Do you like your program?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in LTC.

I was wondering how everyone feels about their nursing program. I have to say that I really don't like mine at all.

My biggest gripe--I was under the impression that I was going to be taught. What I have found out during the last few months is that I am in an accelerated self-taught program. (...sigh)

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I was wondering how everyone feels about their nursing program. I have to say that I really don't like mine at all.

My biggest gripe--I was under the impression that I was going to be taught. What I have found out during the last few months is that I am in an accelerated self-taught program. (...sigh)

I am facing a very similar situation. I am on my third semester of nursing and the instructor is only reading the powerpoint notes. So many students just stopped coming to class, staying home reading the book. I wanted to do that, but I convinced myself to go, only to be bored out of my mind. As of rightnow, almost half of the class is failure because of her poor teaching skills. I think because of the nursing instructor shortage, schools are settling for less. I feel like I am wasting my money, paying to be taught only to find out, I am teaching myself. We just completed psychiatric, I just passed by 5 extra points. I was finding myself, spending so much times trying to understand the materials on my own, instead of learning them in class. I had to call a psychiatric instructor from another school for help because I am more a med surg person, not really interested in Psychiatric nursing.

We are in the same situation. The worst thing, there is nothing I can do about it. The last semester students compain, nothing was done.

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Specializes in ER; HBOT- lots others.

i dont want to be an *!@(&!($*@$, but my dean. she flat out told me that i would fail.

it didnt motivate me, in fact it just ticked me off. she doesnt say hi to me unless we are around many other students.. i am on a committee for all the incoming 1st semester students to answer ?'s and tell them some stuff.. and she was like "oh thank you guys so much...." yeah right.. should i tell the students she does that? should i tell the staff?? i wish! when i know i am done, have my degree, and she cannot hinder my career,, i am going to confront her.. not be a jerk, but tell her that was wrong.. hell, i am great at writing my frustrations, i should just do that.. then she can refer to it all she wants!!! and its proof i didnt say anything nasty!!

-h-

ah... that felt good!! lmao

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Yes, it is true that nursing instructors eat their young. :uhoh3: I really don't know how to say this but I wonder if it would be different if it weren't run by women. I know, I know, please don't flame me to death. :angryfire

I studied different disiplines before nursing school (dark ages) and I never encountered the type of confrontive attitudes form the instructors.

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Specializes in LTC.

Ok manofcares, now you've got me thinking...the only good instructors I have had were my male science instructors.

One thing I was thinking about doing (anonymously, of course) was to tell the nursing instructors to observe my A&P instructor to see how a good instructor holds a class. I bet that would help!:uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3: HA!

I don't think anything will help this program.

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Specializes in Home Health.

I guess I'm in the minority here. While the instructors challenge us to be better, they don't seem "stand-offish." So far, I have only encountered an attitude of genuine interest in our success- not only in the program, but in our careers. I guess I should consider myself lucky based on what others have said. And, the faculty in my program is all female.

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My program has it's issues, mostly administrative and/or as a result of cuts in funding for education in the wonderful state of FL. However, I genuinely like my instructors. They aren't easy, and push us to learn, but most people pass each test, and the average is usually in the high C/low B range. Our instructors care if we learn the material or not - they are always open to e-mails, and answer questions promptly (often followed by a mass e-mail to the class if one of us asked a question they felt they should have clarified better in lecture). Some of my classmates disagree, and think they are "out to get us", but they're usually the ones who are shocked when I mention that I still read every page that we're assigned. When I read every page, attend every class, take good notes, record the lectures and listen to them again, and make comprehensive study guides for each test, I get an A. That seems fair to me. People who do a little less than that, but still put forth a genuine effort and don't skip class, pass. If anyone fails out of my program, it's not the fault of our instructors.

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Specializes in Acute Care.

My school is going through a ciruculum revision mandated by the state or something, and my class is the first one to get the new classes. None of the teachers have a clue whats going on- it seems like they get together for 30 minutes before each semester starts to put their lesson plans together. Our lectures consist of powerpoints straight from the book being rattled off. Next week we're taking a cardiac exam that hasn't changed with the new classes, the exam has an 80% failure rate historically, but the teachers won't consider changing it. I could go on, but that would just be depressing.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I know what you mean. When they told us that they were not going to spoon feed us I did not know that ment I was going to have to take a weapons training course, get a permit to own a gun, buy a gun, hunt it, cook it, and then eat it.......with my own spoon:uhoh3:

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Specializes in LDRP.

um, yes and no.

my program is extremely unorganized.

yet i have put a lot of work in and feel like ive learned a lot.

i have a love/hate relationship with the whole thing. would i do it again in this program? yeah. would i recommend it to others? depends on who they are.

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I was wondering how everyone feels about their nursing program. I have to say that I really don't like mine at all.

My biggest gripe--I was under the impression that I was going to be taught. What I have found out during the last few months is that I am in an accelerated self-taught program. (...sigh)

I couldn't agree more. I have the same problem, lecture instructor reading word for word from power point slides...but that's not my biggest gripe. My clinical instructor is INSANE!!! She has it out for me. She was in the millitary...do I need say more. She treats me like you know what, belittling me and really teaches me NOTHING accept to stay away from her. I dread my clinical day each week. I think she is going to fail me. No matter what I do, she accuses me not be serious. She says she hears me laughing all the time. I don't see what's so funny of interpreting lab results with a fellow student or helping another student disipher patient records. No matter what I do it's not good enough and she just loves to shove it my face that my light bulb is not going off like the rest of the group and saying I'm not independent because I ask questions to confirm my thinking. Isn't that what first semister nursing students should do. Do they really expect that after 3 weeks of lecture and lab 1 once a week we wont make mistakes and we're to be independent!!!! I don't get it and there's not one person to talk to in administration, who am I? I'm not sure I can make it. is there any out there with some advice!!!!

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I'm in an ADN program, 2nd yr. We feel like we have done a lot of self teaching. It seems lectures are about going through the book with the instructor and finding cues and tidbits to get the their take on what is important and what the right answer is on a test. I was shocked the first year but after reading on this board it doesn't seem that unusual. 2nd year is a little different but not by much.

I don't mind the self study; I just wish there was more time to do it so I could feel I actually learn/retain things. I also wish clinical provided opportunities to practice and discuss and tie things together. It doesn't much.

Going into it I thought I was going to school to learn to be a nurse. Now I think I'm mainly learning how to survive in a nursing environment - how to manage overwhelm, find info and make sense of it, how not to get eaten/maimed/killed for sport and left for vultures and how to take the test.

I don't know if any school can adequately prepare one to provide good nursing care fresh out of school. I think the best that can be expected is that you'll know enough to not hurt patients and to not be hurt by other staff.

I hope to God I get a decent job and preceptor after school. I want to be an excellent nurse but I'm not sure I'm even prepared to be adequate at this point. I get down about it and it's hard to stay motivated lately but I'll keep on and get as much out of it as I can. In the end, it's really up to me what I get or don't get and I'm resigned to the fact that I'm not going to get what I need or want from school alone.

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