Clinical instructor gives study guide to clinical group is this unfair

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At my school for one of the large 6 credit classes one clinical instructor gave their clinical group a study guide. I feel this is unfair to the rest of the students since some students were given a resource other students did not receive. I feel the clinical instructor did this so their clinical group would earn high scores thus making the clinical instructor look affective.

I personally got a high A on the exam so I am not unhappy about my score, but do not like these type of tactics. I am considering mentioning this to the professor who teaches the didactic portion of the class, or my clinical instructor. But at the same time I want to keep my mouth shut and not get involved.

Specializes in Hospice + Palliative.

I think it's rather petty that you want to report this clinical instructor for this. Would you report a fellow student for buying a study guide or an NCLEX resource not required by the instructor? S/he is getting an "advantage" over other students with that as well, and according to your view that wouldn't be fair either.

I have found that the students who do best in my program are the ones who focus on themselves; on their own studying, their own clinical practice, and how they can make themselves the best student nurse they can be, and don't pay any mind to others.

An NCLEX resource is available at the bookstore so all students have equal access to it, the same cannot be said of a study guide the clinical instructor made. The clinical instructor clearly did this to help their group earn higher scores.

My clinical instructor actually distributed a test taking book for us, which anyone can purchase at the book store.

But, you guys are right its not going to make or break their scores and I honestly think its sad this clinical instructor is so insecure in their abilities they have to resort to tricks like that to make themselves appear effective.

My school is like that as well. The course coordinators teach lectures and most of the labs and usually do not teach clinical (maybe one group of 8 when there are 100 of us). Most of the clinical instructors are adjunct faculty and know nothing about exams or anything lecture related.

A student gave the clinical instructor the exam blue print, the clinical instructor made the study guide from the exam blue print then distributed it to the students. This clinical instructor is not adjunct faculty though they should not be teaching at all.

I agree with other posters that the clinical instructor was actually doing a disservice to her students by giving the information without effort from her students. They needed to research the information themselves. There is a big difference between knowing the correct answer and comprehending why it is the correct answer. Nursing school requires critical thinking skills and not just memorization of the information.

Maybe my school is different, but our clinical instructors have no clue about our tests and our scores. Their job is to teach clinical.

I agree the clinical instructor is doing a disservice to the students, because its teaching them to be lazy and will not work in other classes or on the NCLEX. The clinical instructor does not care about their students, the clinical instructor only cares about their career.

You obviously have not heard of a very useful advice to survive nursing school.

1) The Instructor is Always Right

2) If you Have any Doubts, Please Read #1

You'll be better off if you focus on yourself.

Sent via my iPhone using allnurses.com ❤️

I honestly think its sad this clinical instructor is so insecure in their abilities they have to resort to tricks like that to make themselves appear effective.

I wish we could hear the instructor's side of the story, especially with your accusations of insecurity and "tricks".

This resource would be made available to you too if you completed the blue print and turned it into a study guide.

I think you should ask one of the students if you can make a copy of their study guide it might help it might not. Maybe they are willing to share with the rest of the students.

Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
At my school for one of the large 6 credit classes one clinical instructor gave their clinical group a study guide. I feel this is unfair to the rest of the students since some students were given a resource other students did not receive. I feel the clinical instructor did this so their clinical group would earn high scores thus making the clinical instructor look affective. I personally got a high A on the exam so I am not unhappy about my score but do not like these type of tactics. I am considering mentioning this to the professor who teaches the didactic portion of the class, or my clinical instructor. But at the same time I want to keep my mouth shut and not get involved.[/quote']

I think that you should let it go, you got an A, why do you care what others get? If this is how you're going to feel at work when you are done, get ready for some tough times ahead when you get to the real world of managers and favoritism.

Specializes in ICU + Infection Prevention.

Anyone who wants the guide should ask for it. Unless they request it and are denied, they have no legitimate comlaint of unfairness.

Dear OP,

My favorite quote "mind ya business, just mind ya business"

It sounds like you are complaining/whining because someone else got something you didn't.

Unless you can prove the instructor gave them the exact answers to the test, then the complaint is useless and petty.

Suck it up and move on.

So that clinical instructor cares more about her students' learning so she puts more effort into giving them resources than the other clinical instructors do, and you don't like that because she is a more Effective teacher (though I suppose maybe she's more Affective too), as evidenced by her group getting better grades (did they really?)...? Or, as someone who really bent over backwards to teach my clinicals the best I knew how, am I totally missing something?

An NCLEX resource is available at the bookstore so all students have equal access to it, the same cannot be said of a study guide the clinical instructor made. The clinical instructor clearly did this to help their group earn higher scores.

My clinical instructor actually distributed a test taking book for us, which anyone can purchase at the book store.

But, you guys are right its not going to make or break their scores and I honestly think its sad this clinical instructor is so insecure in their abilities they have to resort to tricks like that to make themselves appear effective.

Oh, horsepucky. I taught my clinical students lots of things they didn't get in depth in lecture. Actually, many of them are the same things I teach a lot here on AN. I, and I'll bet this instructor too, did it to MAKE BETTER NURSES. If the other students felt like they were getting the short end of the stick, the answer is not to make the instructor teach less.

I agree the clinical instructor is doing a disservice to the students, because its teaching them to be lazy and will not work in other classes or on the NCLEX. The clinical instructor does not care about their students, the clinical instructor only cares about their career.

Nonsense. The instructor (probably a he or she, not an it) is not teaching them to be lazy. S/he is giving them more resources to study with. You going to complain that some of your classmates listen to me and get a NANDA-I 2012-2014 and a NANDA-NIC-NOC because I tell them it will make their work better? Or that Esme gives some students (the ones here who bother to pay attention) brain sheets, outlines, and resources that their classmates don't have?

And who says clinical instructors only care about their careers? Believe me, we could have been earning more and having less hassle without you. :) If you meant this ONE clinical instructor only cares about his or her own career, don't mix singulars and plurals in the same sentence because it's confusing / inaccurate, and you give no evidence that this is true.

Sheesh. Go worry about something else. It sounds as if someone like that would be wasted on you anyway.

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