Best Way to Describe Group Work

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After all my rantings and ravings about group work, one of my girlfriends sent this to me.  Nuff said!

Update on Being the Scapegoat

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After talking to the "leader" of our group I found out that I wasn't the only person who got docked, in fact everyone did.  What a bunch of dorks, why oh why do these group members think this was the best time to give criticism, I'll never know.  But I do feel better knowing that we're equally hurting rather than just me...even though I didn't dock anyone...Just sayin' :-)

The "leader" said that what she admired about me the most is my sensitive spirit and caring abilities, but what's going to hurt me in the long run is that I allow things to bother me personally.  Umm hello, who wouldn't take being docked by other group members personally?

Maybe my heart just isn't hard enough yet.

Scapegoat

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I’m hurt, upset, and a little pissed off!  This semester by far has been the hardest to handle emotionally and mentally.  I’ve told you in a recent post that we’ve been working in groups but group work is nearly impossible when you have people with such broad academic approaches.  For instance I work in a group of five women, where we have a perfectionist, a leader/micromanager, an airhead who’s flighty, another girl who would rather complain, sigh, or smoke than get work done, and then you have me.  I would put myself right in the higher part of the middle closer to the leader slot.  I definitely get my work done, but if someone wants to lead then by all means I allow them. 

Recently we had to submit a midterm peer evaluation on our group members.  First let me tell you that I thought the best approach to this situation was to give everyone in our group high marks to keep the waters calm until the end of the semester.  Then at the end of the semester if things didn’t get better I would give an honest overall peer evaluation and tell everyone how they could have done better or let them know how well they did.  Let me say that it would have been STUPID to give any of my group members low points because it would be awkward finishing projects with them knowing I had said something bad about them.  Also keep in mind these peer evals are graded.

Moving on, Saturday we heard back from the professor about our overall midterm peer evals and guess what???  I got docked points.  In fact, instead of a solid 100% like I expected, I got a measly 88%.  I was shocked!  What it came down to was a bad grade on a concept map/care plan that could have synthesized better on my section.  However I must state that on the four previous assignments I provided the same kind of work with great grades to back them up.  It was just this particular assignment the group was upset with some low marks we received because a different professor in the class (who is a crazy psycho with an agenda to grade everyone poorly) had given us our grades.  I just felt that people were upset and took out their anger on my peer eval.  I ended up being the scapegoat. 

So in the past, I’ve never really lost sleep over things like a bad test grade or a smart remark from a classmate, but this whole peer eval made me toss and turn last night.  I couldn’t stop thinking over and over in my head how wrong I’d been done and who would be stupid enough to give a poor peer eval half way through the semester??  My real question is how I continue on with the semester.  Knowing I have to work with these women on other projects?  

My first reaction was to confront the whole group, but I know for a fact no one would own up to admitting they wrote the “bad” peer eval for me.  And when I put myself in their shoes I wouldn’t want to either.  So getting the truth isn’t going to happen. 

So now, do I just keep every interaction with them professional, to-the-point, and business-like?  Do I treat them coldly for doing me wrong?  Do I break down and cry to them explaining how hurt I felt over the fact that no one could just talk to me about the issue vs. filling out a peer eval and negatively affecting my grade?  What is wrong with people now-a-days?

5 Things Friday

Hello wonderful world!  It is Friday again and I had an amazing/terrible past couple weeks.  Last week we had 2 exams jammed into 1 week that I'm still reeling from.  Of all exams to score low, I had to go and score low on my Peds exam but high on my community exam.  Not just low like some nursing students think is low like a 98%, I scored a whooping 71%.  In case any of you out there didn't know, that equals failing.  I have 2 more exams and a cumulative final in that class to pick up the pieces and do better.  After that failure student moment, my wonderful, dear supporting hubby helped to guide me on another path in hopes of helping me study for future exams.  He's simply amazing with the amount of knowledge in his head and abilities to see silver linings when I cannot.

He also took me to a Vikings/Titans game that I totally needed!  I was able to sit and watch the fall colors on the trees on the way to Minneapolis and sat up really late the night before the game gabbing on for hours with my sisters and mom.  Life is truly amazing when you can step back and look at the whole instead of the small pieces like nursing school.  Ultimately Vikings won and I cheered the loudest!  Ow ow!

 PS this is the new improved roof and it looks plenty sturdy!

Here is one of the concept maps/care plans I ended up studying for aforementioned failure Peds exam.

However I say this week has been amazing because I took a third exam yesterday in our management nursing class and scored a 95%!  Total redemption and I don't feel as dense as I did last week.  My hubby took me out to lunch and later that evening I cooked two huge batches of cheesy potato soup for the next few weeks and some cake cookies along with some chocolate brownies.
Because that's what I do when I've get a free moment away from studying and learning...I cook/bake!!  Here is a picture of my apron that I loveee sooo much!

Earlier this week (sorry for being out of order), my daughter purchased her first car and got it registered.  This picture shows a sliver of her standing next to her vehicle and she is so excited to finally have a car of her own and go places on her own.  Ahhh sweet freedom, I'm so proud of her and am happy she can finally be her own chauffeur and for her brother too.

Last but not least I was feeling so good about myself yesterday that after class I went and applied for graduation for next May.  Yess!  I cannot wait to be done.

Hope you all had great weeks and I hope your weekends are filled with fun times.  Get out and enjoy the last few days of fall, before the snow falls (depending on where you live of course).  I've got to go to work soon and I'll be working 12 hours tomorrow.  Sunday I'm thrilled to go to church and work on more schoolwork for the following week.

Group Work

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On a global level group work has an important goal within the nursing community.  We have a bunch of individuals to lean on when things get tough.  We understand how our co-workers tick and how they respond to different situations.  Most importantly, we learn how to come to resolutions together to help benefit the patient.  I understand why/how group work is so important on the job. 

However, I absolutely have had enough group work to last me many years within just the short amount of time this semester has been going thus far.

AggHHH I hate GROUP WORK!  We have three classes where we’re paired up into groups of 4-5 for each class.  Then we have two clinical days per week where we’re paired into groups of 4 to do assignments on those days too.  My calendar is so full (no kidding) that I have meetings with these massive different groups almost all 5 days of the week.  Some are before class or during break within class time, or after class.  I’m so overwhelmed I can’t think straight.

What’s even more frustrating is the range of personalities to work with, from having to deal with some members who are total micro-managing type A sort of people.  To working with others who don’t have a voice, would rather not do any work, and basically you’re holding their hand through it all.

All in all, I’ve been learning how to hold my tongue, and show respect for others.  I knew how to do that before I started college, but my craft has been fine-tuned this semester.  

I look forward to next semester when things get a little less hairy, and I can focus on applying for nursing jobs.