I am in a study group with 2 friends I have known and taken classes with for over a year. The 3 of us are all A/B students, come prepared, text each other during the week if we are confused about something, etc. We've become a tight knit group because we know we help instead of hindering.
There is a student who is currently failing A&P 2 who wants to join our study group. All 3 of us are leery about it. She comes to class late, she asks us to send her recordings, she looks at my notes everyday. If she put forth the effort herself we wouldn't mind trying to help her, but we feel like she just wants to ride our backs and we're not cool with that.
Our school has a science resource center she can go to, we have free one on one tutors, and the library has models she can check out for 2 hours at a time to study. There are ways for her to help herself before we help her.
I've worked my butt off to get where I am. I should be hearing if I am accepted to my program in 3 weeks. I am not going to get dragged down by someone who can't do the work themselves.
Depending on how she did on this last exam she may be taking a W and dropping out. She scored 44/100 on the first exam.
I can't help her.
Yikes. I am very selective with who I work with, luckily I have a solid group. Ideally, the A/P and Chem series (hopefully) will weed out the students who should not be responsible for other's healthcare. Don't feel bad, I am so neurotic I would have flat out said no.
I'm all about helping people out, but this student seems unwilling to help herself. She's not asking you to help her take better notes, or to help her understand her recordings. She's asking for your recordings and your notes. She's not taking advantage of the help the school offers. I don't see how some of these "help her" posters think you can dig her out of the hole she has dug for herself. A 44/100 on a test is not indicative of someone who needs a little help from a study group. She either needs serious help or she needs to take the class seriously, both IMO. You can't give her the help she needs while concentrating on your own studies. All you can do is try to help, and you did. Now concentrate on you.
Ood, your thread got mobbed by the martyrs! You soooo belong.
I'm just sitting here marveling at the idea that not only are floor nurses supposed to gladly teach students who are pretty much an albatross around their necks, now even pre-nursing students are expected to teach students who can't keep up.
This is what people pay exorbitant tuitions for these days? The school has remedial programs available to struggling students.
School is difficult enough without having to help deadwood keep up. If OOD were my daughter, and I heard this story, I would not recommend that they let this other student join. Being compassionate doesn't mean you have to jeopardize your own chances to try and keep someone else (who frankly sounds like she doesn't have the discipline and study ethic needed to go on to Nursing school) from floundering.
We had a student like this try to join our study group. What ultimately happened was that she asked for copies of our homework because she "wanted to check the answers" and would end up copying it. Or she would ask to see my study guide and ask if she could make copies. (And this wasn't in the nursing program, just FYI)
I'm a pretty chill person. I don't mind helping people understand the material. As others said, it helps me solidify the information for my own benefit as well. But I refuse to pull someone else's weight by letting them reap the benefits of my own work. Especially if they're not putting forth the effort themselves.
I'm all for collaboration and helping those who help themselves. Doing both elevates the profession: collaborate rather than competitive, a hand up for the person who does take the initiative to get it together to become competent is fine. Even with patients, though, we never want to enable (and that can be a fine line that's hard to see). Enabling leads to reduced functioning, in patients and in nursing students- not the end we want to work toward.
I would not consider it kind, helpful or good for the profession to carry someone who's just plain not taking initiative. Someone on this thread said "you can't carry her through NCLEX", and I think that's probably true. What if on some outside chance your group actually achieved that somehow? She got through on your good graces-what then? My guess is a person who is in the habit of not taking care of the details and not showing up on time is not going to be good for patient care.
If, as some are suggesting, she would use help to develop better habits/work ethics, then it could work.
Another way to think of it, day to day it can feel like we are just trying to make it through (the next test, graduation, NCLEX), but you are also trying to develop yourselves as the best nurses you can be. Preserving that is also "right" because it works in favor of patient care. Offering a hand to other students has to be balanced with learning as much as you can while you are in school.
If she has already demonstrated that she is not invested in learning, I would say no to joining the group. She might benefit from one-one mentoring instead.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I don't get the whole "compassion" argument that some students are posing. Yes, nurses are expected to have compassion- for their patients. Wouldn't having compassion for their patients mean becoming the best nurse they can be? If that means not carrying the dead weight of a student who is in need of assistance beyond what fellow students can provide and isn't interested in helping herself, isn't that the way to go?
Methinks a lot of nursing students are going to have some very eye-opening experiences as new grads entering the workforce.
Specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
Tough to say regarding this failing student's habits. It's also tough to say no to that student because then it makes you feel like your a bad classmate/person/friend. I would at first let her join in on 1 or 2 sessions and see how that person does. If she doesn't contribute and/or is basically being required to be taught the entire lesson, I would rack up whatever courage I have and tell her that she needs to attend class and do her readings/homework in order for her to understand. But also mention that study groups are to reinforce what was being taught and review.
As many others posted, since she is unwilling to learn based on her habits and her scores, I would lean on not letting her in. But I'm always a nice/helping guy, and I personally would let her join in on at least 1 study session as I just mentioned and go on from there.
JoanneWolfe
3 Posts
Yes!!! I totally agree.