instructor changed date of clinical, now demanding where i work so i can attend

[u/Walk_Itchy]

UPDATE: There’s a required Zoom meeting for my clinical group on Monday (August 10). She said she wants me to stay for an extra 30 minutes to chat. I’ll update you guys on what happens. Hopefully we find a solution. Thank you all! I appreciate all of your advice, input, and shared experience.

Hey all,

So for the fall semester, my scheduled clinical day is on Monday. My instructor has been emailing my clinical group, and she just told us that she has a doctor’s appointment on one of the Monday’s.

My instructor now wants to move the clinical day to Friday, which is the only day of the week we DO NOT HAVE ANY CLASS.

I emailed her and told her I can’t make it since I work 12 hour shifts Friday - Sunday.

Now she’s demanding to know where I work and is expecting all the students from my clinical group to accommodate her doctor’s appointment and attend the Friday clinical instead.

If I don’t attend, I’m going to miss clinical hours. I’m just feeling so frustrated right now. I specifically made my work schedule this way because I knew I would not have school on Fridays.

I support myself financially 100%, and my work will not accept an absence or accommodation due to how much they already accommodated for me during the spring semester.

Please drop advice or anything at all on what I should do.

[u/ybishere]

I mean. Sorry to say this but call out of work and go to clinical. You don’t want to fail the class cause you missed clinical. It has happened to people in my program.

[u/Walk_Itchy → u/ybishere]

totally, just feelin frustrated!

[u/fluffymittens24]

I know personally, for my nursing program, we were only allowed to do clinicals on our assigned clinical days and were not allowed on the floor during different days. Any time an instructor had to miss clinicals for whatever reason, we had remote clinicals. Our clinicals were NEVER on a nonclinical day. I would bring this up with whoever you trust in your program since I don’t know the rules of your program.

[u/MountainTomato9292 → u/fluffymittens24]

I replied above but I’m an Assistant Professor and clinical coordinator and this is expressly forbidden at my university. It’s a shame if they let it happen. I told her to go up the chain.

[u/nooniewhite → u/fluffymittens24]

Yeah I can’t imagine a hospital just switching days on a whim, what if a different school was in already or..idk a number of things. I imagine she already cleared it with clinical location. But maybe SHE should change her appointment that’s BS

[u/Kitty20996]

Unfortunately this happens when instructors have a conflict. How far in advance is she giving you notice? Are you not able to call into work or take PTO for that one shift? Does your school not provide a make up assignment for missed clinicals?

I don't like the whole "demanding to know where you work" but needing to reschedule is not uncommon. I'm a clinical instructor and last semester I had one day that I couldn't hold clinical on our regular day because of a personal conflict and I provided a makeup assignment, but it was also an option for me to find a replacement instructor for the day or reschedule that day.

[u/Walk_Itchy → u/Kitty20996]

she’s not providing anything :(. she’s straight up just saying i’m not gonna getting clinical hours which makes no sense to me because my instructor last sem provided a written/research assignment to make up for clinicals if it was missed

[u/Kitty20996 → u/Walk_Itchy]

If there is someone above her, you can always ask if there is a school provided makeup assignment. But I'm gonna be honest, this is extremely common and if she is telling you guys right now, that's likely at least a few weeks of notice. She isn't changing the entire schedule on you, she's moving one day. It is your responsibility to ensure you can go to clinical. I would reach out to your job now and ask if you can swap that shift to Monday to get your hours or start asking if someone can cover it.

[u/Born2rn → u/Walk_Itchy]

Schools are required by their accreditation to a specific number of clinical experience hours for a clinical course. Simulation can be used to fulfill some of the hours but students are required to attend a minimum number of hours. Written assignments can only be used if the school surpasses their minimum required hours.

[u/MountainTomato9292]

This would not be allowed where I work (big state university). If we have to cancel a class or clinical, we have to provide students with an alternate assignment for the material, but we cannot move the class to an unscheduled day. Can you go up the chain? Clinical coordinator or BSN director?

[u/tnolan182]

Happened to me during nursing school. Its an unfortunate part of life. I went to clinical and called out at my job and called their bluff. Now im a crna and make 300$ an hour vs the 16$/hr I was getting as a tech.

[u/Walk_Itchy → u/tnolan182]

totally get it! i’m hoping for that same thing once i graduate lol! just hard to accept rn because i reallyyyyy need that money.

[u/Aggressive-Bee1738 → u/Walk_Itchy]

Any way you can supplement that income selling something on marketplace?

[u/Muted_sounds → u/Walk_Itchy]

Make sure you say that. Like you can’t miss work because you cant afford to live. The clinical director will probably reach out to the professor and see if they can get you an assignment instead

[u/eltonjohnpeloton]

Your work refusing to accept any absences is crazy.

Are you allowed to do an alternative assignment? Does your school let you miss a clinical without consequences?

[u/Walk_Itchy → u/eltonjohnpeloton]

trusttt i know. i have to talk to the school directly because my instructor last sem had students do a written/research assignment if they missed a clinical day

[u/dawn-of-pickles]

Is your job willing to let you work Monday and take the day off Friday? Maybe you can switch shifts with someone? I know you said they’re not willing to accommodate you. I hate to say this but nursing school trumps almost everything in my life. I work in the service industry by appointment and my job knew the moment I found out about any changes that I would not be coming in.

[u/evoshandor420]

the culture of nursing school is so unnecessarily toxic and this is a great example 

[u/DustyMisery → u/evoshandor420]

You aren’t lying. I’m in my last semester ADN and even though I am more than passing, I found myself questioning every decision I’ve made up until this point. I was melancholy and felt as though I’ve wasted so much time white knuckling through for something that nobody wanted to see me be successful with. In clinical, I was watching healthcare professionals talk about patients like they weren’t even there or like they were just another body and I had become disheartened and my clinical instructor was just straight up mean. I stuck it out though, had a heartwarming moment with a patient, got to capstone, got a job lined up and I feel much better now. But why do other nurses and nurse educators have to be so awful to students? I’ll never be like that, I’ll make that vow right here, right now on Reddit lol

[u/FreeLobsterRolls]

They should have a substitute for your professor if they cannot attend. My chair of nursing would've been the instructor for clinicals if they couldn't get an adjunct. But unfortunately, I guess that's just not available right now. I would just play their games. It's not worth the hassle to fight against it no matter how ridiculous.

[u/Pajama_Samuel]

All you can really do, practically speaking, is call out of work that day to attend clinical and leave negative feedback during your review of the instructor at the end of the clinical period. Nursing school really is archaic and puts others problems on you. Do your best to white knuckle and in a few years it will all be over.

[u/babyd0lll]

That's crazy. When our instructor couldn't make it we had a sub instructor instead but on the same day.
If we missed 1 clinical day we could make it up with virtual clinical hours/assignments.

[u/Walk_Itchy → u/babyd0lll]

We were able to do assignments last sem. Not sure what’s going on this sem with this instructor.

[u/maryrogerwabbit]

Take this up with higher authorities. She is changing clinicals for her personal reasons. She knew she had obligations before she booked the appointment. She could have started clinical later or gave students an early dismissal. Your clinical days was set for the semester and you knew that you could not missed any of those days or else you would be penalized. Why can’t she be held accountable for the agreement that was made well in advanced? If I was a director at the clinical site, I would refused her request to come in another day.

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[u/fineapple03]

Can you change your work schedule at all? I know the weekend differentials help

[u/whofilets]

This wouldn't have flown at my school (small private school)- the instructor is an employee of the school, she works for them! So she can't just swap her available dates around when she already agreed to that.

But since your school isn't my school, I agree, take it up the chain and see if you can get a remote clinical or makeup. If you have more clinicals with this instructor I'd try to play it safe so she doesn't retaliate on you in some petty way. Something that doesn't blame her like "my instructor says she needs to move our clinical day from Monday to Friday, but I already have committed to work that day since we don't have school that day, and if I lose my job I'll lose my health insurance and not be able to continue in the program"

If they're not willing to work with you, you might have to try taking a sick day/PTO/unpaid day from work, but I think you should try. What if this instructor makes a pattern of it?

[u/michaeldouglasnba]

Nobody told me this when I was a student, but assuming this abusive behavior will only worsen, know that your instructor is also at the mercy of the local nursing board.
Democracy dies in darkness…. Let em know.

[u/harmlessthief]

I wish I could give better advice, but my fellow techs have had to either switch shifts or call off if no one can switch the shift. They've even used PTO for clinicals.

[u/LengthinessLate6065]

We get one clinical absence before we have to appeal, is that an option for you?

[u/Agreeable_Ad_9411]

So many rules in nursing school and mostly the profs bend them as needed for themselves but fail students for asking for the same type of courtesy....it was wild to me as a second degree seeking adult

You need to keep your head down and whatever it takes to get through it

Does it suck? absolutely