Nursing Students Incivility Towards Faculty and Other Students

[vbwise2]

There has been an increase of nursing student incivility towards faculty and other nursing students. Some forms of incivility are overt, such as arriving late for class, using cell phones or texting during class, rude or disruptive behaviors, challeging faculty credibility etc., while some forms of incivility are covert, such as rolling eyes, snickering at the instructor, etc. Uncivil and disruptive behaviors in nursing education jeopardizes the entire institution as a whole. What type of nurses are being produced if students are allowed to have rude and disruptive behaviors towards others? Will this behavior carry over into their nursing practice? Are instructors the blame for the increased incivility? Are adult students the blame? Is there a combination of several factors? At several institutions, I have been told there is also bullying of other students. More aggressive nursing students are demanding answers and information from the less aggressive nursing students...and the less aggressive students are suffering in silence. Have any other nursing instructors experienced incivility by students? How did you handle it? Is there nursing student bullying at your institution? How is bullying handled at your institution?

[jmqphd]

I totally feel your pain!

I do think there is a generational thing. Have heard that across majors, disciplines, schools, regions of the country etc. that the younger folks have a HUGE entitlement mentality.

BUT... I've had an interesting experience over the last two semesters. The group I had (that started last January, finished the semester in April) were everything you described. Rude, snickering, gosipping, whining, cliquish and backbiting, demanding... integrity issues and poor study habits as well. AND no matter what the problem was... it was our (faculty/school's) fault. We barely introduced ourselves last January before they were in our face and sending us rude e-mails.

Here is the good news: The group this semester is 180 degrees different. Post-clinical conferences with the last group... they would stroll in late (without a good reason) and before the 45 minutes was up they were restless, putting on their jackets, rummaging through their book-bags wanting to split. Last Friday... my group didn't want to stop talking about their clinical experience! I almost had to TELL them to go home. We had to retain 3 students who did poorly last semester, really and genuinely couldn't pass an exam. So they are back with us. And they even said the negative vibes with their colleagues last semester was distracting but that this class is very supportive.

Even with the night-mare group from last semester, there were some great kids that I will remember fondly. So, keep your standards high, try to be unified with the other faculty on the same good values, and I hope you have an administration that will watch your back for you.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

I've taught a long time, and can honestly say I've never had a group of students who was as disrespectful as you've described. I've had difficult students, but they didn't act out in class. I think I've been lucky.

I think it's important to be stern and list your own personal rules the first day. Then you can ease up later, but to get sterner later is pretty impossible. I give a handout of my own personal rules and go over them. I penalize for lateness...students are seldom late. I stand in front of someone whose cell phone rings (since they're supposed to be off) and make my opinion obvious. One time I did a little finger dance to the cell phone ring. That made quite a few chuckle, but it worked. I stop talking and look at students who are talking at length and wait until they finish or others get them to finish. Sometimes I stand between them.

I don't know if the schools where I've taught would be supportive, but it's never come to the point of me having to find out.

I do wish you luck and sternness. Teaching isn't a job for sissies!

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

please find a way to fail them so we don't have to deal with ANOTHER bad attitude in the hospital.

I know you cannot do that, but I wish it were so.

[jmqphd]

please find a way to fail them so we don't have to deal with ANOTHER bad attitude in the hospital.

I've failed a student at mid-term for showing 'tude on the clinical unit and being thoughtless toward her fellow students. She straightened up enough to pass, however. (More's the pity.)

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

I have experienced many of the behaviors mentioned in the OP's post in my lectures. I am sure there is bullying going on, but I have not been privy to it. I try to keep out of the dynamics between the students. I ahve to say that the students in my clinical groups are civil to each other, even if they are not part of the same cliques. While I do appreciate that, I can definitely tell who does not like whom.

As educators of this generation of students (which crosses a diverse age-span) I feel we are often caught between a rock and a hard place. I say this only a few days after I read my evaluations, and now see how some of the students percieve my "attitude" (I have been called "short tempered", "belittling", and "unapproachable" (I forgot the rest of the adjectives that stood out). How am I supposed to act when students interrupt each other, do not listen to simple instructions, call out during exam review, and other common-sense classroom misbehaviors? If they don't like the way we treat them, it comes across clearly the evaluations.

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

I have never been a victim of it, but I have seen/heard some unbelievable e-mails written by students, in response to grades, failures, denied acceptance into the program, other students, etc. The problem is (as it us here, often), that some people believe that e-mail is this safe place to say whatever you want with no repurcussions. The truth is, it is exactly the opposite (some people forget that there is a print button, save feature, cut/paste). The majority of people would never dream of saying such terrible things to another in real life. I really feel this has contributed to a lot of the bullying and incivility that exists, in nursing and in life itself. I am not at all against Facebook (I am an active user), but look at how many HS kids' lives are ruined because of the bullying they endure there. Some (not all) of the bullies there are just cowards, hiding behind their computers. But the words they type hurt people, badly.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Definitely keep working with your supervisors and insist that they help you with this situation. If they seem to be backing off in their support of you, talk to them about your options to go to the police, etc. That might keep their attention and underscore your need for help -- and their need to help you. They won't want you bringing in outside/government authorities that might find the school to be lax in its response to this situation.

Frankly, if it were me ... I would be wanting to be talking to experts in this field, and not just my immediate supervisor who might have little more expertise in these matters than I do. If the school did not provide me with such and expert, I would be seeking one myself (law enforcement, a lawyer, etc.)

Faculty members need to stick together on these issues -- and insist that schools give us the support we need to teach effectively and stay safe. If you have any connections with other faculty members at your school (a web forum, a faculty committee, etc.) ... you should also raise the issue there. Your school needs to step up to the plate here and help you.

Your situation raises some serious issues about online education -- and the "dis-connectedness" of the faculty who teach in online programs. Without the relationships with other faculty members that happen in Brick and Mortar schools, there can be no "faculty group identity" to advocate for the needs of faculty. Each instructor can be "out there by themselves" which makes it easier for the school to shirk some its responsibilities for faculty support.

Please keep us posted about what happens in this situation.

[llg, PhD, RN]

You know ... this is a really topic that we are discussing. Someone should be studying and publishing on this topic. The isolation of online faculty, the lack of clear structures for faculty support, the crossing of state lines, etc. These are big issues.

The Chronicle of Higher Education often publishes articles about the hardships of adjuncts, efforts to organize adjuncts, etc. But I haven't seen things with this particular focus. Interesting to think about the possbilities ... Faculty organizations might want to take up this cause if they knew about it.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

There is a private forum for educators here. You can send a message to one of the staff members to learn more about it.

You're welcome. I'd like to read your article when it's finished.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

oops, I think you have to post a certain number of times before you can send private messages...

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

The only bullying at my institution was done by the nursing instructors...absolutely the nastiest group of educated women I have ever encountered in my life.

However...every student in there truly valued their spot there. We did sometimes have students that showed up late, but there are valid reasons for it...our instructors never showed up on time either, so to me, that was even.

Our instructors were intellectually challenged by the students frequently....but only again, when we had good reason for it...when the test says the answer is white and the book says the answer is black...the teacher cannot say the only answer she will accept is blue and that sit well with the students.

There is nothing wrong with an instructor demanding professionalism, accountability and respect...they just need to make sure that it is a TWO way street...after all, students are many times, sacrificing EVERYTHING in order to participate in the nursing program...and so many instructors forget that.