Nursing School Politics

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I didn't make it to clinicals this week due to my wonderful migraine. I lucked out because I didn't officially "miss" any clinical because our instructor D was also sick. Which came as a huge relief (not that she was sick) because I don't want to miss any clinical days. I also missed yesterday because the migraine had not let up at all and I just couldn't bring myself to drive the 30 miles to school when I wanted to hack off my head and I'd only had maybe 2 hrs of sleep. (my average most of the week)

Now most of us students are friends via facebook. It's a huge help with homework and studying because we can pop on there and chat. And we like each other as friends too.

So I find out from a student that our instructor M (main instructor for our program) found out that instructor D had called off sick the 2 clinical days this week. She found out because a student from her clinical group tipped her off.

Now since the whole thing where instructor D got into trouble for putting a stop to us having to do bed baths and make beds while letting us pass medications and do all the other things we'll be allowed to due upon graduation, we've kept our mouths shut to the other clinical group about what goes on in our group.

Seems a student (and I know who it is) was spying on facebook both clinical days watching for posts from our group. When she saw some......she went and told instructor M. Who got furious.:mad: (M and D obviously don't get along well)

So now we may lose D as an instructor all together and be forced to do the 12 hr days in cincy. Plus make up days for the total of 3 days D called off sick. This makes me so mad I want to explode. Last quarter instructor M called off twice herself and those days weren't made up. But seems she's major POed cuz instructor D is going to Vegas with the director of the program next week and we don't have clinicals then either. BUT she knew that when she asked D to do the darn clinicals! And we don't have school on fridays......we could make up the missed clinicals on those days if we had to. sheesh!!

If we lose D and have to do those 12 hr days (back to back) in cincy I don't know if I'm going to make it thru the quarter. That totally takes tues and wed out of the week. I have to get up at 4 am. We wouldn't get home until about 8pm. Yeah, like I'm going to get any study done after a day like that!:mad::mad:

Obviously Cincy group is jealous. We only go 6 hrs because that's the way D does it. (and everyone knew that going in, she has other obligations) And now it's pitting the students against each other. Those of us who chose to go to the hospital here did so because the hrs were shorter and there was really no drive time for us. Everyone who went to cincy wanted to go to cincy. grrr But they're still ticked because we get more time in other units to practice IV's and D isn't anal about making us bug our patients to death to pretend to look busy. I mean c'mon, once you've done your initial assessment, done the bath (most don't want one), and changed the linens......there is just not a whole lot left to do when you can't pass the medications. Even when you have more than 1 patient. I was helping the aide most of the day so the time would go faster.:ashamed:

And instructor M's whole 12 hrs back to back experiment isn't working out well anyway. She had an exam thursday and the highest grade was a 60. (I've got to make that one up) Obviously students weren't getting enough time to study before it because they'd just spend 24 hrs on clinical not counting the drive time they have to get there. ugh

Just burns me up. Stupid stuff. M knew how D ran her clinicals when she asked her to take our group. She also knew that D is an unstable diabetic who has issues now and again. No sense in any of it. And once again we students are getting the shaft.:mad:
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
I'm sorry Hound dog but I never heard of such craziness. I appreciate I'm old but an instructor changing the clinicals to suit her obligations is grounds for dismiissal in my humble opinion. There are reasons why hours of clinical must be met. I don't believe the instructor D did any of you any favors. M's butt would be on the line with those that accredit the nursing program.

Giving baths is an important time for observation and assessment. Like I said I'm old. If the clinicals are not working for your group how are they going to handle working full time? The idea of school clinicals is to expose a student to every situation possible so that when they do graduate they don't kill someone due to lack of experience of the policy and procedure of the institution.
School should be preparing students for the realities of the work world and not to accomodate the instructor or students. Sorry. I'm siding with M regardless of public opinion.
What would happen if there was an investigation and the state board of regulation nulled this whole clinical semester for lack of hours? Would everyone be incensed and attack the school for not insuring the students get what they pay tuition for? I would have.

I really don't think of this situation as you describe as politics but as a travesty corrected. Sorry it's only MHO.

PS: if you missed clinical it should be held as a missed clinical regardless of instructor. Doesn't anyone keep count? Who supervised the other students while the instructor was out?
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
When the instructor doesn't show, no one goes because there is no one to supervise. Which is why those sick days would need to be made up.

As for the 12 hr back to back clinical schedule, it's not a state requirement. The 2 day a week for 6 hrs a day does meet the state requirement. So there isn't any problem that way. The 12 hour day is an experiment of instructor M. This is the first time she's tried it. Usually she does 1 12 hr day a week. (a friday so you had the weekend to study) Because I'd told her one day a week is not enough to feel comfortable in the hospital setting last quarter. (and really it isn't)

And yeah, I know we'll be working 12 hr days when we're done and graduated. But during those 12 hr days I won't be expected to come home and put in another 5-6 hrs of studying.

We get in more time to do the IV therapy simply because the hospital here lets students practice it in other depts. This gives us more opportunity to practice. The hospital in cincy stopped it because their patient satisfaction stats were going down. (they take students from several schools) But we're always supervised.

As for what we're allowed to do in clinicals per passing medications and treatments and such? Instructor D really did nothing wrong. RN students pass medications during their 2nd quarter, more than 2 quarters before they ever have their 1st pharm class!!! (I still can't believe that but I know it's true as easy child did) We're 3/4 the way finished with ours! And the instructor was always right there watching over us. But yeah, ok, if M doesn't want it that way......I can live with it. But it doesn't mean I have to like it. All we get to pass this quarter is as needed medications (basically insulin) and that's it. Next quarter we'll each get maybe 2 days where we get to pass all other medications because there is so many of us and only 1 instructor M. Sorry, but I'd like more than 2 days experience of passing medications before I given them to patients as a job. Instructor D was attempting to give us more experience so we'd learn more. And in just 2 wks with her we learned more than we did in 2 quarters with M.

And I've got no issues giving baths and making beds. I'm no snob who's going to expect my aides to do all the dirty work. But I've done that for 2 quarters and would like to learn something new that I need to know. Next quarter we go back to the darn nursing home. I'm dreading it because there won't be hardly any treatment procedures to do there so we'll not get any more practice. It takes maybe a half hour to get your patients bathed and their bed changed, if you're slow. (I'm not) Then we stand around or help our aides all day for something to do cuz we aren't allowed to do squat. Even in a hospital setting, on 1 floor there is only going to be so many catheters and such you can do and when you divide that by 6 students.........yeah.

I like instructor M alot, she's a good instructor. But she got her nose out of joint when D let us pass medications because she doesn't do it that way. And she didn't like it that D told her she'd be discussing the medication issue with the Director next week. So yeah, basically politics. Who's gonna boss what.
 
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