Dismissed from Nursing Scho

I was dismissed from my nursing program in December, just one semester before graduation. I failed Promoting Health of Families (Peds/OB) along with the associated clinical. I had successfully passed Med-Surg I and II, so it’s been especially painful that this one course prevented me from finishing.

The clinical failure was based on concerns about my psychomotor skills. My instructor felt I struggled with certain tasks, like preparing Ancef, which made the nurse concerned and she wasn’t comfortable with me seeing a C section because she did not think I would have enough awareness to maintain a sterile field during a C-section. She also said I required significant instruction when practicing IV insertion. What has been difficult for me to process is that some of these skills were not fully taught or reinforced in our health assessment lab. I believed clinicals were meant to be learning environments where students develop and refine these skills under supervision.

I feel heartbroken, discouraged, and honestly hopeless at times. Being so close to graduating and then being dismissed has been devastating.

I am considering applying to an LPN program with the plan to bridge to RN later. However, my dad and brother believe I should apply directly to another RN program. My brother argues that LPNs don’t make as much money and that choosing that route shows I’m not motivated enough to pursue my RN. He works in accounting, so he doesn’t fully understand the nursing pathway. I don’t see LPN as giving up; I see it as a step forward.

Even a friend from my cohort told me she wouldn’t have felt fully confident if I had graduated next semester because she thinks I sometimes miss cues and need prompting. She wasn’t trying to hurt me, but it still did. Hearing that reinforced my self-doubt.

I feel hurt and unsure about what direction to take next.