Scary story I heard from some nursing students

[NurseyPoo7]

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

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

NO WAY!! The pt was on an insulin gtt and her BS levels were just made up?? Scary!!

Anne, RNC

[KungFuFtr]

A BS less than 1? So, what happened to the pt? Did the

[bloviate]

If it were me?

That would be an IMMEDIATE FAIL.

Ethics: #1.

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

LOL. I think we can characterize this one as an epic fail.

Poor judgment!

[belgarion]

Student flunked, failed, out, expelled, shot, hung, drawn and quartered.

My question is, how could an instructor not know that a student's clinical skills were that weak? It sounds like there was a severe lack of adult supervision here.

[oramar]

*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.

The sad thing is that is OK for a STUDENT to say, " I really don't know how to do this". Maybe the institution should have a look at their educational systems and make sure they are explaining the need to say, "I don't know" for safety reasons. Even stranger things have happened to me. I once had the charge nurse at a hospital where I was working as a agency nurse tell me she didn't have a clue as to how to use their accu check machine. I was like , "huh". But at least she admitted it and I took care of it for her, at least she didn't try to fake it or anything. If a experienced nurse admits she doesn't know something a student certainly can.

[Coriander, BSN, RN]

Holy Gods. It doesn't take more than a couple of minutes to do a finger stick!

To offer a possible answer to the question above about how the instructor not knowing - in my clinicals, the instructor is not always with us one-on-one. It was usually the same way in labs, where she would oversee things and work with us should she see something needed correction. We are asked, "Do you understand?" or "Are you okay with this?" and we answer accordingly.

I can't believe that student flat out lied about numbers. I would throw him out of the hospital and kick him out of the program.

[belgarion]

To offer a possible answer to the question above about how the instructor not knowing - in my clinicals, the instructor is not always with us one-on-one. It was usually the same way in labs, where she would oversee things and work with us should she see something needed correction. We are asked, "Do you understand?" or "Are you okay with this?" and we answer accordingly.

I guess I was lucky in school. Before we could perform a lot of basic procedures in clinicals we had to demonstrate them in the lab one on one with an instructor. This included BP, IM and SubQ injections, ,FSBS, hanging IV fluids, Foley insertion and care, or setting up meds. It made for some really long and boring lab days but when we hit the floor we at least knew how to do a bloomin finger stick.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

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.

We have these

[kcochrane]

To offer a possible answer to the question above about how the instructor not knowing - in my clinicals, the instructor is not always with us one-on-one. It was usually the same way in labs, where she would oversee things and work with us should she see something needed correction. We are asked, "Do you understand?" or "Are you okay with this?" and we answer accordingly.

I guess I was lucky in school. Before we could perform a lot of basic procedures in clinicals we had to demonstrate them in the lab one on one with an instructor. This included BP, IM and SubQ injections, ,FSBS, hanging IV fluids, Foley insertion and care, or setting up meds. It made for some really long and boring lab days but when we hit the floor we at least knew how to do a bloomin finger stick.

Similar thing here. We did have to do our first BG on a patient, but the instructor had to watch up first. If we did it right, we allowed to do them on our own.

[caliotter3]

I worked with a nurse who falsified FSBS as a matter of habit. I brought the information to the attention of the supervisor, who did nothing.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

To offer a possible answer to the question above about how the instructor not knowing - in my clinicals, the instructor is not always with us one-on-one. It was usually the same way in labs, where she would oversee things and work with us should she see something needed correction. We are asked, "Do you understand?" or "Are you okay with this?" and we answer accordingly.

I guess I was lucky in school. Before we could perform a lot of basic procedures in clinicals we had to demonstrate them in the lab one on one with an instructor. This included BP, IM and SubQ injections, ,FSBS, hanging IV fluids, Foley insertion and care, or setting up meds. It made for some really long and boring lab days but when we hit the floor we at least knew how to do a bloomin finger stick.

Same here, except we didn't do the fsbs in the lab, (couldn't have body fluids) but we did do them in our first clinical placement, we did them on each other and made sure everyone knew how to do them. Our instructor also came around watching us do them. Then when we moved to the hospital for clinicals we had to go to an orientation showing us how to do the FSBS and hemoccult

[Faeriewand, ASN, RN]

If I'm hearing it from a student who is saying it is another student I take it with a grain of salt.

That being said, wow! scary!