Hellish Clinicals

[Dawson]

:angryfire I'm in the clinical experience from Hell! :angryfire

I'm in my last semester of an ADN program. Until this point, I feel I've actually been ENCOURAGED to become a nurse--to ask questions and to take the time to learn to do a skill right the first time. This semester, my clinical experience has me just about convinced that I've made a terrible mistake.

We are on a very hectic telemetry unit. Our instructor has decided it's best for us to "find out now how stressful nursing really is", so she has directed the nurse's aides to refuse any help we might need. Each day we get three patients, at least one of which is total care, and frequently one of which is in strict isolation for one infection or another. In addition to basic care, we are also responsible for researching and administering all of their medications and completing the associated paperwork. The paperwork is always a challenge because the nurses refuse to let us HAVE the paperwork, so we must hunt down the nurse in charge of our patient every time we need to make an entry. Our instructor wants us to be able to "handle pressure", so she belittles us and yells at us in front of staff and patients if we make the tiniest error or omission. The nurses on the floor are also her "eyes and ears", as we have all discovered the hard way when we have asked seasoned nurses in confidence for advice, then gotten reprimanded by our instructor for not knowing the answer ourselves. We are also getting little "mind games" played on us, like nurses offering to get med's, needles or tubing for us, then getting the wrong thing so our instructor can see if we pick up on the mistake before we walk into the room. I'm in a constant state of dread of each clinical day, and my only goal when I walk in the hospital each morning is that I will be able to avoid notice, either good or bad. I can't sleep and my stomach hurts all the time. Soon we will get 4 patients each. I hate to think I've wasted all this time and effort, but if this is what nursing is like, I want no part of it. I wish I had never started nursing school. Yuck. How do I get through the next three months and get some of my confidence back? Is this what I can expect when I start working?

[nekhismom]

So sorry to hear that your clinicals are going so poorly this semester. Unfortunately, I had instructors like that too. We complained, took a teacher to the dean, and nothing ever happened. It sucks, but we managed to pull together and get through it. I'm not saying this instructor's behavior was acceptable in any way Just take heart and realize that you are not alone in being treated poorly on the clinical floor.

One instructor routinely made people cry in my school. The staff was so used to seeing students cry that they didn't even get offended when they witnessed it. Strangely, this instructor never yelled at me in front of a patient. He did yell at me for jumping when he was drawing up medicine and I walked past the med cart and he squirted me. I didn't know what he was drawing up, and I didn't want to get stuck. But that SET HIM OFF!! He yelled at me in front of the other students, the nurses and the doctors. I remained very calm, and when he finished, I just said, "yes, mr ___, you are right. I should not be scared of you or your actions. I won't be alarmed next time. Please forgive my mistake." He never yelled at me again.

Another trick is to ALWAYS look busy. I'm sure that you usually ARE busy, but in the rare instance that you are not, you should appear to be overwhelmed anyway. This keeps instructors from bothering you too much. If you have nothing to do, change linens, or just carry linens into a room, talk to the patient for a while, do whatever the patient may need done, and take those linens out and put them in the laundry bin later on . And try not to be found. I'm not saying hide, but stay in patients rooms if at all possible. Take the time to talk to your patients rather than roaming the halls or chatting with students. Just make yourself scarce and you are less likely to be sought out.

Take heart, you are going to graduate soon and this will be over. Nursing is not always like your clinicals. I hope you can get things straightened out with this instructor before the end of the semester, though, for your sake and the sake of your fellow students.

[Dawson]

Thanks for all of the suggestions and encouragement. Just knowing others have gotten thru similar situations helps a lot. Your instructor really told you crew neck sweaters were too provocative?! Your instructor really squirted you with a medication, then yelled at you for reacting?! How bizarre!

The other students in my clinical group have experiences similar to mine--or in some cases worse, I'm sorry to say. I'm pretty good at keeping a low profile when I need to (or maybe I'm just a big coward). One student in particular is soft-spoken, but very young and very conscientious, so she seems to be getting the worst of the wrath. As far as the other clinical groups, they all say that there are times when they feel overwhelmed, but they have been encouraged to delegate to the aides, ask their nurses for advice, etc. Unfortunately, all of those groups are full (we've checked! :chuckle ). Some of us want the group as a whole to complain to a director, but others in the group feel this will just make matters worse when we only have a short time until graduation. We all feel that if we can't organize a complaint as a group, it's best not to do it at all. At this point we are all pulling together to try to hold each other up, cover each other's hinies and get thru the home stretch. I've learned two things though: (1) None of us will be working at that hospital when/if we graduate! (2) The friendships I've formed in nursing school will stay with me the rest of my life!

[RNSuzq1, RN]

Dawson,

I can't believe your Instructor would yell at you in front of your patients - that's awful. Not only is that incredibly unprofessional on her part, but I'm just imagining what thoughts are going through the patients minds. They want to know that they are receiving the best possible care and for someone to undermine what type of care you are giving "in front of the patient" would surely cause them added stress.

I've heard some similar stories on here and it's sad to think that a "teacher" would treat her students that way. I understand that they want you to learn how stressful it is being a Nurse - but humiliating you in front of patients and your peers certainly isn't the way to go about it - you are still learning after all.

You are so close to graduating - I hope you'll hang in there. I'm not a Nurse yet, but have many family members and friends who are RN's and trust me - if you got this far, you'll make a Great Nurse. Don't let them get you down and don't quit!!! All the Best To You. SusanNC

[Roland]

AFTER I graduated from such a program I would probably write a letter DETAILING the treatment that I received to virtually EVERY administrative person in my University. Furthermore, I would probably "CC" a copy to every local and regional media outlet (I would emphasize negative ramifications for patient outcomes, student retension, and nursing education). I would probably also file a complaint with the State Board of Nursing against his/her LICENSE for advising other staff to DELIBERATELY give you wrong or improper medications, this increases the chances that patients could be harmed, and is simply not acceptible. IF several people did this you can bet that there would be ramifications for the school. People and programs that act poorly and in an unprofessional manner MUST be called to account if their behavior is to change.

[emmy]

Poor you, I haven't gone on any clinicals yet and so I am really dreading it after reading this. I really think you should all complain together, from what I've heard how could it get any worse?

Good luck and chin up it's nearly over.

[raynefall]

The other students in my clinical group have experiences similar to mine--or in some cases worse, I'm sorry to say. I'm pretty good at keeping a low profile when I need to (or maybe I'm just a big coward). One student in particular is soft-spoken, but very young and very conscientious, so she seems to be getting the worst of the wrath. As far as the other clinical groups, they all say that there are times when they feel overwhelmed, but they have been encouraged to delegate to the aides, ask their nurses for advice, etc. Unfortunately, all of those groups are full (we've checked! :chuckle ). Some of us want the group as a whole to complain to a director, but others in the group feel this will just make matters worse when we only have a short time until graduation. We all feel that if we can't organize a complaint as a group, it's best not to do it at all. At this point we are all pulling together to try to hold each other up, cover each other's hinies and get thru the home stretch. I've learned two things though: (1) None of us will be working at that hospital when/if we graduate! (2) The friendships I've formed in nursing school will stay with me the rest of my life!

Well Good Luck to you! I had one of the worst instructors this semester, but unlike others I'm not soft spoken and when she went too far I let her know it. You're almost done so just bite your tongue, stay busy, and do whatever you have to do to put up with the b!tch.

[Mandylpn]

I sure am glad I don't go to your school. Hang in there, don't let them make you quit. :uhoh21:

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

Totally bizarre behavior as far as im concerned. This isnt even called clinicals,, its called see who can make an error. Good thing you are "practicing" under your instructors license, so when/if there is a problem at least SHE WILL go down too. I doubt there will be any instance that you wont have someone to "help" move/bath/ambulate if necessary in a hospital setting. It's the whole concept of TEAM nursing. This instructor is INSANE!! :angryfire

[RNKITTY04]

OMG Just when I think nursing school can't get any worse I read your post. I am SOOOO sorry you are having to go through that crap, all I can tell you is that I've heard 100 times that real life nursing is nothing like nursing school (thank God or I will quit the first day) God bless and good luck to you.

[nekhismom]

Nursing school can be crazy, instructors can be crazy, and the staff on the floor can be resentful of havig students take care of "their" patients. Many of the staff nurses on the floors I did clinicals on often said, "if you screw up, it's my name as the primary caregiver on the chart, and it's my license!" They think you are working under their license rather than your instructor's! I don't know the answer, but if the whole group isn't going to bond together, your actions may not be successful. We had the same situation during my first semester in school. A group of students took the instructor to the dean for numerous violations of the syllabus and the nursing handbook, but nothing was ever done about it. A few other classes after mine also reported the teacher, but no action was taken. Lean on your friends in your clinical group and support each other! Like someone else said, cover each other's hiney!

Also, have you as a group tried discussing the way the instructor is making you feel with her privately? Say, in post-conference or something? I think that would be a good place to start. Maybe tell her that her behavior increases unsafe practice, and that you all feel as soon to be grads that you need more of a trusting relationship with her? Maybe she doesn't realize that the other instructors don't act the same way she does. I think if you address her with concerns about patient safety then she may be more likely to listen, especially if you remind her that any mistakes are technically under HER license!

Best of luck to you. You can do this!!

[Jennerizer, ASN, RN]

I can't believe the hospital allows this. They are the ones ultimately liable if a student makes a mistake & harms a patient. I'd be writing an anonymous letter to whoever is the President or CEO of this hospital and let him/her know what is going on. That would be a lot more productive than writing to the University.

I've had a tough instructor one semester, but never were we banned from getting help from the nursing staff. That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Hang in there though.....don't let anyone make you feel inferior!

[nearlyERRN]

:angryfire I'm in the clinical experience from Hell! :angryfire

Dawson, you have my sympathy, too! I've been there and had the upset stomach, diarrhea and feelings of dread. I lost 10 pounds in my clinical from hell. Unfortunately, the only advice I can give is to just keep plugging along and conquer this task. This is your career this "teacher" (& I use the term very loosly) is messing with. I also agree with another post that you should report her/him to the BON after graduation. Trust me, unless you're prepared to fail (which clinical instructors can and will do), don't report her/him until you're done. Then, let em have it.

Good luck!

PS - after every clinical from hell, I used to take a couple of hours to myself to calm down and remind myself why I was in nursing school to begin with - from there I'd feel better!