Lost and need some direction.......

I am a nursing student repeating my last medical surgical class. Last semester I failed my class by 0.5 pts, and have started back this fall repeating my class and the 120 hours of clinical time required to graduate in December. This past Monday, I was suppose to turn in my practicum portfolio at 0800. My 3 year old child was sick and I have had colitis for the past 2 weeks. That Monday morning, everything was so crazy...I tried to get my child and myself ready to head out the door, but at 0700, ended up deciding that there was no way that was going to happen due to my child having diarrhea and a fever. Daycare would not have allowed him to stay. After getting him settled, I did email my instructor, but not till 0930; I informed her of my circumstances that morning, and told her I would get my portfolio to her. We have lecture on Monday from 0800-1100, so I asked a classmate to come get my portfolio and submit it for me. At 1530 she emailed me back stating that I would receive 0 pts for my portfolio and that I had to have a meeting my instructor and the dean of nursing. During the meeting I felt that the dean was trying to pick a fight with me. She kept saying, "What were you thinking?" and "How could you put us in this position?" I tried to explain to her that my decision was not malicious in any fashion, and that I was only trying to take care of my son at that moment, so she stated that it was obvious that I didn't have critical thinking skills in a crisis and I was unable to make good decisions and did not take the assignment seriously or care about my nursing career. Long story short, I was forced to withdrawl with only 2 mos to graduation. This 6 credit hour class is the only thing that stands between me and my degree. I have NEVER turned in an assignment late, missed clinical, missed during my 120 hours of practicum, been disciplined by an instructor, and I have only missed 3 days of lecture the whole time I have spent in nursing school. I was vice president of my nursing class and held study group in my home once a week and at Panera Bread once a week for the last 2 years. None of my hard work seems to matter now. Since I failed and didn't graduate this past spring, I have been extrememly depressed. They asked me to take a class this summer, so I did, even though I coudn't afford it. I work 2 jobs; one part-time in our community hospital, and a PRN position in a level one trauma center 3 hours from where I live. All summer I have been catching up on bills that accumulated in the spring semester when I was taking 2 nursing classes and doing my 120 hours of practicum. It has been so miserable, and I feel like they treated me like I had hurt a patient instead of turning an assignment in 4 hours late. I feel so lost right now, and I am so tired. This program has required so much sacrifice, and I feel like I always have to chose between school and my child. I am a single parent, and I had everything banking on graduating. I don't know what to do, I don't know how to feel......and my parents are insisting on not letting this go. I am willing to take responsibility for my decision and move on, but my parents are making me meet with the dean of students and the president of the college on Monday to talk about an appeal. In my program, the students that have appealed in the past are not treated very well. They are considered trouble makers, no matter how unfair the circumstance. I am afraid to "rock the boat" so to speak, and after that meeting, don't feel that the outcome or the pain of an appeal will benefit me. What should I do? What should say on Monday when I meet with the dean of students? I would like a positive outcome, not for me necessarily, but for students that come after me, because students are treated like livestock instead of people in my program.
First off congrats on juggling a job, a child, and school...that takes hard work and dedication and not everyone is willing do that. Your current situation isn't fun at all. However, if you want to make any changes happen at your school b/c your situation is totally unfair...you have to appeal. My sister filed appeals at her nursing program about courses she didn't pass and had to retake and eventually graduated and became a LPN. I made formal petitions and appeals at my program about them wanting to make me buy a new laptop which wasn't happening, graduated, and became a RN. So as someone who has rocked the boat..I encourage you to rock the boat. Look at it this way...you have to take care of your son...nursing is going to put food on the table...don't let these people stand in the way of your dream. So please by all means file an appeal/make a formal petition...go over the dean's head if necessary. Someone has to be the impetus for change to take place or else this will happen to some other poor student. Don't worry about those teachers that label you troublemaker...b/c at the end of the day they aren't going to take care of you or your son. So file an appeal and stand proud with your head held high, finish the program, and graduate.

You better strap on some thicker skin and rock the boat if you're going to be a nurse.

The punishment doesn't fit the 'crime'.The VERY worst that should have happened even if they do wanna be all "we don't care if you witnessed a lightning strike and successfully resuscitated 22 people all by yourself" for turning something in late on the day it is due should be a 1/2 grade deduction for the assignment.I think there is where you have the compelling case, without even needing to make it about the specifics of your situation.

I would appeal. If nothing else look at it this way: You're already not graduating as it stands, the worst outcome from the appeal is that they say no and you're in the same boat. I feel like it is ridiculous to judge someone based on an 'emergency' situation. I know I have many things arise from having kids, and I like to think that a school place importance on an instructor's ability to be understanding.

Yes appeal. Tell them all you have done like you did in this post. Hopefully you do not have past issues/unexcused absences or tardies/emergencies. Do you have any medical proof- Was your son take to the doctor? Do you have any proof of your colitis? Even as a nurse if you miss work like this some managers will ask for actual medical proof, your school is still being harsh. For them to go this far over just not having your portfolio at 8 seems stretched so I wonder if there is something else or this has happened before? Update this post after Monday's meeting???? Please.

You are not rocking the boat. You are being ASSERTIVE. This is a quality that you MUST have when (yes, I said when) you become a nurse. Right now, you are being your own advocate as opposed to a patient advocate. Let me pose this question to you: What advice would you give to a dear friend in a similar circumstance? Would you look her in the eye and tell her "Dude, you really shouldn't rock the boat. I would just drop it. It is not worth it." OF COURSE YOU WOULDN'T!!!You have been through the mill, no doubt. You are SO close to your goal. If you quit now, you will never forgive yourself. Take your parent's advice. Keep at it. Go to the meeting, state your case, and finish. So what if other people view you as rocking the boat? You aren't exactly going to go home with them are you? Do you plan to hang out with them after you graduate? No? Then (insert favorite cuss word here) them! This is YOUR life.

Here's the thing that I did not mention about why I don't feel I can win the appeal...no I haven't been late or anything like that previously, and I have never had a U period throughout nursing school. Yes I do have proof of my colitis; I had went to the dr on Sat bc I couldn't stand it anymore and my PCP is well aware of what has been going with nursing school. I didn't take my son that morning to the dr bc we literally couldn't get out the door, which is why I didn't go to class. He is 3, and potty training...the diarrhea was BAD. But the thing is that it says in the syllabus that late work will count for 0 pts, and since my portfolio is late, they are saying that instead of a U for this particular assignment, that the 0 pts keeps me from graduating bc the portfolio is part of the requirements for graduation. So in other words, I feel like they were basically saying "you got what you deserved" in this situation bc I didn't call at 0700, not that there is anyone in the nursing office at that time, or not that they would have made an exception bc they stated during our meeting with the dean of nursing that they wouldn't have; but they stated that I should have called my instructor at home to let her know or I should have (directly quoting here) "put a diaper on my child and came to turn in my portfolio because it was such an important project." The instructor announced in lecture that day that she wouldn't be grading portfolio's till Fall break, which is the 2nd week of Oct. Do you see what I am conflicted about? Yes I may have made the wrong decision in that morning, and yes I am definitly sorry for it, but I did email her and I did get my portfolio to her after lecture. So does appealing the decision say that I am not taking responsibility for my actions? That's part of what I'm afraid of. I don't want to look like the stupid student that just can't follow the rules...but this is ONE mistake versus everything else that I have done right over the last 2 years.

so curious to know...I know this is a while ago...but what happened...did you appeal? did you win?