They asked me to drop - anyone else come back after a year off?

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I am absolutely heartbroken right now and really don't know what to do with myself. We're on quarters here, and I've just started quarter 3/6 with a 3.5 gpa and flying colors in clinicals thus far. Love my teachers, love my classmates, love clinicals, hate all the studying but I'm dealing with it... you get the picture! I'm a pretty good student.

I got really sick at the end of last quarter, and spent the entire spring break in the hospital as an inpatient with pneumonia. My O2 sats are still low, and I've been written off of clinicals for an additional 3 weeks worth of healing. I had to tell my clinical instructor today, and she had to take it to the director of the program since that's an awful lot of clinical to be missing, and she came back and said they were asking me to drop.

I guess they'll hold a spot for me if I want to wait a year and try again. I'm numb right now and really trying to process, I absolutely was not expecting this and really don't know if I'm financially or emotionally able to put it off for another year.

Anyone else been there for whatever reason and come back after a year off to finish? Care to share any pros and cons? Talk me through it?:o

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i had a friend who had to drop... she came back and did so much better.. she just took the in-class classes that she could, and just retook the clinical and skills lab later by itself, lots of less stress! But adds a year onto graduating, though :(

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Specializes in LDRP.

I moved and was out of the nursing program for 1.5 years. It was hard on me emotionally, but now I graduate in Dec and can honestly say it all worked out for the best.

Your first priority is your health and secondly, they are probably right--missing a ton of clinical will be detrimental to you after you graduate. We only learn a small portion of what we need to know as it is and the transition is still REALLY hard!

I know some other girls in my class that have sat out a semester or more for personal reasons--pregnancy, illness, death in the family and financial--and they are all going to grad with me (as long as they don't FAIL out)! In the long run it will be ok--and yes, it is OK to be sad!!!

(((HUGS)))

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Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

I dropped out because my father was terminally ill, but I am back in the program and will graduate in 4 weeks.

Sweetooth

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

get the promise to readmit you to the nursing program in writing because things change. a new dean could come in while you are on your year off and know nothing of the oral promises made to you. find out what you can do to get your cna in your state because if you've already done the basic nursing you should be able to just test out for cna certification. you can find information about this on one of the sticky threads on the cna-nursing assistant forum on allnurses (https://allnurses.com/forums/f265/). as soon as you feel better you can start working as a cna to make money as well as get experience while you are waiting to get back into classes. if you do real good at this you might even find employment with a facility that offers tuition reimbursement.

the problem the school has is that the state board of nursing mandates that a specific number of documented hours must be spent by the nursing students in clinical areas. with your losing so much clinical time, they really have no way for you to make up that time. the class work component is not that much of a problem.

i'm a big believer that things happen for a reason. this quarter just isn't your time to be in the nursing classes. it is most important for you to get healthy first. you are also learning some valuable lessons as a patient, so don't feel that this is all wasted time. it may be that your future is to work with patients who have similar problems and your experience as a patient yourself is going to be very valuable in helping them to heal as well.

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Aww! It will work out and best wishes to you!!!!:kiss It will get better and I hope that you get well soon.

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I decided to fight for it and hopefully not take a year off. I called my dr back and explained the situation, and he agreed to go ahead and release me for clinicals with the promise that I'd use good judgment and not kill myself. today was my first day of full clinicals, and I survived although I am physically beat. I couldn't help thinking that I was putting myself back a year and change for only a few short weeks (since we're on quarters and this is already week 2). Of course I will take the time off if I absolutely have to, if I'm not physically capable of carrying on with clinicals, but I'm going to try to tough it out the next few weeks and then I'll have the summer to recover.

Thanks so much for the advice and support in the meantime, I really appreciate it.

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You are still very young...I think your body needs time to heal, and if part of the "deal" if you drop, they will guarantee you a spot of the same level next year, then I think it would be a good option for you. You can fill the time in-between working on a possible future BSN.

I wish you well, I had pneumonia about 8 years ago, and have appreciated my health (and breathing) so much better since.

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