When ill equipped students affect your grade...

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 7, 2010

I wanted to say thank you. This thread has given me soooo much perspective on the thought processes of nursing students and nurses alike. I'll start by clearing away all the "weak" points that I will likely be attacked on: I'm not a nursing student. I have not taken Microbiology, A&P or Chemistry. They weren't required for my degree.
That being said, I do know the difference between an inhaler and a nasal spray, BP & blood glucose, the medical terminology for some anatomical parts, & that administering a BP controlling medication to a lower than normal BP will bottom the patient out. i/e - bad, very very bad. I'm not putting this out there to prove what I know, but to evidence that I don't live under a rock & didn't just wake up in the morning with a "Ferb, I know what we're going to do today! Become a nurse! Weeee" type attitude.
That being said, I didn't comprehend any of this being the issue. I felt as if the OP was clear in stating that the frustration was with her ENTIRE GROUP (inferred except the NS in question) was docked 5% of their grade points due to the poor performance of the 1 group member in question.
Now amongst the smattering of actual constructive advice the OP was given, there is a fair amount of Koom-By-Ah but "you suck & are selfish, 1 loss equals everyone losing, carry your collegues on your back if they cannot handle the load" type messages. Why this confuses me so is because the very nature of these messages stands in direct opposition to the message itself.
If this is truly how it is, than why such an attacking feel towards the OP? Why not, "I understand that it sucks. But unfortunately that's just sometimes how the chips will fall from now on in this profession." Or why although there is this "preach-y" feeling about the patient's needs & care coming first; these posters (at least to me) seem either unwilling or unable to place themselves in the shoes of the OP and provide a care plan that will treat their concerns as a "whole" individual rather than a nuisance symptom utilizing the concepts of "educating the patient" as they themselves suggest.
If some of you came to me as a patient with that attitude, I'd ask for a new nurse. Nothing personal. It just sounds to me like the OP is a patient with an ache & some of you are asking follow up questions to get to the bottom of it & the rest are just administering tylenol with a good "suck it up", followed by a discharge.

Are you talking about your previous degree here or your nursing program you are going into doesn't require these?

AlynnSN · May 7, 2010

I feel that this NS is an enormous danger to any patient they come into contact with and I have expressed my concerns with my instructor.

I would love to express my concerns to the dean, etc. but I am afraid of repercussions (even if sent in anonymously, unless I do not explain specific situations in order to conceal my identity).

Um, not blown out of proportion my friend, I'm not lying about one single solitary part of my experience that I have shared. So, let me get this straight. A nurse should be tossed out into this world, ill-prepared, and other nurses should be on constant watch of their co-workers that are inept? Really? I'm not trying to be simply "right" here, I'm telling you that this student I refer to is not equipped to care for a patient on his own...do you get that? Do you honestly expect that he be passed through nursing school and become a nurse that needs constant baby-sitting by co-workers? That's wrong in so many ways and is impossible in the working world. Honestly, think about your mother being taken care of someone who is incompetent...would that be unsettling to you? If you stick with the motto, "the patient is number one" then why would you encourage the hypocricy of carrying an incompetent student into the real world of nursing? There is a clear disconnect here.

Sounds to me like you are the one that is not doing what needs to be done to stop the favoritism, if you will, that is occurring with the CI and this student. In the meantime, until someone (who doesn't seem likely to be you) does something about it (i.e. report it until something is done), the patient still needs to be put first. I am not by any means encouraging a student to be carried into the real world of nursing being incompetent, but I'm telling you, if that student was in my rotation and he went into a patient's room to do something that could potentially harm the patient if done incorrectly, I would be right on his heels watching and coach him through it right to be sure that the patient would be okay in the end. That is in no way hypocrisy.

beingthankful · May 7, 2010

As to what you asked for wahwahgerman - my :twocents: is whether or not the class is pass/fail or letter grade, you were being given a reduction of points based on being unable to demonstrate something. There's a right answer on tests, educators don't go willy-nilly marking whatever as incorrect as the spirit moves.

So, I think ESPECIALLY in this situation, that it's reasonable to ask your CI to cite SPECIFIC instances of this whatever he/she is referring to when referencing "not helping enough". I mean really this is trying to speak to your bedside manner no? So, then the CI should be able to provide you & your group with further information on how to assist this NS (i/e your patient) beyond what they as a CI has shown you all to do & what you as a group provided.

If they can't, and it's purely subjective, the discussion has already been opened with "I need more information about this "wrong" answer so I can improve myself" and you can go from there.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 7, 2010

Sounds to me like you are the one that is not doing what needs to be done to stop the favoritism, if you will, that is occurring with the CI and this student. In the meantime, until someone (who doesn't seem likely to be you) does something about it (i.e. report it until something is done), the patient still needs to be put first. I am not by any means encouraging a student to be carried into the real world of nursing being incompetent, but I'm telling you, if that student was in my rotation and he went into a patient's room to do something that could potentially harm the patient if done incorrectly, I would be right on his heels watching and coach him through it right to be sure that the patient would be okay in the end. That is in no way hypocrisy.

Ok this part had me laughing. I am really shocked you are IN nursing school and said the part in bold.

wahwahgerman · May 7, 2010

WahWah, I think people are just disagreeing with you to disagree, or they half read your original post and then decided to post. I've been following this post since it started, and it's ridiculous people keep making you out to be some horrible selfish person. You were posting about YOUR grade. It's totally not fair, and these people splashing the "there's no I in team" bullcrap are blowing my mind.
First of all, you pointed out it wasn't just you that feels this way.
Second of all.......you know what? There shouldn't even be a second of all, because this is too ridiculous to debate about, because you ARE TOTALLY justified in your feelings.
People are beating this post with a dead horse!!!!

Thank you! Why people are so he!!-bent on making me sound like some greedy, selfish curmudgeon is beyond me. I am not that type of gal! It is my grade....and let's be real here, grades in college are every bit as valuable as money in the working world. If you exchanged the grade factor for actual cash value in the nursing world, people would be highly upset if they were docked pay for these same reasons :rolleyes: I have just got to come to the reality that nursing school is not a fair and just experience. It was a delusion of mine when I started. I thank all of you who can commiserate with me, I'm venting frustrations here because it helps me get it off my chest!

beingthankful · May 7, 2010

Are you talking about your previous degree here or your nursing program you are going into doesn't require these?

My previous degree. I would be SUPREMELY suspect of a program that didn't require these as a pre-req or weren't built into the program. I would have to be like :confused: ummmm, no. :no:

dudette10, MSN, RN · May 7, 2010

Ok, I have to ask.

Who the heck emailed nanacarol? It's been a burning question in my mind since she mentioned it. :jester:

I want to beat whoever did it over the head with a stick. Public fights are much more entertaining than private ones cuz everybody can watch them...and stuff. :devil:

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 7, 2010

My previous degree. I would be SUPREMELY suspect of a program that didn't require these as a pre-req or weren't built into the program. I would have to be like ummmm, no.

That is why I had to ask. I was hoping I read that wrong LOL

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 7, 2010

Ok, I have to ask.
Who the heck emailed nanacarol? It's been a burning question in my mind since she mentioned it.
I want to beat whoever did it over the head with a stick. Public fights are much more entertaining than private ones cuz everybody can watch them...and stuff.

I agree.

I have had people act all "mature" on the forum and then send me a vulgar email, I just think, hmmmm couldn't you post this on the board so everyone can really see how you are. LOL

wahwahgerman · May 7, 2010

Ok this part had me laughing. I am really shocked you are IN nursing school and said the part in bold.

Yes, let me single-handedly end favoritism. Behold all my amazing powers to stop all wrong-doings in the world and specifically in nursing school.

beingthankful · May 7, 2010

Yes, let me single-handedly end favoritism. Behold all my amazing powers to stop all wrong-doings in the world and specifically in nursing school.

SuperStudentNurse

beingthankful · May 7, 2010

That is why I had to ask. I was hoping I read that wrong LOL

Haha - I bet, you caught a :eek: what did you say? Lol! No, I start those courses on Monday.