Nursing is undoubtedly a noble profession, but many nursing students quickly realize that it can be a thankless one. Long hours, rigorous intellectual demands, and frequent exposure to high-intensity situations make nursing a job unfit for the faint of heart.
Whether you are striving to be a nursing assistant (CNA), licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), you must conquer a gauntlet of challenges on your way to graduation and certification.
Should you run into academic issues, misconduct issues, or other problems during your nursing education, Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento and his team have fought for students for many years. While you are working to be a caregiver, we can provide critical support in achieving your nursing goals.
Your First Challenge: Getting Through the Academic Rigors of Nursing School
Much of your time in nursing school will involve academic coursework. Before you are cleared to pursue the clinical portion of your education, you'll need to prove that you have learned and retained the academic tenets of nursing.
The type of nursing degree you pursue will dictate how intensive and extensive your academic coursework is. However, even if you are seeking a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) education program (generally the minimum standard to call yourself a nurse), academic challenges could stand in the way.
Challenges a Nursing Student May Face in the Academic Stage of Their Education
The University of Washington School of Nursing (UW) highlights several challenges that may compromise a nursing student's academic performance, including:
- A hyper-competitive environment, as UW notes that 50,000 nursing school applicants receive rejection letters each year
- Resources in nursing schools being stretched thin, meaning that many nursing students will have to succeed without the assistance and personal attention that other students may receive
- A limited number of clinical placement opportunities for nurses, which further increases the pressure on nursing students to excel academically
Nursing is a complex profession. You will be asked to learn medical terminology and concepts within a relatively short time frame and to do so at a high level.
What Can Go Wrong Academically During Nursing School?
Allegations of academic misconduct and poor academic performance are the two greatest threats to your goals in nursing.
If you fall behind in your studies, it may have a compounding effect, as nursing students are expected to progress at a rapid pace. Before your academic performance spirals in the wrong direction, consider whether a grade-change petition, lobbying for special accommodations or another solution could help your academic performance.
If you are accused of any type of academic misconduct, it is critical to defending yourself from formal sanctions. A formal reprimand could be catastrophic to your ambitions in an already competitive nursing field.
Whether you are facing academic struggles or accusations of misconduct, our firm can help you seek a resolution.
Potential Consequences of Academic Difficulties or Alleged Misconduct for Nursing Students
At Rutgers School of Nursing, for example, a nursing student will receive a midterm warning if they have an average grade in their nursing courses of C or lower. This indicates just how high the academic standard is for nursing students.
In this case, the nursing student will have to develop an action plan in conjunction with the faculty member who issued the warning. Students may face academic probation for a variety of reasons, and the next steps include:
- Academic suspension
- Dismissal
Other nursing schools generally take a similar approach to academic difficulties.
If accused of academic misconduct, you may have even less leeway. You may be immediately suspended or dismissed if your program determines you've shown a deficit of integrity, and you must take such allegations seriously.
How Can Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento Help You Resolve Academic Progression Issues During Nursing School?
Solutions to academic progression issues in nursing school may include:
- Petitioning for a grade change
- Defending you against allegations of misconduct
- Helping you get special accommodations to avoid further academic difficult
- Negotiating a creative solution with your nursing program
Even if you can retake coursework that you have struggled with, doing so may not be in your best interests. The Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team will review your unique circumstances and advise you of your options.
How Can Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento Help With Allegations of Academic Misconduct in Nursing School?
Our National Education Team will review the allegations against you, familiarize ourselves with your nursing program's disciplinary procedures, and develop a strategy for your defense. We may:
- Defend you against the allegations
- Encourage you to admit fault (if you have made an error) and negotiate the least harmful resolution with your program
- Negotiate directly with your program's Office of General Counsel (i.e., its lawyers) to resolve the issue
You have a bright nursing career ahead of you, and we'll work to ensure that any academic difficulties are merely speed bumps on your path forward.
What Is the Clinical Stage of Nursing School?
For those pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), clinical rotations generally occur towards the end of your nursing school tenure. So, the clinical stage of your nursing program may not begin until your final year or even final semester and will typically entail:
- Applying your academic nursing coursework to a real-world (i.e., clinical) setting
- Direct interactions with patients
- Personal interactions with licensed medical professionals, including doctors
- 8-to-12-hour shifts (though this can vary by the program)
Clinicals are a vital test for nursing students. However, this stage may expose you to stress that you have yet to experience in your budding nursing career.
Challenges a Nursing Student May Face in the Clinical Stage
The clinical stage of your nursing education can be overwhelming, as you may:
- Be asked to perform services and actions that you have only performed in a simulated situation (if at all)
- Become overwhelmed by long, strenuous shifts
- Face a continuous rotation of injured and sick patients, which may take a psychological and emotional toll
- Have difficulty balancing clinical responsibilities and any testing demands that lie ahead, such as the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN®)
You would not be the first to suffer adverse consequences, including poor clinical performance, because of the demands that exist at this stage of a nursing career.
Potential Consequences of Clinical Difficulties for Nursing Students
Nursing students will generally face a Pass/Fail-type grading scale during clinicals. Some programs may incorporate a scale involving Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail.
Should you fail to pass any of your clinical rotations, you may have the opportunity to retake the rotation. However, having to retake a clinical rotation may:
- Reflect poorly on your nursing school record
- Delay your graduation date
- Place you at risk of further sanctions (like suspension and dismissal) should you fail another clinical rotation
Depending on which of these consequences you face, you may risk losing future educational opportunities in nursing, jobs, or even your career in nursing.
How Can Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento Help Resolve an Issue During the Clinical Stage of Nursing School?
The journal Nursing Education Perspectives explains that it is difficult for any observer to determine when a nursing student should fail a clinical rotation. Therefore, if you do receive failing marks, The Lento Law Firm Education Law Team may challenge the grade, arguing that there are not sufficient grounds to issue you such a grade.
We may also help you achieve any other goals that you seek, including:
- A temporary reprieve from your clinical responsibilities (without facing punishment or retaliation from your nursing program)
- Special accommodations related to a disability or medical condition
- A change of shift, instructor, or other circumstance that may help you succeed in your clinicals
Each nursing student faces unique challenges. Attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento will review your circumstances and work to help you succeed in your clinical rotations.
What Is the Didactic Stage of Nursing Residency?
Didactic learning is common in medical schools, though it may not be part of your nursing education. As you proceed further up the nursing ladder toward an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) designation, you may be more likely to encounter this type of learning.
Didactics are typically weekly seminars in which students listen to experts in their field. In some cases, students (or residents) must give relevant presentations exemplifying their knowledge of nursing concepts. While didactics are not typically graded, they can be an important feature of any medical education.
Didactic programs are meant to:
- Bridge the gulf between the purely academic portion of your nursing education and the clinical portion
- Help soon-to-be nurses overcome specific challenges that they encounter during clinical rotations
- Hone the skills that a nurse needs to have a successful career and to progress up the nursing ladder should they choose to
Though medical and nursing students do not typically receive a grade for didactic work—not even a Pass/Fail grade—you deserve to get the most out of this period in your nursing education if it applies to you. In some cases, such as Rutgers School of Nursing, you do have to pass the didactic portion of nursing school.
In any case, obstacles that arise during the didactic stage of your nursing education can hinder your performance in clinicals, and your subsequent nursing career.
Challenges a Nursing Student May Face in the Didactic Stage of a Nursing Program
The didactic stage of your nursing school (if you face this stage) may be difficult because:
- You will need to balance the demands of your clinicals with the demands of didactics
- You may need to engage in public speaking and other difficult responsibilities
- You may have to pay attention for long periods of time
Whether or not you are graded on your performance during didactics, you will want to absorb the material, as it will pertain directly to your clinicals.
Potential Consequences of Difficulties in the Didactic State of Nursing School
If you struggle during didactics and you receive a grade for this portion of nursing school, you may face a failing mark and all the consequences that come with it. If you are not graded, you may risk falling behind in clinicals if you fail to absorb the information given during didactics.
How Can Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento Help Resolve an Issue During the Didactic Stage of Nursing School?
The nature of your difficulties will inform the solution we seek. We may:
- Petition to change a poor grade you received during didactics
- Petition for special accommodations that may help you better retain didactic lessons
- Pursue another solution to your didactic-related problem
The Lento Law Firm tailors our approach to the nursing student we represent. We will work with your nursing program—rather than take a combative approach—to pursue a resolution without exposing you to any possible retaliation or badwill.
Retain the Lento Law Firm Nationwide Education Team to Resolve Your Nursing School Issue(s)
Pursuing nursing school means that you've invested not only money but valuable brainpower and years of your life to become a nurse. Regardless of which stage of nursing school you are in, you must remove all stops to protect your:
- Financial investment
- Reputation
- Ambitions in the nursing profession
By hiring Attorney-Advisor Joseph Lento and his team to help resolve your nursing school issue, you insulate yourself from unjust action by your nursing program. Our team will:
- Work to ensure normal progression through your nursing program
- Combat any allegations of academic misconduct, unprofessionalism, or other prohibited behavior that have been levied against you
- Work to secure any special accommodations that you are entitled to, but have yet to receive
- Help you resolve any other issue that has cast a cloud over your nursing education
The complexity of nursing school means that issues can arise at any time. Don't wait before a situation spirals beyond repair. Call The Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online to learn how we can help you.
