pet peeves of instructors?

Nursing Students General Students

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I know we have a couple nursing instructors among us, and I was wondering if y'all would be willing to share with us, the things that students do/don't do, in class and in clinicals, that drive you batty...

I know I've heard enough students complain about things their instructors do, let's turn the tables! This might even help some of us newer students avoid some problems!

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Students who always look for the "easy way out." They make the bare minimum effort at anything, whether it's in doing their homework, searching for information, thinking about the material, whatever. They do only the bare minimum amount of work that will prevent them from actually failing the class and little else.

Typically, these students want you to "spoon feed" them everything. They want to know exactly what questions will be on the test: they don't want to go to the library to look anything up: they don't want to have to use their brains to figure anything out: etc. They want it all simply given to them -- which is NOT a good way to learn complex material.

llg -- who is not in a faculty position now, but has taught in the past

Y'know, there's a girl in my class who fits that description. She drives *me* batty! She's always asking, "Can you tell us exactly what will be on the test?" or "What chapter is ____ in?". Our instructors grit their teeth and tell her to use the index.

I am not an instructor, but it seems from my experience with them that mostly they are sticklers for preparation. Have your paperwork done at clinical and be prepared to care for your patient. Have your reading done before lecture and be prepared to discuss it in class.

;)

Oh I have just a few--

#1) Don't be late! I realize things come up--but a habitually tardy student shows disrespect not only for the instructor, but for their fellow students as well

#2) Listen carefully and follow directions--particularly when the instructor gives detailed instructions on a specific assignment (ie--procedure cards)

#3) The boyscout motto of "always be prepared" is awesome advise for nursing students!

I am sure there are others ;) but I can't think of them right now!

Specializes in Behavioral Health.
Originally posted by wv_nurse 2003

;)

Oh I have just a few--

#1) Don't be late! I realize things come up--but a habitually tardy student shows disrespect not only for the instructor, but for their fellow students as well

As a student, I will 2nd that one. I break my butt be there on time and never miss clinical...makes me crazy that there are a few who show up late all the time.

I have to wonder if their grades reflect it.....

This is a very odd pet-peeve considering that it belonged to a teacher.....

One of my nursing school instructors would get ill when someone asked her a question about what any given term meant. Her answer was always either "I don't know; you tell me" or "Look it up.'

Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Students who whine or are complaining about something or scapegoating all the time. Did I mention WHINING????

Cell phones going off in class!! It is so distracting and breaks the flow of the class. I had one teacher who would deduct points from your final grade for every time it happened. I never once heard a phone go off in his class.

Students who don't strive to do their best. Just doing enough to scrape by. I actually heard one girl say that anything over a C is just a waste of time, because a C is all you really need. I wonder what her future patients may think of that kind of attitude?? I just hope I'm never one of them.

Specializes in PACU, PICU, ICU, Peds, Education.

Not having a rationale for doing something! I was not one of those people who demanded a detailed reason for every action. Yet I hated it when I asked a student to think about something, why something was done a specific way (especially when there were other ways of doing it) and the answer was "I don't know," or even worse, "this is the way we have always done it."

Remember "I don't know" is NEVER an acceptable answer...

"I don't know, but I'll find out," is.

Specializes in Adult Med-Surg, Rehab, and Ambulatory Care.

Oh geez, lots of folks in this thread have already covered my pet peeves (cell phones, tardiness, etc.), but I think one of my biggest is the students during clinical who would hide out in their patients' or in the staff room so they wouldn't have to do anything. Hello, your client's call bell is going off, are you going to come out of the bathroom and answer it?

:rolleyes:

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