My school is a joke.... (long vent)
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive November 2004:
My school is a joke.... (long vent)
Bear with me, this is going to be long but I need some advice...
First a little history.
Last November I started a Surgical Technologist program at a school here in Houston, you know the fast paced expensive kind. I had to get almost $10,000 in student loans and was able to get $4,000 in student grants. The way the course is broken down is 600 lecture hours and 600 externship hours. Pretty much from the begining it was obvious that the school didn't have it together the way a school really should. There was bickering among employees, told lack of respect for us the students (all adults and paying for our education) and at times I really felt I was wasting my time and money. Yet I stuck it out, my family sacrificed because M-TH I was at school 5 hours a night. DH had to leave work early to get home in time for me to leave so DS would have someone with him. YET we did it and I even managed to get an "A" in all three mods and even end up with the second highest average overall.
Externship started in July, I was sent out to a site in one of the biggest hospitals in the nation. I was VERY excited to be getting the opportunity to learn from the people there and even took part in some critical surgeries. I LOVED what I was doing and very excited to be starting this as my career. My 10 weeks ended all to soon at that site and I was sent to a small surgery center near my house. For 2 weeks all I did was clean rooms, not scrubbing, and not participating in any surgeries. Finally very aggravated I left the site and told my school what was taking place, not only was I cleaning rooms, they were rude to students, and 90% of the doctors didn't allow students in the rooms while they were there. We had to literally hide from the owner. I saw many things going on that I personally didn't feel was right.
That was the 2nd week in October, I STILL don't have a site to go to. They claim there are no sites, I have a VERY hard time believing that in a city as large as Houston that this is true. I've been paying daycare for my son in order to hold his spot but without me going we can't do that much longer. I'm only at a little over 200 hours with another 400 to go, graduation was supposed to be in December, then Feburary, and now is pushed back even further.
Frustrated is an understatement for what I'm feeling now, DH is beyond upset to. This was our way to be able to get me an education and get me out working so we can get the house we both want to have before DS starts school. I feel as though I've wasted the last year of my life and thousands of dollars.
So what do I do? sit and wait patiently all the while pushing the timeline back further and further? I've talked to people from the other campus and from corporate with no results... Do I obtain a lawyer and fight this? I'm confused, if I wait I have a shot at leaast completng the program and getting my certificate whereas if I start this battle I may never get it...
Any thoughts will be appreciated, thanks for reading if you got this far it has helped to vent just a bit too.
I don't have any advice, but I wanted you to know that I read your post and truly feel your frustration. I think you're justified, but I honestly don't know what kind of recourse you have (I have no experience with this). There must be someone you can talk to! Good luck and {{hugs}}!
I would see if the college is accredited and file a complaint w/ your states board of education. At the very least contact them and see what they can do, also contact the better business burea. I might even contact the bank that you got your student loans from and complain to them, but only as a last resort. I am sorry that this happened to you.
Go to the State Board of Education, and to the student loan program (state or federal). Sounds to me like this school is verging on fraudulent.
Seems to me this second placement entity is getting free cleaning services (unless they pay externs) and is not living up to the agreement it SHOULD have with the school. I say SHOULD because the school should have checked out this placement well in advance to make certain it is a learning experience.
But first, I would write a letter to the school detailing what has happened with this second intern/extern situation and demanding that they immediately find you a placement or you will file written complaints with the Dept. of Education and student loan people.
Ditto Ginny. In addition - contact some of the people from your internship at the hospital. See if you can arrange something on your own, then just present it to the school.
If they have nothing (which I would find hard to believe) then check with other surgeons in the area. Basically, sidestep the school and arrange things on your own
Ame
I went today and had a meeting at my school with the head lady there. What I told them basically is that they have until the 29th to get me a site, if I don't have one by then I'm contacting a lawyer, the BBB, and anyone else who will listen.
She was very appreciative to the fact that I was giving them that long because she is well aware how wrong our class has been treated. I set her straight on a couple of things that have gone on and I think we came to an understanding that I'm tired, frustrated, and fed up with the BS.
Now all I can do is keep my fingers crossed that this worked.
Christy
Good for you! Hope everything works out.
Hope it works out!
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