The Nerve!!!

Published

Specializes in Critical Care, Acute Dialysis.

Ok so we are all well aware of the EC battle with the GBON and the recent support of our govenor. Well get this a very good friend of mine is a ADN RN who works at the same hospital as I do in CCU she is also a BSN student at Thomas State University in Thomasville GA......one of their assignments it to write the govenor and state reps to tell them why EC should no longer be allowed in GA!!!! My friend called me today about this and said there is absolutely no way she would write a letter stating that EC should not be allowed in GA but that she is planning on writting a compelling letter in our support. I just can't believe that her professor is actually requiring this as a frickin assignment:argue: I am so irritated with the whole thing.

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If I were her I would consider writing a letter of protest to her nursing department chair. Requiring a letter of this sort, no matter the stance to be taken, is inappropriate. How much better it would be if the students were required to write letters concerning valid nursing issues. Attacking another institution that is engaged in producing professional nurses is not a professional act. That instructor should be set straight by someone. :nono:

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Specializes in Critical Care, Acute Dialysis.

Apparently her professor was at a meeting concerning EC at the capital this past weekend and thought it would be a good political involvment excercise:nono: My friend told her that there was absolutely no way she would write a letter of disapproval because she fully supports the program....btw she did not graduate from EC she went to a "traditional" school.

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Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.

Why is this professor picking the cause to write about for her students??? EC aside, she should be letting them pick their own cause, and decide for themselves whether they support it, or are against it. Geez.

Hmmm...we should all write letters to this professor. ;) She obviously needs to be educated about EC. Give me a break.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Acute Dialysis.

I agree.....I'm sure I can get her name :D While I think politcal activism is extremely important I too believe it is wrong to impose your views upon students who do not know the whole story. I can think of many things that need to be addressed in healthcare in GA regarding patient safety and EC isn't one of them!

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If I were your friend, I'd write to the local newspaper and expose this instructor. But then again at the sametime, how would this affect her education. In no way would I write a letter like that. How can you write a letter in support of something that you don't support? If that instructor were to assign that, then he/she should say, write a letter to the governor in support/against Excelsior. You have to have both sides, not just one. What the instructor did was show his/her lack of professionalism, and tackiness. Good Luck Georgia, DON'T BECOME LIKE CALIFORNIA!

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I think the assignment would be more fitting if the professor told the students to write a letter about their position on EC.

This is just another sorry example of how professors try to influence students into their viewpoints.

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I can't believe that an instructor would go out and make an assignment such as that. I think the students should proceed to the nursing department and state that this assignment is wrong. Obviously, she has a close mind to EC and needs to be educated about what EC does. People like that don't need to be teaching other nursing students.:angryfire

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Specializes in ER and family advanced nursing practice.

I have emailed someone at Thomas University to request clarification regarding this. Don't know what, if any, good will come of it.

Ivan

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Specializes in Hem/Onc, LTC, AL, Homecare, Mgmt, Psych.

Nice, Ivan. I will be interested in the response you receive. I hope you'll post it? I suppose with the holiday it might take a while though...... darn.

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Specializes in ER and family advanced nursing practice.

the person i communicated with at thomas university says there was no such an assignment. below is the email exchange i had with that individual. per the tos, i have removed any personal identifying information. also chronological order is top down for easier reading. take this for what it is worth. this person was hesitant regarding my question and stated they thought that asking it was inappropriate (yet they did answer it...). this person then suggested i was trying to "suppress" the students right to voice opinions to their elected officials.

i don't know...between the lines the response is not so clear. any thoughts? i didn't feel it was an inappropriate question because this alleged activity could impact the lives of those outside their classroom. i work with some of those people some of which are my friends. this then impacts me both personally and professionally. dang...i should have included that in one my responses. i never think of the right thing to say until later!

ivan

________________________________________________

from: ivan

sent: wednesday, november 26, 2008 11:25 am

to: blank

subject: letter writing assignment.

blank,

if possible i was wondering if you could confirm a rumor about an assignment

given to some of the bsn students enrolled at thomas university. it seems

that some of the students have been asked to write a letter to the governor

asking that excelsior students not be allowed to practice in georgia. this

would be disappointing if true, and to be honest i don't believe that it is.

should it be true, i was wondering what is the basis for this assignment. if

your students are being taught the value of evidence based practice then

what facts or studies are being cited in the claim that excelsior students

are sub par?

i appreciate your time in this.

ivan

ivan rn, cen, nremt-p

__________________________________________________

from: blank

sent: wednesday, november 26, 2008 11:46 am

to: ivan

subject: re: letter writing assignment.

dear ivan,

may i ask whom you are representing?

blank

_______________________________________________

from: ivan

sent: wed 11/26/08 12:06 pm

to: blank

subject: re: letter writing assignment.

blank,

i am an ec graduate who is outraged at the actions of the gbon. i represent

no one officially, but i take part in the political process of nursing. i

find it admirable when people are concerned about the quality of any nursing

program if there are issues regarding patient safety related to the quality

of any school's graduates. however, when decisions are being made

without scientific validity or appropriate discourse then that is a problem.

particularly when it is not the stance of modern nursing to make decisions

based on either no data or data obtained unscientifically.

i appreciate your quick response. again, may i ask if the rumor is true?

sincerely,

ivan

__________________________________________________

from: blank

sent: wednesday, november 26, 2008 12:46 pm

to: ivan

subject: re: letter writing assignment.

ivan, while i believe it is inappropriate for a non-student to inquire as to the specific nature of a course assignment at another college (and one for which you are not enrolled), please be assured that our students have not received an assignment such as the one you describe. however, as citizens, our students enjoy the same freedom as you do to exercise the right to voice their opinions to their elected representatives on any issue. i certainly hope that the intent of your email was not a veiled effort to suppress this right.

i applaud your active involvement in our political process and suggest that you direct your support of excelsior college toward your elected representatives. thank you,

___________________________________________________________

blank,

thanks for your reply. i do appreciate your position on this and the sensitivity of answering a question such as the one i posed. i agree with you that students (and instructors) do have a right to express themselves. i say this to you as a nurse and a veteran. i will be happy to pass along that the rumor is in fact just that. in the discussion where this rumor was mentioned, many of us felt that if such an assignment had been given, perhaps letting the student decide which position (for/against ec grad practice) to take and then writing letters (using supporting evidence of course).

again, thanks for your prompt reply. i wish you and your family a happy thanksgiving.

sincerely,

ivan

___________________________________________________________

re: letter writing assignment.

from: blank

sent: wednesday, november 26, 2008 1:26 pm

to: ivan

subject: re: letter writing assignment.

ivan,

i agree with your colleagues. at thomas university, the faculty actively encourage our students to take part in the political process and express their viewpoints to elected officials on issues pertaining to health care, nursing practice, and nursing education. whether or not this activity is part of a course assignment is dependent on the course learning outcomes and is the perogative of the faculty. however, students are always free to express their own opinion; those opinions are not proscribed by the instructor or university.

happy thanksgiving to you and your family,

*****end of discussion*****

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Hmmmmmm. I'm not sure what to think ... I do think that individual was pretty defensive, asking who you represented, rather than just saying, "Why, no! We'd never ask such a thing of our students!" As always, I am a skeptic.

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