The Catskill Chronicle

To the editor –

I am also a lay person, but have been involved with the profession of nursing through my daughter and some friends.

I had the opportunity to read the affidavits of the students involved and must say I was appalled at the conditions surrounding these testing skills. If the handbook says one thing (2 skills to be finished in approximately 45 minutes) and the head of the department changes the rules, then it should have been written either as an addendum to the handbook.

In any case those kind of changes should never be verbal, but should have definitely been in writing.

As for the equipment used and some of the circumstances surrounding these skills tests, is also appalling.

How can you use sub-standard or over-used equipment, not have the required medications available to the students, not have access to the medical cabinet immediately, but have to wait in line for someone else to remove their medication before you could find your required medication, the interference of the testing staff (supposedly professionals) with trivial conversation, the observances that other students were assisted with their skills from these professional staff members.

The dismissed students definitely have a grievance and the college, whose reputation is tenuous as it is, needs to reinstate them and provide whatever additional assistance they require to graduate with their class.

Then again there is the issue that although these students were reinstated by the Chair of the department, someone with higher authority overruled that decision; furthermore, to have some of these students sign waivers before being retested also seems unjust.

To say that these students are incompetent is definitely a platform for slander on the part of the nursing staff.

I’m glad that someone is looking into this, and I’m glad that someone is standing up for these students, and I’m glad that someone is going to have to take the responsibility for this gross injustice.

Rosemarie (Last name withheld upon request)