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-   -   Student Nurse - issues with first placement. My fault? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=599407)

  • Sep 28, 2011, 12:15 PM
    NuttyNurse888
    Student Nurse - issues with first placement. My fault?
    This is quite a long story so please bear with me.

    I am a student nurse studying in the UK just started my second year of training. I moved for from Ireland to complete this training by myself and am now worried that I may be kicked of the course.

    My problems all started in my 1st year, 1st placement in a renal ward. I was given a mentor who was to supervise my 12 weeks of placement and fill out a book on how they feel I have done and if I have achieved my competancies. My allocated mentor was on holiday leave for my first week of placement and when she returned she was not like I expected her to be. She was extremely harsh, had no time for me whatsoever and our introduction to each other was very brief as she was 'busy'. This was a common reply on the majority of things I asked her to help me with.

    It was on our third shift together were I received some racial abuse from her about me being 'irish' and how she did not want to work with me because I would waste her time telling pointless life stories like the rest of irish people do(her words which were stated as I was walking into the staff room for break). I was not impressed.
    I found myself very upset and was crying on the phone to my mom back home as I didn't think a nurse could be so harsh and bullying. My mom advised me to tell my University tutor about the situation.

    I emailed my tutor and told him everything. He arranged a meeting with the charge nurse, educational facilatator, himself and me.By the time the meeting was to take place (week 3) my mentor had went of on sick leave. It was in this meeting that I told them what was happening (racial abuse, not being mentored properly, and my book was not being filled in for the things I had be doing)I asked at this point to be moved placement however my appeal was rejected as no attempts to resolve this issue had been taken.I was advised to fill in a formal complaint form for the racial abuse (I did), weekly action plan, new mentor was to be allocated and my book would then begin to be filled in correctly. I was happy with the outcomes of the meeting however none of the above happened as planned.

    After the meeting, I continued working alone for the rest of the week when the educational facilatator pulled me in for my weekly review. She asked me if the charge nurse had allocated me a new mentor yet. He had not so I told her this, her reply was that she would look into it.
    I continued working alone awaiting for either the EF or Charge Nurse to contact me about a new mentor.. Nothing.

    On a study day back at the university I spoke to my tutor again and told him in a class meeting that I still did not have a mentor (week 4 of placement). He told me he would look into it.. Nothing

    So basically this continued to happen, I contacted people and got no replies until week 10 out of 12 weeks of placement when I was finally given a new mentor after losing the rag with the charge nurse.

    I worked with my new mentor for 5 shifts in the two weeks as these were the only shifts she was on that I was 'allowed' to work with her. She filled out my competencies and signed me off however she told me that she would feel uncomfortable writing a mid term report and final report as she had only worked 5 shifts with me. Fair enough.

    I spoke to the charge nurse about this and he told me to leave my book with him so I left it there for a week, came back to pick it up and it was not signed.

    I spoke with my tutor about this and he told me I would need to go back up to my placement to get it signed, bearing in mind my placement is 22miles away and I do not drive.
    I went back to my placement 3x over the next 12 weeks and no one would sign my book. I had completed everything and the majority was signed off, I just needed around 6 lines and a signature saying how they felt I had improved.

    So, back to the tutor I went and he told me to get my second placement to sign at the current level. Everything went fine and it wasn't until my last week on my second placement that the charge nurse rang my tutor expressing concerns about how my first placement had signed of my book. My tutor arranged a meeting with myself were he looked at my book and then continued to tell me that I would not get into second year until this was signed. I told him that I have already been to the ward 3x and have expressed my concern to the charge nurse before leaving so he told me he would try and sort it.

    My personal tutor emailed the head personal educational faciliatator who arranged a meeting with me today to go to the ward and hand my book in and get it signed, bearing in mind that this book needs to be handed in on Friday for it to be sent of to the nursing council. It was arranged that the educational facilatator and charge nurse would be there to meet me and take my book to sign.
    Soo I travel 22miles to this hospital and meet the personal educational facilatator and she tells me to go to the ward, that they are expecting me so I go to the ward and bot the EF and C.nurse have left to go home early by 2.5 hours.
    I AM ANGRY.
    I go back to the education centre within the hospital to the PEF and she cannot believe that they have left. This is the stage where I am now. I have all my emails printed of and a day by day diary of every meeting that has taking place however I'm stressing out to the point where I cannot sleep because I am scared I won't be able to continue to second year. Is this my fault? Should I take this issue further ? Please help...

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