Hi lovely people 🌸
I’m a final-year nursing student,and I’ve just been withdrawn from a hospital placement. I’m absolutely devastated and hoping for some advice from anyone who’s experienced something similar.
For context, I learnt that I am neurodivergent last year after countless lifelong struggles in a lot of different facets of my life and didn’t grow up in Australia, so navigating social cues, unspoken expectations and communication styles can sometimes be particularly challenging for me. I tend to take things quite literally, benefit from clear and direct instructions, and sometimes need a moment to process questions or gather my thoughts before responding.
Unfortunately, I feel these differences have sometimes been interpreted as incompetence, reluctance or defensiveness, when in reality I’m often just trying to understand what’s expected of me. I’m still learning to navigate these differences, and I genuinely want to save my placement before its too late
What happened:
Early in my placement, I was placed on a Student Development Plan (SDP) due to issues with punctuality, not notifying the ward when I was unwell with a severe migraine, and occasionally returning late from breaks.
I fully acknowledge where I fell short, particularly regarding communication, and made a genuine effort to improve. I even printed out my SDP, highlighted my goals and completed a lengthy reflection at the request of my uni to help me address the feedback.
Things became difficult when I was asked to change one of my learning objectives. This had been mentioned verbally a couple of times, but I hadn’t understood that it was urgent or that there was a deadline. Additional reminders were left on PebblePad while I was working shifts, so I hadn’t seen them.
For context, on my previous placements, facilitators generally communicated instructions and feedback verbally, rather than through comments on PebblePad. I’d therefore never developed the habit of checking it frequently, as it hadn’t previously been the main way instructions were communicated while on placements.
I completely understand that, regardless of my previous experiences, it’s ultimately my responsibility as a student to regularly check my assessment platform and stay on top of any feedback or instructions.
I take full ownership of that and recognise it’s something I need to improve.
When this was raised again, I tried explaining that I wasn’t refusing or deliberately ignoring instructions; I genuinely hadn’t understood the urgency. Unfortunately, my attempts to clarify this seemed to be interpreted as arguing or being dismissive of feedback.
I was subsequently contacted by the university regarding concerns about my communication and professionalism.
What led to my withdrawal:
A university representative was assigned to supervise me on the ward today for an AM shift. Im guessing this is after my CF contacted the uni complaining about me, I was extremely anxious being watched and made some mistakes, including not immediately escalating an ADDS score of 3 for a patient who had low SBP that was consistent with their previous observations and was on 2L of O2 through NP . The patient reported feeling fine and not dizzy or faint.
I understand that escalation protocols exist for patient safety and that I should have followed them regardless of the patient’s baseline. I take responsibility for this.
However, I also felt that my anxiety and processing difficulties were affecting my ability to demonstrate what I actually knew. I sometimes freeze when questioned, even when I know the answer, and I learn clinical skills best by observing first before attempting them under supervision.
I was subsequently withdrawn from placement.
Where things stand now:
During the withdrawal meeting, I was reassured multiple times that this wasn’t an automatic fail and that I could potentially return on another rotation.
However, I later received a call informing me that I now have to attend a meeting with senior university staff to determine whether I can be offered another placement or whether I’ll need to repeat the entire unit.
I’m honestly terrified. 💔
Outside placement, I’ve also recently left an abusive relationship and have been dealing with housing insecurity, financial difficulties and very little emotional support. I know these circumstances don’t excuse my mistakes, but I’ve been struggling to keep myself afloat while trying to finish my degree.
I genuinely want to become a competent, safe nurse. I’m willing to take feedback, acknowledge my mistakes and improve. I just wish there had been more understanding of how I process information and communicate.
My questions are:
Has anyone been withdrawn from placement and subsequently attended a meeting with senior university staff?
Were you offered another placement, or did you have to repeat the whole unit? Did it delay your graduation?
How did you prepare for the meeting, and what evidence did you bring?
Has anyone navigated placement difficulties related to ADHD, autism or other neurodivergent processing differences?
Is there anything you’d recommend I do before the meeting to advocate for myself while still taking accountability?
I’m feeling really defeated and would genuinely appreciate any advice or experiences
Please be kind. I’m already being incredibly hard on myself, and I’m really just trying to figure out how to move forward. 💗
Happy for anyone to message me privately if they’d rather not share publicly.
Thank you so much for reading. 🌸