Was my unsatisfactory in clinical unfair?

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Specializes in Long term care.

I received a clinical unsatisfactory based on hearsay. A nurse I was shadowing spoke lies about me and told my instructor a bunch of mean things that I honestly would have never said to anyone. (I’m thinking she had a super bad day because she was sweet to my face) I’m just wondering if this is unfair since it’s hearsay and my instructor never actually saw me say it or saw my performance. I can only have so many bad points and this is borderline me being removed from the program...

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1 hour ago, Ashestoashes said:

... I’m just wondering if this is unfair since it’s hearsay and my instructor never actually saw me say it or saw my performance. ...

While it might be untrue, it isn't hearsay. As your instructor can’t be in multiple places at once he or she must rely on the nurses for feedback.

1 hour ago, Ashestoashes said:

... I can only have so many bad points and this is borderline me being removed from the program...

Have you met with your instructor, other than post clinical evaluation, to discuss your performance? If not, you should, and ask her or him where exactly your performance is lacking, and what you have to do to be successful in clinical.

Best wishes.

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Specializes in Long term care.

That’s definitely true I didn’t think of it that way. She did meet with me some time before clinical got too busy. She said she was warning me that she had to give me an unsatisfactory. I didn’t question it because she told me everything I did “wrong”. I was just wondering if I’m even able to defend myself since it’s both our words against each other.

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On 2/15/2020 at 5:51 AM, chare said:

While it might be untrue, it isn't hearsay. As your instructor can’t be in multiple places at once he or she must rely on the nurses for feedback.

Have you met with your instructor, other than post clinical evaluation, to discuss your performance? If not, you should, and ask her or him where exactly your performance is lacking, and what you have to do to be successful in clinical.

Best wishes.

Agree with this post. You should have already presented your side of the story. Wonder just why, then, the instructor is taking this action.

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Specializes in Long term care.

That’s the thing I wasn’t able to give my side because my instructor was very mad she didn’t want to hear it. I’m guessing there were too many feelings involved and I didn’t get a say so. I’m just gonna try to follow my chain of command

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On 2/15/2020 at 4:20 AM, Ashestoashes said:

... I can only have so many bad points and this is borderline me being removed from the program...

When I read this, I can't help but think that you have had problems throughout this clinical session, and that this event was the straw that broke the camel's back. If it were me, I would take a few days to collect my thoughts. Not just this event, but your entire clinical session with this instructor.

Then, request a meeting with your nursing advisor and this instructor at a time and location away from the clinical site. Ask your clinical advisor where and how you are deficient in your clinical practice, and more importantly what you have to do to continue in, and pass their clinical rotation.

During thus meeting, do not allow yourself to become emotional. This doesn't mean that you can't defend yourself. But, when you do present facts, not feelings. And don't try and justify what you did. Rather, state that you now understand what you did was wrong, why it was wrong, and what you should have done. And, think of and present steps that you can implement in future clinical sessions if you have questions. And, as you are now on the skyline, not only this semester, but future semesters as well.

Again, best wishes.

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Specializes in Occupational Health.

... I can only have so many bad points and this is borderline me being removed from the program...

This seems indicate you have on-going issues in this clinical and/or prior clinicals. I would carefully perform some self-evaluation and reflection regarding performance issues before attempting to justify your perceptions and, quite possibly, making the situation worse than it already is...

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Specializes in ED.

As discussed above, instructors rely on the feedback of the nurses you work with to inform their understanding of how you are doing.

You state that you can only have so many "bad points" and that this makes you borderline. What other issues have you faced in the program, is this more of a reoccurring problem than a one time event?

How you described your instructor they sound very frustrated to me.

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Specializes in Long term care.
23 minutes ago, MotoMonkey said:

As discussed above, instructors rely on the feedback of the nurses you work with to inform their understanding of how you are doing.

You state that you can only have so many "bad points" and that this makes you borderline. What other issues have you faced in the program, is this more of a reoccurring problem than a one time event?

How you described your instructor they sound very frustrated to me.

I guess I should clarify since it does sound like a frustrated instructor. You can only have 2 unsatisfactory clinicals. Which means I am borderline since I have 1 unsatisfactory. I have never had any issues before and that is why I’m so worked up about it. This is my first time getting in “trouble” that it actually felt unfair considering the instructor didn’t give me a chance to explain my side of the story and only went with the opinion from her coworker. I did, however, not go to my instructor and follow my chain of command and report to her that the nurse did not want to be bothered. I could’ve saved myself from this. I’m not a troublemaker. This is why it affects me a lot.

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On 2/15/2020 at 3:20 AM, Ashestoashes said:

I received a clinical unsatisfactory based on hearsay. A nurse I was shadowing spoke lies about me and told my instructor a bunch of mean things that I honestly would have never said to anyone. (I’m thinking she had a super bad day because she was sweet to my face) I’m just wondering if this is unfair since it’s hearsay and my instructor never actually saw me say it or saw my performance. I can only have so many bad points and this is borderline me being removed from the program...

If your preceptor gave you a glowing report and your instructor gave you a fantastic score based on that, would you say that your marks were not accurate because your instructor didn't actually see your performance?

If preceptor input is part of everyone's grade, then I don't think you have much of an argument there.

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Well, I'm just going to say it.

There is one too many people in this equation. Period.

This is such bunk. There was a post here I just read the other day about a student who was reported for the way s/he performed a first-time-ever female catheterization* with a staff nurse present who said nothing in real time and offered no feedback and seemed pleasant and then turned around and reported that the student either asked too many questions or needed too much reassurance or something like that.

Here's the problem:

1. The staff nurse is the one present, but doesn't know anything about any student's skill or what they are studying that week or what they have practiced in lab and has zero relationship with or duty to the particular student.

and

2. The instructor should, in theory, know those things and does (in theory) have a relationship and a duty....but isn't there.

How did it come to be that, although nursing instructors used to be able to keep up with 10 students on different floors/different units, helping everyone get good experiences and making sure they are doing things as they have been taught and encouraging them, giving them feedback, etc., they now no longer can do so? How is that?

I definitely would not make it through nursing school in 2020 if this is what is going on. How does anyone defend themselves against any of this?? That's another problem!! When the instructors were the ones directly observing and assisting and evaluating, they had some responsibility to the student, and their employer has some interest (real skin in the game) as far as not pissing off every student in this way. When you give that responsibility to a random staff nurse, all of that is GONE and everyone can just freely shrug.

No nurse should support this.

*I just re-read the other post I referred to. There was an additional context but the basic problem still stands.

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If someone lied about me right now at work (actually I've had it happen a time or two from a couple of separate individuals who didn't know what they were getting themselves into) - - things would immediately become serious. In both instances I knew exactly why the person lied and I demanded proctored meetings and confronted them successfully.

The student has none of these options. They have zero options here except to become initiated into the groveling, blame-taking, responsibility-accepting, I'm-sure-I-must-have-done-something-wrong craptastic martyrdom known as "nursing."

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