Whose fault is it?

[perfectpractice]

The clinical instructor does not mention one word to the student regarding her responsibility to give medications during clinical class that takes place once per week. The student has never given medications on the unit. In addition, only 3 students out of 6 give meds during the clinical instruction for the day. However, it is noted in the course outline students will be responsible for administering medications. The student did not realize she was responsible for the medication other than what was written in the course syllabus. The clinical instructor is extremely hostile to the student and does not make it easy to ask questions. The clinical instructor gives the student a poor performance because she failed to give medications. Opinion, please.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

Did the student question the fact that he or she hasn't had the chance to pass meds? Why didn't student have a chance to give the meds? Passing medication is a super important part of nursing.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

Was the student scheduled to give meds on a certain day but forgot?

Did the student know that others in her clinical group were giving meds?

Did the student not question why she was not given an opportunity to give meds?

Did the instructor not speak to the student about giving meds?

Sounds to me like there is blame on both sides.

[annabeap, MSN, APRN, NP]

Miscommunication for sure!

I don't know who fully is to blame- I'd hope the primary nurse would be keeping an eye out for the pt's MAR to prevent this sort of thing. I'm usually anal retentive and will tell my student, you're giving x med at y time, right? right? right? don't forget... :)

[TheMrsRN]

Who were you supposed to pass meds with? Your preceptor on the unit or your instructor? In all of my clinicals I would pass meds with the preceptor, but I would have one specific day that the instructor would observe me pass meds to check me off. If you were supposed to be passing meds with your preceptor, why weren't you?? And if the clinical instructor was supposed to watch you, where was she and why didn't she watch you pass any meds?

[SilentfadesRPA]

Seems like a dual error in the student not taking responsibility for her learning process and the instructor for creating an atmosphere of hostility to hinder the learning process.

Marc

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

First, for me anyway, little alarm bells go off in my head when I see a title like this....

Anyway, I doubt that anyone on here is going to place all the blame on the instructor and none on the student. And, even if someone does would the student go the the instructor/program director and say, "I'm right, the instructor is wrong because someone on the internet told me so!"

Regardless if the instructor seems unapproachable and difficult with which to communicate, the ball is in the students court, so to speak. The student assumes final resposibility for what happens with his/her education. The student must take the initiative to say to the intructor "the syllabus said we are responsible for passing meds. What must I do? Do you have to be in the med room and watch me pull the meds? Do you have to be in the room to watch me give the meds? Please clarify the correct procedure." Be polite about it, don't be confrontational. The student must be assertive about it.

[justin daniel wilema]

You are operating under your instructors license while in clinicals.

So, scholastically, you may have been responsible for failing to complete your assignment and it will be your instructors call as to blame.

But professionally, your instructor failed to insure that this was completed.

Justin Daniel Wileman

[iNurseUK, RN]

Sounds like six of one and half a dozen of the other to me

[morte, LPN, LVN]

How have the other students been made aware that it is their turn to do meds?

[llg, PhD, RN]

If the syllabus says that the student would be responsible for giving meds, the student should have been prepared to give meds -- then clarified whether she/he would actually give them on the day of clinical. And the student was responsible to see to it that someone gave the meds.

The fact that the instructor is intimidating and contributed to a misunderstanding with the student does place a bit of the responsibility for whatever happened (or didn't happen) on the instructor -- but it is only a bit of the responsibility. Not following-up on the patient's medications was an example of "poor performance" even if following-up would have been uncomfortable for the student.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

Read your syllabus and ask lots of stupid questions. There are some instructors out there that need to be in therapy (lol) ahhhhhhhh......the memories. If it was written anywhere you should have asked. Yes the instructors a moron but remember those hoops! Now jump..............it gets better once you know the personality of the teachers and are able to survive accordingly.

You would think that the instructor would be hyper-vigilant since you're working under her nursing license.