dismissed, was it fair?

[ptornopt]

So here is my story.

I was a 2nd year DPT student and was dismissed from the program because I did not safely transfer a mock patient during a neuro practical final.
They gave me one more chance to perform the exam again (it's their policy) but I did even worse than the first time and it was just terrible...

My story: I know it will sound like bunch of crappy excuses but I tend to get really nervous during exams. I was extremely nervous. The patients were heavy and I froze with the patients, standing up...I was sighing and crying...However, I was able to answer all their questions. And I was also diagnosed with general anxiety disorder which the school did not give crap about because they did not know about it before.

School's story: They allow student to repeat one class if the student fails the class. I already repeated once so when I did not pass the practical, that was it for my chance. and because I did not pass the practical successfully, they had to dismiss me according to their policy.

I am trying to be 100% honest here so I get honest feedback. I know by all means,I was not competent during the exam. However, I did just fine when I practiced before the actual exam and I don't know why I did what I did during the exam...I fought till the end where I had to meet the dean of the school but no one was on my side and I think maybe that's why I feel like I was treated unfairly. They were cold and no one was on my side. I can't say I was the best student but my overall GPA was okay and I always got good feedback from all my CI's from my internships.

I need your opinions so I can just forget about what happened to me and move on with my life.
It definitely was such a traumatic experience whether it was my fault or not.
Thank you.

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[Azimuthal]

How much did you really prepare for this practical? From my experience, if you truly prepared yourself, it doesn't matter if you're being assessed or not, the difference in your performance would be negligible. Be honest, did you blow off practicing until the few days before?

 

[ptornopt]

How much did you really prepare for this practical? From my experience, if you truly prepared yourself, it doesn't matter if you're being assessed or not, the difference in your performance would be negligible. Be honest, did you blow off practicing until the few days before?

Okay...I am guilty....
But I feel like I could've always practiced/studied more...for anything!...maybe it is just me...

This actually happened a while ago, so I have to think about it..
Thank you for your input!

 

[DesertPT]

Does you school have any option to sit out a year and retake the class with the next cohort and graduate a year later? Obviously you've thought of this already but I'm curious what options you are still pursuing/have left to pursue, if any, or if you are abandoning PT for good at this point.

 

[PTMattI]

Sorry to hear about that...competencies are definitely stressful and I was never the best comp taker myself but I agree with the previous posters that the more you prepare the less anxiety you will have. It is disappointing to hear that your school dismissed you...have you ever been put on a plan to improve your performance? One thing my school would do for people who struggled on comps was have them log their practice for like 4 hours per week and have professors sign off on their practice sheet.

 

[ptornopt]

Does you school have any option to sit out a year and retake the class with the next cohort and graduate a year later? Obviously you've thought of this already but I'm curious what options you are still pursuing/have left to pursue, if any, or if you are abandoning PT for good at this point.

Yes they do have an option. but I already used that option for another class. I guess this makes me a bad student already...haha
At this point, I do not want to go back to PT because I am afraid I will make the same mistake...transferring a patient shouldn't be a rocket science but it was so challenging to me so I am kind of scared and doubting myself if I can ever do it again. but on the other hand, I already spent 2 years of my life spending at PT school...though I may sound so incompetent, I do have a lot of PT knowledge that will go to waste...so I may go back to PT when I feel ready...

 

[ptornopt]

Sorry to hear about that...competencies are definitely stressful and I was never the best comp taker myself but I agree with the previous posters that the more you prepare the less anxiety you will have. It is disappointing to hear that your school dismissed you...have you ever been put on a plan to improve your performance? One thing my school would do for people who struggled on comps was have them log their practice for like 4 hours per week and have professors sign off on their practice sheet.

Thank you for your comment! I wish the school I went had something like that...!! that is amazing! I felt my school didn't really care...I still have a bitter feeling towards how they handled me after...which makes me a total loser that I feel this way...
I had a therapy session to overcome my anxiety so I perform better under pressure. I think it is helping....
Thanks again for your kind comment!

 

[truthseeker]

Not to be rude, but I have a really hard time believing that someone would be dismissed from any graduate program for failing one practical. There had to be something else.

 

[AlanWattsBlues]

Not to be rude, but I have a really hard time believing that someone would be dismissed from any graduate program for failing one practical. There had to be something else.

I've seen it happen.

 

[el_duderino]

Already failed one class, and then bombed a practical two straight times?

Yeah, sounds fair.

 

[ptornopt]

alright..thanks guys!

I was being 100% honest here...I even mentioned how I cried and froze up during the practical..
and I could've practiced more...
Yes, I was a terrible terrible student.
I think I was just upset how school treated me after everything...
But, I am sure they didn't think I was able to handle the work and that is why they dismissed me after all...I guess that explains why they were so cold and unwilling to help me when I was seeking help to get back to school.
ex) rolling their eyes and telling me how they don't have time to help me....

 

[Azimuthal]

Not to be rude, but I have a really hard time believing that someone would be dismissed from any graduate program for failing one practical. There had to be something else.

He had already retook a course due to a prior failed practical.

 

[starrsgirl]

It sucks you only get 2 chances on a practical. We do 3 at my school and a handful of people always end up taking it 3 times (they are uber picky). But, in that case, you fail the class and can roll back a year. I'm pretty sure we also have a rule about not being able to roll back twice. Unfortunately, that part seems fairly standard (fail 2 classes and done). But, it does seem odd you didn't have some interaction with your professors between retakes? For us, they schedule a few open labs where instructors are present between each scheduled practical retake. That way, you can go in, have professors watch you, help you, go over stuff with you and you can practice with more peers. I'm sad your faculty didn't seem to want to fight for you between the first and second retake. I recommend talking to someone you trust over there....maybe an advisor you had in the program. Possibly, the school was unsure of your ability to get through clinicals or pass the board, so they felt it was better to let you go now versus later. I'm not sure you will have closure unless you get good feedback from someone who knows your performance.

I think if I were you, I would consider a completely different field. If you have anxiety, the high pressure tests and performance based evals may always be triggers for you. But there are other jobs out there for sure. Go back to basics, take some aptitude tests, shadow some other fields and think about what you really like to do.

 

[ptornopt]

It sucks you only get 2 chances on a practical. We do 3 at my school and a handful of people always end up taking it 3 times (they are uber picky). But, in that case, you fail the class and can roll back a year. I'm pretty sure we also have a rule about not being able to roll back twice. Unfortunately, that part seems fairly standard (fail 2 classes and done). But, it does seem odd you didn't have some interaction with your professors between retakes? For us, they schedule a few open labs where instructors are present between each scheduled practical retake. That way, you can go in, have professors watch you, help you, go over stuff with you and you can practice with more peers. I'm sad your faculty didn't seem to want to fight for you between the first and second retake. I recommend talking to someone you trust over there....maybe an advisor you had in the program. Possibly, the school was unsure of your ability to get through clinicals or pass the board, so they felt it was better to let you go now versus later. I'm not sure you will have closure unless you get good feedback from someone who knows your performance.

I think if I were you, I would consider a completely different field. If you have anxiety, the high pressure tests and performance based evals may always be triggers for you. But there are other jobs out there for sure. Go back to basics, take some aptitude tests, shadow some other fields and think about what you really like to do.

Thank you so much for your comment, input and advice, starrsgirl!
It has been a very difficult process for me and receiving a different perspective from you is very refreshing and APPRECIATED!!
Thank you! I can tell you care about people. You will be a great clinician!

 

[aroszko]

Not to be rude, but I have a really hard time believing that someone would be dismissed from any graduate program for failing one practical. There had to be something else.

Just speaking from my program personally. You can fail(<75%) 2 classes, if you fail a class you have to remediate. The remediation is cumulative for the whole semester. My school has it so lecture and lab(practical) grades are separate - you have to pass both individually, they don't average out. Some of the final practicals are heavily weighted, for instance this semester we had 3 practicals in our cardiopulmonary course, the first was worth 20% the second 30% and the final was worth 50%...so lets say you do fabulous on the first two but then somehow bomb the final you would then fail the practical part of the course, if you have not remediated two courses yet you would be able to take a practical that could cover anything from the semester. If you pass you're still in the program, if not unfortunately you are dismissed from the program.

While yes I agree, one single practical should never kick a person out of PT school with some of the weights it definitely is possible.

 

[jchen707]

At Emory we have a similar remediation process, however if you reach your limit, you are held back and have to remediate the entire year with the class below you.... So you definitely still have a second chance at everything. Sometimes people just take longer to understand the material

 

[deleted741311]

Hey ptornopt, what are you doing now?

 

[redrose424]

This is harsh beyond belief. Your program decided to dismiss you because you didn't do well on ONE exam. Wth???? I would sue.

Sue for what?