Complaints against a school

Katnip, RN · Apr 24, 2003

The people in the school seem to be extremely unprofessional. To be honest, your husband and you, for that matter, will be a lot better off without them.

Mithrah · Apr 24, 2003

Reading all these posts makes me realize how men have it hard in the nursing field. I know a guy in my nursing class that works as a CNA and one of his patients at work falsely accused him of touching her inappropriately. Because it was a complaint they had to investigate the whole issue and this guy got forced unpaid leave until it was resolved. In the end they found out that she was lying (she had falsely accused someone else in the past).

I think your husband should talk to the charge nurse on the floor he was on and find out the facts. Sounds like the teacher is very unprofessional and doesn't know how to handle situations appropriately.

BABNRS · Apr 24, 2003

Thank you all for your helpful responses.

In response to a few of your questions/comments: He is enrolled in the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College/Jefferson Davis Campus. He is writing his detailed appeal and plans to deliver it to the Director of the ADN program tomorrow. According to his syllabus, he is supposed to be allowed to attend class during an appeal process, we will see. In the meantime, he is struggling to keep his spirit up. He is very discouraged and feels defeated. He has no idea what this complaint can be. His patients have always loved him and he gets appreciation letters from patients at the hospital where he is a tech (CNA). It is unbelievable. Back to my previous post where I mentioned the instructor in question writing her rendition of the exchange between the two of them...he wouldn't sign it. He told them that it was not reflective of what was said and he didn't agree with it. After that meeting, this instructor told another instructor that "that little F---er wouldn't sign my statement" and went on to refer to him as an SOB and a piece of trash. However, this instructor is not willing to step forward and risk herself to stand up for him. 8 more days and he could be free from these people. Like my mama said, sometimes there are just mean people in this world.

rstewart · Apr 24, 2003

Do dramas such as this occur with anywhere near the same frequency in schools of accounting or mathematics or physics or.....? As a former "professional student" I can tell you that in my experience nursing schools are, shall I say, quite unique.

Regretfully, this type of incident is one of the few commonalities shared by nursing academia and the "real" world.

tonicareer · Apr 24, 2003

Yes it does happen in other fields of training besides nursing. I have seen it happen and typically it is someone who the instructor preceives as different. In this case a man in nursing might be considered unusually by the prof. If a woman goes in to a field such as car mechanic she might get the same grief. Older students can be targeted. If your religion is different than the school your attending. Such as a nonCatholic attending a Catholic school. Gay students might be targeted in some cases by some profs. It can be hard to determine the bias that an instructor has. Some profs just like the power they have to destroy someone. Not all instrutors/profs do this but there are some out there for sure. I hope the problem is resolved and some how some way your husband can continue his education. Perhaps he will have to transfer to a different school. I guarantee the instructor will find a new victim.

essarge · Apr 24, 2003

At our school, there is an instructor that is recieving her Doctorate in the next week or so. She has taken it upon herself to target three students in her clinical group (including me). She has repeatedly called one student "stupid", yelled at another student, and torn my work to pieces (as if I'm an experienced nurse already and not a student). She has become a snob and tells the staff, where we do our clinicals, about how she has thrown students out of clinicals for having to repeat herself to them (we are student's and learning for God's sake!!), and just been out to fail as many students as she can to show her "power".

It does absolutely no good to say anything in our program because nothing is ever done. :eek:

As an example, three seniors just failed r/t exam scores. The instructor told the entire senior class "I'm dropping the lowest exam score" and never did. This made three seniors fail and unable to graduate. They took this to the chair yesterday and it is still pending. I put my money on nothing being done because our chair never over rides what the instructors do.

I really hope that everything works out for your husband and will say a prayer for him. They say all things happen for a reason, although I cannot think of any for the actions of some of the instructors that I have seen and heard of.

Best of luck to both of you!!

BABNRS · Apr 24, 2003

Thanks to everyone for all of the supportive comments. Today he has picked up his bootstraps and is pressing on. He got up this morning with appeal letter in hand, and is spending the day studying at the Barnes and Nobles!! With his phone at his side of course in case they call him requesting a meeting about his appeal! I am so very proud of him for not wallowing in his defeated feelings all day! YOU GO BOY!!! Please continue to say a prayer for us! I will keep you informed of the progress

katscan · Apr 24, 2003

I am so suprised that the instuctors use such language with a student-no matter what age. I would consider that to be unwanted verbal abuse-to be denigrated like that. It certainly is not constructive criticism! And that other instructor calling a student "stupid" and a SOB! What kind of instructors are these??The school, their superiors and their fellow colleagues should be ashamed to have these instructors on staff!! They obviously are not teachers, as a true teacher builds up, not tears down...

Disablednurse · Apr 24, 2003

A lot of times, these instructors will do this to students that they think will not do anything about it, too. They do this to show what kind of power they have over the students, that is scares some of the other students also. Tell him to keep fighting.

essarge · Apr 24, 2003

Unfortunately, most students don't say anything because of the fact that an instructor literally holds their future as a "ransom". It's more or less, the instructor says and does whatever he/she wants to the student, the student says nothing in fear of reprisal. This shows over and over again, not only at my school, but in the posts that I have read on this site.

I feel that, since I am paying the institute to teach me, that they have no right whatsoever to verbally abuse me. I have not been called stupid because if I had, there would be a full investigation, up to the top if need be. It also goes without saying that, if this should occur, the instructor should be put on notice by the department (in writing) that this action would not be tolerated and, if repeated, could culminate in their immediate termination!

Of course, that's just my opinion, and only if it was my department that I was chair of!! So until that day, I guess that it's just the "ransom" clause that I have to abide by!! LOL!

Rapheal · Apr 25, 2003

Please keep us updated. I have 3 friends who were "dismissed" for invalid reasons. All that self confidence, time, and money wasted. They were good students. Our instructors believed in the "weeding out" process. How do I know? One of the instructors took a liking to me after I passed their weeding out torture tests. We were conversing and she told me that she felt some students did not have the "personality" it took to become a nurse and how it was her "job" to weed them out for the good of the profession. Some serious power tripping there. I sincerely hope your husband does well on his appeal. Then I think he needs to get out and attend a better school.

Rapheal · Apr 25, 2003

Please keep us updated. I have 3 friends who were "dismissed" for invalid reasons. All that self confidence, time, and money wasted. They were good students. Our instructors believed in the "weeding out" process. How do I know? One of the instructors took a liking to me after I passed their weeding out torture tests. We were conversing and she told me that she felt some students did not have the "personality" it took to become a nurse and how it was her "job" to weed them out for the good of the profession. Some serious power tripping there. I sincerely hope your husband does well on his appeal. Then I think he needs to get out and attend a better school.