How to deal with ****-poor teaching?

allnurses Guide · Mar 17, 2012

The only thing you CAN do is deal with it. Not every teacher is going to teach to your style. You learn to compensate.

roro13sf · Mar 17, 2012

You will come across professors like that...and it can be frustrating. Find out what content you're responsible for learning/being tested on (usually in the syllabus) and then read the assigned chapters. Connect with your classmates to see how they're dealing with it and study with them. It may also be helpful to take a speed reading class.

ericaej · Mar 17, 2012

I start nursing school next semester; however, I have been taking liberal studies courses for over 2 years. I took a class in Case Management in which the teacher gave the group project a failing grade because we didn't meet her standards. We had to develop an ecomap for an imaginary client. An ecomap is a way to show a client's resources on paper. Anyway, teacher marked us off for using abbreviations. She did this even though she used abbreviations in her example. I was so annoyed with her. As were all my classmates!

In retrospect, here is how I looked at that class: I learned how to deal with a difficult person! LOL. It sounds crazy but is so true. I ended up with a B in that class. I did well on all the exams. I made some good friends. And I'd like to think that I learned a little bit about case management, a skill nurses use! So take a deep breath and look for the positive. See if you can find any resources (like tutoring) to help you achieve what you need to learn.

I struggled with Anatomy and Physiology so I got a free tutor through my college. It was great and I ended up with an A- in that class. Sure, not an A but you know what? My teacher was impressed because it's a difficult class. At the beginning of the semester, she made it clear how difficult the class is. We covered everything in one semester versus the typical two semester course. That was my favorite class so far. Look for the positive, find ways to to make something work and you will come out on top. I promise! :) Good luck!!!

ericaej · Mar 17, 2012

P.S. There are websites you can rate college professors at. I did it for the case management class. Be diplomatic but warn others. Some teachers have so much tenor there is nothing you can do but help someone else not get stuck in the same boat you were in.

ckh23, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2012

So if I'm reading your post correctly, you are upset because your not being taught from material straight out of the book and because you have less time to study because of more work???

Lectures should supplement the reading and vice versa, but every professor has their own way of teaching. If the text books had all of the answers than there would be no reason to have someone teach the material. As a student and as a nurse you need to learn to be flexible. Perhaps you need to set aside a little more time to re-read chapters.

Marmite75 · Mar 17, 2012

I am sorry you're frustrated, but I have to agree with ckh23: In the end, you're responsible for the work to be learned. I have had some wonderful instructors, and others who I found to be useless and I ended up learning the subject on my own. I do not have a lot of free time, so I sympathize with your frustration on how much extra time this takes. Stick with it: I learned to record the lectures, then I would listen to them while I went for a run, or while I was going over my notes. I would read in the evenings, going over the chapters and making my own notes. Yes, it was time consuming, but I stuck with it and was rewarded with great results.

On another note: Do not be afraid to bring the instructor back to topic, you're paying for the class, and you're having to learn the material. I have had to do this before, just remember to be respectful about it :-)

And, good luck!

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2012

Frankly, at the end of last spring's semester I washed my hands of it. I just show up and listen to their spill and go on with life.

on eagles wings, ASN, RN · Mar 17, 2012

^^^that

most of my teachers have no skill in teaching and are only doing it because they are finishing their degrees, etc and have no passion for it. just find a tutor or a really smart friend and cram together like there is no tomorrow.

mazy · Mar 17, 2012

I've been very frustrated since I started my second semester...
My teachers don't really lecture in Adult health I and Mental Health:
-One of them lectures on tangential sometimes relevant/irrelevant material, or material that's based on her 'experience' (she's old and seems to be losing it a little bit); this material is not to be found in the text book.
-The other teacher likes to do class activities, and doesn't really lecture.
I'm an auditory learner and a slow reader. Last semester I didn't have much homework/busy work, but now they piled on stuff with papers, case studies, weekly homework, etc. Last semester, I had much more time to read the chapters over and over.
I feel like they're trying to makes the course load artificially harder by wasting my time with crappy assignments and not teaching content.

This is the reality of nursing school. This is why a lot of people come to this site wondering why people say nursing school is so hard when they are finding it really easy....mid-way through the first semester.

Get used to this workload, it's not going to stop, and you will be expected to keep up with a tsunami wave of assignments and paperwork, and keep up with your book reading.

Just wait till they add clinicals into the mix.

I think you would be well served to pay attention to your teacher who is talking about her experiences. You may think she's old and addled, but there is no better way to learn than from the experiences of others.

Once you get out into the field as a professional it will be even worse.

Welcome to the wonderful world of nursing.

Stcroix, ASN, PhD, RN · Mar 18, 2012

Look at this challenge like a series of hurdles. Dig down and jump it, but be aware, the next jump is coming up fast! That's what nursing school is like, no time to criticize, just keep on chuggin along.

LovinLife35 · Mar 20, 2012

one of our professors consistently gave us wrong information. she explained many chemical processes wrong (then proceeded to put numerous questions on the test about the process). there was many mistakes in her powerpoints. it got to the point where we were fact checking her, going through our textbook during her lecture. i feel like this is unacceptable :down: . thank goodness for the textbooks and prior knowledge from physiology. we had to go to the nursing director with our proof. needless to say, they finally got rid of her.