What should I do about this awful instructor???

[galaxy781]

Hi everyone,

Ok I need MORE advice, I always need advice..LOL...ok anyway..here is my situation...

The other day in one of my clincal labs (we were in the school lab not in actual hospital) another instructor came to help with our class (she comes and helps on a continual basis but she isnt our regualr instructor). My current instructor, whom I adore had asked me a question about my degree, I currently have a BA from another college, then she suggested that I look in to some direct entry (master programs for students with non related bachelors degree) Anyway this other instructor overheard our conversation and in front of the whole class said, "I just dont think its right that they would let you into a masters program, some of us got our masters the right way and have experience to back it up, I have 16 years experience and what do you have?" :angryfire

I mean I understand where she is coming from, I might feel the same way, but I cant help it, I never said that I was going to jump right into management or any thing...I just want to be a nurse and the MN program seemed to be the best way for ME to get there...I was just really mad that she said that and embarrassed me in front of the whole class and I didnt even bring up the subject, my usual clincal instructor approached me with the idea.

If that were the only problem I couldve gotten over it but since then she has come back to help us more with our class and subbed a few times, each of those times she glares at me, even though I have never said anything to her (not even when she embarrased me in front of the whole class)!! When I ask for help she just gives me attitude and makes me feel stupid, ex. "cant you get this, I mean its not that hard!" Or she scolds us/me like we are children.

Then when we went to do our clinicals in a LTCF she was there with another class. My partner and I were giving a bed bath and our instructor came in to see how we were doing, while she was in the room with us, the awful instructor came in and started chewing out my instructor, in front of both residents!! Ironically she was scolding my instructor for our "unprofessional behavior" which included: one of my classmates tying her white jacket around her waist and for the fact some of my classmates were standing in the hall. I can understand why we shouldnt stand in the hall but our specific instructions were not to do ANYTHING unless our instructor was watching, there were 8 of us and 1 of her so it was kinda hard. Even though the girls were standing in the hall they werent being loud or rude, just waiting. I may be wrong but for her to lecture my instructor in front of not only the residents but my partner and I was extremely unprofessional, meanwhile her students were outside the glass facility doors, smoking, talking loudly on their cell phone phones and drinking soda.

THen if thats not enough our instructor told our class that we would be reviewing that day with her class and a few of us said that we would rather not review with her. Some of her students must have overheard or something bc when our class walked into the review room she made the comment "I heard some of your students didnt want to review with me, well thats too bad bc this is the review". We did not mean for any of her students to over hear or anything we thought we were expressing our opinions in confidence...

oh and wait there is more....she teaches a saturday class for any student who misses a day during the week and during that particular Sat. she was going over restraints...one of my classmates was attending that sat. class and this awful instructor told the class as she was demonstrating how to tie restraints, that the reason they used restraints was to "teach that resident a lesson" and I quote that!!! When my classmate came back to our class she was up in front of the class demonstrating what she has learned and said, "now I'm about to put this restraint on you to teach you a lesson" she was serious and didnt understand that this was not the thing to say...(she didnt know!) Our regular instructors jaw hit the floor! She then told us that that is what the other instrutor had told her and she didnt know that she was kidding or whatever...oops...

Sigh..I transferred schools into an MN program but I still have to go to my ADN school to finish up some pre reqs so I keep running into this instructor...what should I do, I dont think its fair that other students have to put up with her attitude either....I considered reporting her but I know that we are sooo short on instructors as well, Ive talked to my regular instructor and she said that she talked her but that was before the whole clinical episode so if she did talk to her she surely didnt chage her attitude...what do you guys think i should do???

sorry so long!!! appreciate any advice or even any situations you may have had that was like this one!!!!

[galaxy781]

Thanks all for your imput...

The one thing I truly believe is that it takes a special kind of person to be a teacher. Obviously this woman is not one of those people...Im not sure what im going to do yet, part of me just wants to let it go and part of me thinks something shouold be done about her as she is effecting students education and thats not fair, but as someone else said "pick your battles", i just dont know if this is one i should pick???

[galaxy781]

I feel like your instrctor should be the one making the complaints regaurding the bad instructors unprofessionalism. ( If she hadn't already.)

oh oh oh lol now i get it....you are right, I hope that she has said something..

[nursey_girl]

oh oh oh lol now i get it....you are right, I hope that she has said something..

The battle you chose is nursing school.. It can be tough, and will probably get tougher... just remember, there is a reason for it...You will build strenths in areas you didn't know you had. But battling an instructor is not another battle you need to take hold of. Smile sweetly, " Yes Ma'am, you're right" and go with the flow....This instructor sounds like she other issues anyway... maybe a bit of jealousy, low self esteem... leave her to her issues, and be the best you can be... Trust me, it's all worth it in the end....Nursing school was a pain in the %$$, but I love being a nurse!

[galaxy781]

The battle you chose is nursing school.. It can be tough, and will probably get tougher... just remember, there is a reason for it...You will build strenths in areas you didn't know you had. But battling an instructor is not another battle you need to take hold of. Smile sweetly, " Yes Ma'am, you're right" and go with the flow....This instructor sounds like she other issues anyway... maybe a bit of jealousy, low self esteem... leave her to her issues, and be the best you can be... Trust me, it's all worth it in the end....Nursing school was a pain in the %$$, but I love being a nurse!

I cant wait to be a nurse, so far besdies this one teacher my experience has been totally positive. You are right, she does have some other issues...who knows maybe the dean already knows about this problem, for all the students/other instructors that she has offended, im sure that someone has reported her by now...

[fab4fan]

Or she could go on to be abusive to other students.

It sounds like you're going to take the "smile sweetly and take your lumps approach." Your decision, of course. But I hope that somewhere along the line you get the juice to be able to speak up, because as a nurse you are going to be dealing with many people and someof them are going to be like this instructor (or worse), and smiling sweetly isn't going to work.

[galaxy781]

Or she could go on to be abusive to other students.

It sounds like you're going to take the "smile sweetly and take your lumps approach." Your decision, of course. But I hope that somewhere along the line you get the juice to be able to speak up, because as a nurse you are going to be dealing with many people and someof them are going to be like this instructor (or worse), and smiling sweetly isn't going to work.

Im actually not sure what I am going to do. I appreciate both views and am considering them both. I usually have a hard time just taking things and smiling...I think that I when I go to talk to my academic counselor I may mention it to her. I am transfering schools and will no longer be attending that nursing school, however I still will be taking the last of my AP courses there this summer....so if I do report her and she does find out there isnt much she can do to me anyway...hopefully at my new school the instructors will be more supportive.

[rambisisking]

I feel like your instructor should be the one sitting on the Dean's lap yacking his ear off.

Hm, Im not sure I understand this line..but yes, that was one of my concerns, I dont want to get on anyones *&^% list by any means....especially hers for that matter...

My dear, I want you and all of us to remember that as nurses we are advocates for all patients and for all other nurses. We do not make cheesburgers for a living, we care for human beings. This is not about whether you are liked or are not picked on by this instructor, it is about your commitment to nursing in general and what it means to be a nurse. After 30 years of nursing, I find myself asking often who is training nurses these days, and why do some of them not truly understand what our purpose is. This instructor is detrimental to students and in turn to the patients that these students will eventually be "caring"for. One begats another and in some ways this woman is no different than an abusive mother. We go into school green and are in alot of ways reared by our instructors and those we first learn from. If you witnessed abuse, physical , mental or emotional by a mother I would hope you would feel driven to do something about it. It is no different in this case, You may be short of instructors but again it is quality not quantity that should be our concern.I most certinally believe you and anyone else who feels as you should take this through the chain of command and not stop until you find someone to truly listen to you and act for the nursing in general. Do not allow her to teach her twisted thinking to future nurses. You are stronger than you think when you have the rights of human beings as your flag. Best to you.

[galaxy781]

My dear, I want you and all of us to remember that as nurses we are advocates for all patients and for all other nurses. We do not make cheesburgers for a living, we care for human beings. This is not about whether you are liked or are not picked on by this instructor, it is about your commitment to nursing in general and what it means to be a nurse. After 30 years of nursing, I find myself asking often who is training nurses these days, and why do some of them not truly understand what our purpose is. This instructor is detrimental to students and in turn to the patients that these students will eventually be "caring"for. One begats another and in some ways this woman is no different than an abusive mother. We go into school green and are in alot of ways reared by our instructors and those we first learn from. If you witnessed abuse, physical , mental or emotional by a mother I would hope you would feel driven to do something about it. It is no different in this case, You may be short of instructors but again it is quality not quantity that should be our concern.I most certinally believe you and anyone else who feels as you should take this through the chain of command and not stop until you find someone to truly listen to you and act for the nursing in general. Do not allow her to teach her twisted thinking to future nurses. You are stronger than you think when you have the rights of human beings as your flag. Best to you.

thanks, she is definetly an awful teacher, its a shame they let her teach as when asked how she likes her job she shrugs and says "eh its a job" thats not the kind of instuctor I want teaching me....

[Lanceman]

Anyway this other instructor overheard our conversation and in front of the whole class said, "I just dont think its right that they would let you into a masters program, some of us got our masters the right way and have experience to back it up, I have 16 years experience and what do you have?"

Yeah thats why they let just about any other profession in the world go straight to a masters without any real work experience. Nursing shouldn't be any different. Pharmacists and Physical Therapists don't have 10 years experience under their belt when they get a Masters. If someone is motivated when they are younger, in school mode already, and has less responsibilities then they should get all the education available to them while they have the chance.

I'm thinking of switching my major to criminal science/criminology anyway. About have decided nursing is not for me. I have been in the military and in law enforcement and both didn't seem half as under appreciated or stressful as the nursing profession. At least in law enforcement the abusive public one encounters can be put in their place (within the law of course), you get to yell at people sometimes, and occasionally get to tackle someone and put the cuffs on 'em, they oughtta let nurses do that :)

[galaxy781]

LOL, i agree. my degree was in Psych/Soc/Crim but I never worked in law enforcement...What she said didnt make me as mad as how she said it, in front of the whole class and made me look like an a$$. I understand that her behavior is related to her own insecure feelings and her low self esteem, so I can deal with that but then to go on and take it out on me by not offering me the teaching and skills I rightfully deserve and paid for is what really makes me mad.

[rach_nc_03]

Speaking up now will give this student the confidence to advocate for her patients or herself when she is practicing and has to deal with an abusive doc/supervisor. Telling her to "shut up, smile, and just take it" is not the answer, and frankly, I am saddened that anyone would think that a student/nurse should just put up with such abuse.

Amen.

I hear that advice all the time, since I don't just sit around and keep my mouth shut when things like this happen- big things, not minor stuff. can't tell you how many times I've been told not to rock the boat. jerks get to be bigger jerks with more power when people sit around and let them. you're paying these people for a service- they're not teaching out of the goodness of their hearts.

[squeakykitty]

[speaking up now will give this student the confidence to advocate for her patients or herself when she is practicing and has to deal with an abusive doc/supervisor. Telling her to "shut up, smile, and just take it" is not the answer, and frankly, I am saddened that anyone would think that a student/nurse should just put up with such abuse.]

This is so true, she needs to be assertive. I think that telling her to "shut up, smile, and just take it" is really saying that she is less of a person, and she doesn't deserve to be treated as a human being with the same respect as everyone else. :angryfire She does deserve to be treated with respect and consideration!!