for the practice of nursing.

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hmmm my mouth can get a little...earthy....shall we say, so will just say "yeah, what they said"!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

That's scary. I'd do the same as those who said they would fail the kid on the spot. And JoPACURN, said " If you don't have integrity, you shouldn't have a license" Well said, and soo true !

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

WOW!! I can't believe the student did that. And, wasn't it the "charge student" or something? That IS scary. I have actually seen a few nurses at one of our local hospitals get caught doing this.

My thing is, don't u have any idea what kind of reaction a pt may have if their BS is 20 or 400? Another, is just how long does it take to ask and find out something, if u don't know.

The ones I was working with made up fake BS readings on 10 patients. It seemed to me that it would take longer to pull fake numbers out of the air than actually stick the fingers. That was the excuse she used when she had to appear in front of the BON, that she didn't have enough time to stick the fingers.

Please!

Anne, RNC

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

You're fired!

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Is it not the instructor's job to oversee that the students are doing things right?

At least she caught it- eventually- but...

double fail!

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That is getting harder to do because more and more places are getting technology that plugs straight into the computer and transmit the numbers. We grumbled when they got the things because we couldn't do sticks on ourself any more, but I can see now what the value would be.

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Wow. So did you hear what DID happen to the student, Nurseypoo7?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Nsg QA.

Hopefully the instructor or the school have policies in place, including issues on integrity. I agree the student should be out, but you can't do it unless students know up front the disciplinary actions that could be imposed. The student could bring a law suit, and....well, it could get ugly.

Bottom line, the school should have something in place that would make this an automatic failure!

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