Should i change directions...will it help ?

[workinghard09]

i am trying to make a decision that i hope i can get some feedback on.

i am almost finished with my associates nursing program. i have no problem passing exams.

here is my issue.

i don't expect myself to know everything but for some reason in clinical my critical thinking skills are not where they are supposed to be. i am being told this consistently by my professors. i am being told that my care plans are excellent, my assessments are ok but they have all said that i seem to 'miss the mark' in the clinical area. i also have time management issues.

i believe i can graduate but i don't feel comfortable graduating.

i was thinking of moving to a bsn program to extend my clinical hours and 'sure up' my foundation before becoming a nurse, although it will be a repeat of some information.

i know it is more money and time, however i would rather graduate as a safe nurse even if it takes a little more time.

i don't expect to be perfect as a student, but some of the mistakes i have made in clinical in my opinion have been over the top, nothing that could have harmed the patient (only because my professor was there).

if i finish and then move to bsn, there will be expectations of me that i don't feel i can meet and i will be building on a rocky foundation. i know most hospitals in ny on getting a job i will move quickly to being on my own. i am hearing about 2 wk orientations.

my family and friends are pushing me to finish i keep explaining that $$ is not always the most important thing, however i am an older student and working p/t so it's not like $$ is not an issue.

i would really appreciate any practical feedback i can get

[BluegrassRN]

Unless you completely reapply to the program and start from the beginning, BSN completion programs have little to no clinical hours. The assumption is that you have completed the clinical requirements in your ASN/ADN.

[Moogie]

Frankly, I would talk with your instructors about your difficulty with critical thinking. Have they given you concrete examples of incidents in which they felt you had trouble with critical thinking? Have they given you any direction on how you can improve your skills?

I guess I don't see how someone can be "missing the mark" clinically but yet be passing clinicals. I don't believe that schools should weed out students capriciously but it is a huge disservice to continue to allow a student to progress if that student is not meeting an important objective. Repeating a course is not necessarily the worst thing in the world and, from what you say, it sounds like it would be helpful for you. Can you choose to repeat this semester even if it means delaying your graduation?

I'm not sure it would be a good idea to bounce into another program. First of all, you might not get accepted. Depending on the competitiveness for admission to the BSN program you're considering, you might not get in right away or you might be waitlisted. Second, admission committee members might wonder why you chose to drop out of your current program rather than finish your ADN and do a BSN completion and that could hurt your chances of acceptance. I guess what I'm saying is, don't drop out of your current program unless you've been accepted into another because you could find yourself in a very unpleasant state of limbo, not enrolled in either program and not doing anything to help you with your critical thinking skills.

I would suggest that you have a long talk with your academic advisor and possibly your clinical instructor about this. I commend you for seeing that you have a weak point and that you want to clear up this deficiency before you graduate so you can practice safely.

About a month ago, I was reading some journal articles about nurse educators who "fail to fail" students. The gist of the articles was that some instructors are reticent to fail students, even if those students aren't ready to progress, because of administrative pressure, inexperience with teaching, or wanting to "give students a break". In my experience, I haven't run into very many educators who are reluctant to fail students---on the contrary, I have worked with or had, as a student, instructors who prided themselves on flunking one student per semester, whether it was warranted or not. But from what you describe, it sounds like your instructors may be reticent to make you repeat a course---which might be the best thing for you, especially if you don't feel ready to graduate.

I wish you the best.

[workinghard09]

thank you both... so much.

Moogie I really appreciate the practical advise you gave, especially the point of view my professors might have.

Our program doesn't have an 'academic advisor' however I am in the process

of trying to find someone that can help me.

I don't think I will get dropped, as I just seem to be floating along ???

but I am thinking of dropping out myself, taking some prep classes and trying to get an internship in a hospital.

and then re-entering the program when I am better prepared.

I am going to find someone in the program to run it past before i do it.

THank you so much for your advise