Sent home from clinicals :(

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello, I've only posted a couple times so I'm not sure if this is the proper place for this post. I'm sad, embarrassed, and frustrated because I was sent home from clincals this morning. I'm a second year student in an ADN program and today was my first day to care for 3 patients (all meds, care, etc). I prepped at the hospital for 2 hours last night, came home prepped until midnight and up at 5 a.m. to get to clinicals on time. In preconference I was not certain why my pt was receiving an antibiotic. She was admitted with SOB, but I saw nothing in the chart other than that. When I truthfully told my instructor that I wasn't sure about the antibiotic she replied that pt has pneumonia. Keep in mind that 8 other students are staring at me and I buckle under pressure. I replied that I honestly did not see that in her chart. Mind you, that when I was prepping the chart was taken from me several times by other staff members and someone even took the progress notes out of the chart. Also trying to prep on 2 others at the same time. After the 30 minutes of preconference I went to the floor to begin pt care. My instructor pulled me aside and said that she was sending me home and I needed to make an appointment with my advisor and the director of the nursing program. I sense that they are kicking me out. The environment is one of total fear, no encouragement, waiting for you to mess us and never pointing out the good. The fact that I'm a single mom of four and I worked my tail off for this doesn't count for a thing. My grades are always 3.5 and above, but I have to work very hard to do that. I'm in my 40s so the menopausal memory thing is doing a number on me. I'm in debt $15,000 in student loans and I really don't know if I'll make it:cry:. Missing this clinical will mean that I get an incomplete for the quarter which messes up my financial aid so now I have that to deal with. Honestly, I don't think I can take much more of this. I realize that I'm rambling, using no paragraphs, just hoping that there is "someone" out there to encourage me. I don't know what I'm going to do if I get kicked out. Thanks for "listening"...

WOW! I never expected the support that I've received from all of you today. It really warms my heart and gives me the confidence to keep going. Thank you so much! I've thought about this all day and still can't believe that I got sent home for that. Some of my classmates called me and said that the day with her was terrible! She was fuming by the end of the day. They all have to write papers tonight about improving their clinical performance. Maybe it wasn't so bad that I got sent home! :wink2:

Go in tomorrow as if it's a normal day. Write the paper that the others had to write. Be one step ahead. Don't give her any excuses to send you home.

When your advisor calls, be ready to "be humble and be strong," as another poster said. Do not fall on your sword. Calmly explain the situation and own your part. But do ask how a student is supposed to be able to turn to the instructor with questions if the mere act of doing so can backfire so terribly.

Offer to make up the missed time in whatever fashion they require, but go forward with the assumption that you belong in that class and clinical. They might give you a hard time, but don't make it easy for them to show you the door.

We're all pulling for you.

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Specializes in med/surg.

Wow, my prayers are with you. That is pretty harsh.

Often times nurses ask other nurses about meds or other things to clear something up. It is the nurses who don't ask anything that worries me.

Hang in there and let us know how it goes.

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Wow, I'm so sorry you are going through this.

I think your school is wrong and they should have used this as a learning experience. No one is perfect afterall. Good luck to you!

Jennifer

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

I didn't go to school with Florence Nightingale, but I think some of my instructors did!

I honestly don't remember any of them being like this. I don't remember any student being sent home for any reason. I distinctly remember making a mistake myself. I got talked to. I did not get sent home, threatened with failure, or any of those things. Oh, I knew I'd better not screw up again, but I'm talking about a real error.

I think there are a lot more constructive ways to handle your situation than sending you home. Having you write an extra (one or two page) paper on the diagnosis, for example.

I also don't understand the students not being allowed to sit in report. We were required to do that! Often things are passed on in report that are not to be found in the kardex, the chart, or the MAR. Those things can be important.

As other posters have said, an admitting diagnosis and a current diagnosis may not be the same. Sometimes something like pneumonia isn't known until things like x-ray are done. It's also not uncommon that it could have developed since admission. Things do change.

Good luck to you in going on.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.

I'm sorry that you had a bad experience in clinicals today but I don't feel that you should have been sent home for not knowing that the patient had pneumonia when that wasn't the admitting diagnosis.

When you have your meeting I would ask them to clarify what a pre conference is. We have a pre conference and we use that time to ask questions about what happened with our patients the night before or anything else that we want to ask.

I agree with the other poster show up to clinicals tomorrow with a paper written about how to improve at clinicals just like everyone else. It'll show the instructor that you're taking this seriously. When you do have your meeting make sure that you don't turn it into a blaming game and you admit that you didn't know about the change of the patients diagnosis and things that you can do next time to prevent this from happening again (showing up earlier in the day for your chart reviews or coming in later so you can listen in on the shift change).

Hoping for the best.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Don't let this witch of an instructor get you down...she sounds like a real looney-toon. I never saw a classmate get sent home either. I agree that you should show up tomorrow, and I think your best bet would be to act professionally, something your instructor has no clue about. Some have a hard time realizing that students aren't supposed to know everything, and they never should have been teachers in the first place.

Stay strong! I'm pulling for you!:)

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

Sounds like your instructor needs to be kicked out of the program. I really do hope that it works out for you. You have the right to work in a supportive environment and if she tries to send you home again over something so pathetic i'd refuse as well.

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Specializes in nursery, L and D.

So, how did it go today?

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Specializes in Addiction & Recovery, Community Health.

I'm dying to know...What happened today...Give it up girl!

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Hi to all my new friends:D, just a quick update because I have to write a six page essay tonight covering my clinicals today plus I have an exam tomorrow morning. Sleep isn't really necessary, is it?! Anyhow, I showed up bright and early and she didn't say a word about it. She just acted s if nothing happened. I was running around like a crazy woman all day trying to take care of my patients. It just seems like there are soooo many things to do in so little time. My charting was late so I'll be in trouble for that. My advisor still has not returned my phone call so I dont' really know what is happening other than she let me stay today. That might be a good sign, right? If I can just make it until June!

Thanks again for all the support and advice. Gotta go start writing!

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all the best with your writing and with your program

and hang in there until graduation

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My guess is the instructor knew she had a terrible day and is just going to sweep the entire incident under the rug. Maybe she knew she was wrong. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Glad you got to stay today. Good luck with all the homework. Looks like all the good thoughts and prayers worked for you. :)

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