RN teacher failing students to "weed" them out?

lifein08 · Oct 13, 2011

hello

msn10 · Oct 13, 2011

As a nursing instructor, it bothers me to no end that a fellow instructor is trying to make things harder than they already are for you and your colleagues.

Does this instructor have a degree in nursing education or are they a NP or other master or PhD level nurse who has limited teaching education?

The reason I ask is because some teachers who are so ineffective are completely unaware of purposeful teaching methodologies, adult learning principles, and educational psychology, all of which must be understood to teach in such an important discipline. They use scare tactics which is proven to be the worst method ever for adult learners. We want our learners to be comfortable enough to ask questions without fear and know exactly where they stand regarding grading as well.

My job is not to weed out the weak. My job is to inspire and set a good example. My classes aren't easy, but a nurse/nursing student has enough stress. The purpose of school is to learn, not be so scared that you could hurt someone because you didn't understand the information and were too afraid to ask for verification. Furthermore, I believe that my students spend a great deal of time and money to be with me there on the floor or in the lab and they deserve to know EXACTLY what is expected of them. Yes, there are some students that look good on their application and cannot function safely and effectively as a nurse. They should not be 'weeded out' but instead they should be redirected to a field of study that may be more suitable to them. No one should be made to feel like a failure, especially when they had the guts to go to college. For many of my students, they are the first ones in their families to go.

If this instructor is really as bad as you say, then the college should be doing something about it. Newer accreditation guidelines are looking at retention rates in colleges. Good schools have a retention rate of at least 88% or above after Freshman year. Not only is this teacher giving the school a bad reputation, but she is losing students which the administration also sees as dollars not coming into the program and the accreditation body may take care of the problem without any of the students having to do anything.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2011

okay well first of all, i do take my own notes....and i'm not trying to make a big deal about it, it doesnt matter what i am doing, its what she is doing and it is unfair. we do not expect them to hand feed us, i really feel that if i were to explain more then you would understand, but im not going to write pages about this issue. also, the way they are teaching us they make us memorize and regurgitate the information. im just saying, i dont feel confident with this specific teacher. all the other teachers really help us, dont talk to us like children, and understand we are struggling. and btw, i am sucking it up...i have not once given up... i just thought that i would share my opinion so maybe i can get some feedback. thanks :]

that is exactly what you are getting. when you ask for opinions on the internet (or anywhere, really), you need to understand that you will get all kinds..many will not tell you what you want to hear or validate your opinion. however, you asked...

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2011

Hate to tell you, but this happened to our class. We were losing a clinical instructor for the following semester, they could NOT find anyone willing to relocate in the middle of the year. The teacher:student ratio was set by the BON, and we were going to have more students than we had CIs for; the program was in jeopardy. We knew this because we heard the teachers saying "I don't know what we're going to do with this many, we can't take that many into a facility apiece." So, they seriously and ruthlessly began paring down the class. I was using NP level textbooks, study guides for the CCRN to make sure I knew the material front, back, sideways, and upside down. You had to flawless in clinicals, or you got a "U" -- 3 of those, and away you went. Everyone had at least 1 before the end of the semester. We lost half the class.

You know what happened? All of us that remained a) passed the boards the first time, b) passed it with the minimum number of questions, and c) all but 2 of us have gone on to additional degrees and most are aiming for advanced practice (those 2 are having "mommy" time with their babies, but say they plan to go on for MSNs/NPs).

They half killed us, but they turned out some seriously prepared nurses.

GimiRN · Oct 13, 2011

I experienced this in my program, as well. On the very first day of school, this one instructor flat out told us she was the "gate keeper" and was there to weed us out. So yeah, it does happen. We started with close to 80 people, and only a little over 30 people graduated.

My advice is to keep a positive attitude, focus on the fact that people DO make it to the end (so you can too), do as you're instructed, and stay under the radar. Listen in lecture, take good notes, read, study as much as possible, then use the last minute info you are given, as a review.

Chances are that this instructor is set in her ways. And I'm sure it's not the first time that the powers that be are hearing complaints about her. So more than likely, nothing will be done about it. Turn this experience into something positive. Let it motivate you to make it through, and don't let her get the best of you. Good luck!

OhioCCRN, MSN, NP · Oct 13, 2011

3 things...

1. Nursing school is HARD! and no.... just because you made it into the program does not mean you will automatically pass.

2. If you havent been failed, what is the problem?

3. Nursing students are soooo entitled... When i was in school i EXPECTED every day to be a weed out process and acted accordingly...

vanburbian · Oct 13, 2011

From what I've seen lately, it seems perhaps some of the instructors need to do a little more work in the garden.

And, no, not directed at OP.

I had the chance to sit in on an AM report a few weeks ago on a step down ICU floor, and had one nurse, not a brand new grad, but a grad of 4 years prior, ask the off going RN giving report the 2 following questions:

What exactly is a dobhoff, is that the central line?

How do I put a chest tube to water seal, is that the the one on the wall?

I just about had a heart attack. As I looked around at the other RN's, this did not really seem to alarm them.

I'm sorry, but this is basic knowledge, nursing knowledge, and I don't expect anyone to know everything, but you sure better know the fundamentals and foundations, and how NOT to kill or further harm someone.

Yes, some people DO need to be weeded out, that is the purpose of making it hard and not spoon feeding it to you and expecting rote memorization.

Develop critical thinking skills.

I wouldn't be a nursing instructor for all the tea in China and twice my current income.

kalevra, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2011

How are students selected for the RN program? Is it based on a merit system where students have to compete with one another grades for a slot? Or is it an open application type where you meet minimum requirements that make you eligible for a lottery?

A lot of the weeding out is done when applicants have to compete with each other for slots. 2 years of constant work on getting your critical thinking skills, comprehension, time management and study habits improvement really helps when the course demands a lot from you in such a small amount of time. Some students get by with their "C" and apply but chances are they wont get picked up when their competition has an "A". Those students with close to overall "A" have their learning habits down and perform well on tests.

Open applications like lottery system have a higher drop rate from what I was told by my instructor. People get in based on luck and some of their study skills may not be up to par. There is a lot of information coming at you in a very short amount of time an then followed by an exam. Having 20 people out of 80 drop may not be all that strange in such a selection process.

My best advice to you is focus on yourself. If it has not happened to you then you really don't have much to charge your instructor with. You may not be getting all the details going on. As someone has said before on this post, she may become the instructor that makes you work the hardest but makes you learn the most as well.

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Oct 13, 2011

i had an ob instructor. never lectured. told us to read the 800+ page book, and gave essay tests w/no indication of what she wanted us to know. she showed films of women hemorrhaging during childbirth. at the end of the class, my grade was iffy (i was an honor student- always on the deans' list). so, i asked her if it was worth my time to take the test, or just go sign up for the next semester. by this time 1/2 of the class had bailed or bombed. :eek:

she passed whoever stuck it out. she sxxxxd . i remember nothing positive about that class, aside from my first mom having no bellybutton (seriously, not there, no scar....measure fundal height from where???.....she was so condescending when i told her about it, and puffed into the room- shut her up, though - no navel on that woman ).

i had been so interested in ob- but she blew it for a lot of us. old bxxxh. :mad:

the other instructors let students weed themselves out- either by poor testing, poor clinicals, or poor attendance. no active targeting needed.....

nursenotamaid · Oct 13, 2011

8 people - *8* - of my initial class size of 76 people graduated. 8. It was told to us on day 1 that they were here to weed us out. That is was our job, as future nurses, to know what they are teaching inside and out, that they would help us to understand more, but that they were the "gate keepers". The teachers, even the dean, made it exceptionally clear that they realized they were putting out nurses who may eventually take care of them and if that meant not passing people they didn't deem suitable to the profession, then so be it.

You came dressed appropriately, to classes and clinicals. There were no sweat pants, jeans or tank tops in class. Business casual at all times. You were to be respectful. You were to listen thoroughly and jump when they said jump and to the exact height they indicated in a lecture from 4 weeks ago.

Nursing school sucks. Its one of the hardest degrees to achieve and you will be GRATEFUL for this weed-'em-out teacher when you are in a room coding a patient and not only do YOU have to know your stuff, but you need your co-workers to as well. And we *all* have a co-worker that probably should have been weeded out a long time ago...

Suck it up, pull up your big girl pants and study harder. Make this teacher LIKE you, trust your technique and pass everything she hands you. Ask questions to clarify every detail, study constantly. You may need to live, eat, sleep and breath her class to pass it. I had to do that for my ICU rotations, but here I am - many years later working ICU and so much of what I do comes back to how much harder I had to work to not be weeded out.

honeykrown, MSN, NP · Oct 13, 2011

Hmmm, i had this kind of teacher my first year of nursing school. She almost made me fail out or drop and it affected me for the next class. Half the time she never taught the class, no powerpoint and if we brought powerpoints from another teacher she was livid. She had taught for 14years in the school was rude to the other teacher who taught the same class (until that teacher got her PhD). And the school would not do anything because nursing educators were hard to ocme by (can u imagine). Every semester at least half her class failed (imagine 15-18 students our of 30 failing out of a class), and then you think its the students.

AJPV · Oct 13, 2011

my best teachers were not drill sergeants. in fact, some of my best teachers (my pediatrics instructors) only got their bsn within the last 3 or 4 years. they really focused on content that matters - not irrelevant minutiae that hardly ever comes up in nursing practice and is very unlikely to be on the boards. these instructors motivated us with positive reinforcement and made us actually want to be nurses! amazing concept, huh? and i came out of the class scoring higher on nclex-predictive exams in that content area than i did on my drill sergeant’s content area.