What would you do if you had this situation?

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A clinical instructor is refusing to allow her studnet off the fllor if they in her estimation are not finished their pt care. These poor people are on the floor a 6:45 and not allowed to leave until 3:30 even though clinical is supposed to be over at 3:00. They are not allowed to eat lunch and are being treated very poorly. They are being told that they can be failed at any time. How would you handle this situation?

I would go to the head of the nursing department at school and/or my student advisor and discuss the situation with them. Sounds like some issues need to be addressed.

Is the instructor staying with the students??

I would follow the advise of the previous poster as well.

This behavior really fosters a feeling of wanting to stay in nursing doesn't it??

Specializes in home health, LTC, assisted living.

You are scaring me, we start clinicals in three weeks. I hope this does not happen to me. No lunch? I think I would faint.

Specializes in LTC & Private Duty Pediatrics.

RN2be:

- I don't give at rats rear-end what any nursing instructor, boss, future employer or my mother says. I am not going 8 hours without a potty break or a munchie.

- Granted, there will be emergencies -- that's life -- and exceptions to the above will need to be made.

- Now, if your instructor is offering extra help -- then by God I'd sure as heck make sure I stayed that extra half hour. But, if she is abusing the students then it's time to stand up to her.

John Coxey

UNITE and report it...you are students, you are not getting paid for your work, you are paying for them to teach you...And if stuff isn't getting do, what is she doing to teach you time management skills and the such. Doesn't sound like much teaching going on here. Also if she is not in house when you all are playing catch up...that would be illegal, at least in my state, because you are practicing under her license..so she would be just plain stupid if that is the case. You are still learning and have EVERY RIGHT to a break and a lunch!!!! What about post conference do you have them?

UGH I would make sure to stop this NOW, before it gets ugly, becuase she will run more people out of the program that way, and it will just get worse if left alone. Don't mean to scare you here, just my feeling.

I think all of us have delt with an instructor like this to one degree or another, hang in there and let us know what happens.

Good luck to you!!!

Hi 2Be,

I agree with the other posters. This is abusive behavior and if your instructor is not willing to work out an appropriate schedule for the students then I would take this to your Dean of Nursing and then perhaps to the Dean of the School.

Believe it or not, my school is actually very strict on students getting a lunch break and starting/stopping clinicals at the designated time and our instructors follow through. Originally, 2nd year clinicals were to be 12 hours on the first day and then 4 hours the next day, this is the schedule for each week. However, the Dean of the Program said that a 12 hour day was not acceptable, not fair and abusive towards the students even if you have a couple breaks in worked in there. Thus, the schedule will be changed to an 8 and 8.

Our clinicals start at 7:00AM, end axactly if not before 3:00PM and we are allowed a 45 min. to 1 hour lunch break plus we are certainly allowed rest room breaks, etc. through out the day as needed. The only thing our instructor asks is that if you are done with your pt. care and a fellow student is not, you should help that person finish up.

update. This issue was brought to the attention of the head of the school. She replied that you are a senior now and with that comes responsibility. I wonder how responsible the school will feel if say a diabetic student was not allowed to eat lunch? In the end one has to remember these very important words. We can do what we want to you because we can! And guess what? They DO! ok, now I feel better. I am not in this instructor's clinical group yet but I will be and this is completely nuts! The upside to this is that she has control of me for only a few weeks. thank goodness! Thanks for letting me vent a little. Now I have to get my mammoth sized worksheet done for clinical tomorrow.

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