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Disputing clinical failure

I was BSN student and failed clinical rotation one week before the graduation. I am not able to readmitted the program because I failed the clinical before. My clinical instructor was following me for four hours and asked me question after question. I felt that she was looking for any reasons to fail me. Of course I could not answered a couple of questions and she failed me becuase I don't have enough medication knowedge. I talked to the director of nursing school and dean but they did not help me. I have been to the school for four years and I would like to dispute the grade. How can I dispute clinical grade at a nursing school? How can I win the grade which is very subjective by an instructor?


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4 Responses to “Disputing clinical failure”

  1. C.V. Compton Shaw Says:

    In your particular case, it appears to me that the continued harassment of the nursing instructor indicates malice and improper motive for your clinical failure. There are many illegal and unethical reasons why nursing clinical instructors fail students. It is quite prevalent.If a nursing student is passing her non-clinical instruction, then, it is my opinion that the a student should not be failed through the adverse subjective clinical evaluation of a nursing instructor absent “clear and convincing” evidence to the contrary that is subject to internal and then external (state) judicial review. To do otherwise, in my opinion, denies a nursing student(and other students) to their US Constitutional right to property and a right to earn a living.
    Why? Not even Constitutional “due process” guidelines are followed in this regard. Nursing schools and the nursing educational establishment insist on the propriety of this arbitrary and authoritarian power of nursing clinical instructors. I just as adamantly object to the same based upon long standing norms of justice, equity, and fairness. In your particular case, I suggest that you obtain legal advice and support from an attorney. There are pre paid legal services which will provide unlimited legal advice for an very economical fee.

  2. mina Says:

    This is the common thread about Nursing Instructors. I have run across Nursing Instructors who definitely have an ax to grind and take it out on who suits them or the woman who they know can’t do anything about it. They are bullies and better yet, get used to it. because nursing is filled with a bunch of minorities that can’t get any better. They are cheaters, back stabbing woman who have no class and play one man upmanship. Do I think all nursing Ist. are like that? No, but for the ones that are they are usually the losers in school that were bullied and turn into petty dictators… There is a community college in broward, florida. that is famous for it, if you do your homework it is noted on the net. (south) campus is famous for this disgusting, maladaptive behavior. Lawsuit waiting to happen…

  3. kamaree Says:

    At the university I went to you can apply to do a unit a third time, which is up to the examinations committee. it helps if you have good marks and reports in other units and pracs. you can also dispute a mark on various grounds, including lack of feedback or bullying basically not being treated the same as other students or being intimidated. look up your schools rules. see a student councillor they should know the rules and help you,

  4. Dave Says:

    This type of problem is seen in just about any field that does not hold strictly to an objective assessment of learning, i.e. quizzes, tests, etc. Even components of objectively graded courses, such as papers, projects, and presentations, can be weighed by a subjective bias if a decent rubric isn’t being used and followed.

    At my nursing school, clinicals were evaluated based on a rubric covering several nursing “skills” – communication, professionalism, ethics, and other qualities a nurse is to have. If your school uses a rubric I would try to use that in your favor. If you did not have any flagrant variances from what is required in the rubric then you should not have failed and it seems you should be able to dispute the clinical grade.

    Here’s where I get blunt. Even with rubrics in place, I have seen classmates of mine fail clinicals because they just shot themselves in the foot with the instructor. Am I saying you need to brown nose your way through nursing school… YES! It’s sad to say, but these people (the instructors) have a lot of power over what happens to a student. And that power still continues for a time after graduation. Case in point, I had a classmate who really butted heads with the instructor. Brilliant student, great nurse, lots of passion to help people, but now she is finding it hard to get a job because her former instructors are either refusing to be a professional reference for her or are not being very nice in their reference.

    I wish you the best and good luck.

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