Forgive me, but I've noticed on these boards when a student is afraid of a overly harsh clinical instructor, there seems to be a running theme: angry clinical instructors that embarrass students, intimidate them, and make them afraid of them are the clinical instructors you want, because they make you work hard?
Huh?
This is grossly incorrect, in my humble opinion. I had a clinical instructor who picked on only me in a class of eight people. She would actually chart for other students, was kind to them. When it came to me, she embarrassed me in front of patients, their families, and other staff. She talked down to me, she consistently made me feel that I was not going to be a good nurse.
Absolutely EVERYTHING I did was wrong, and nothing I did was right. Even when there were no mistakes on my charting, she made it a point NOT to tell me how well I was doing, yet did it with other students.
It had a horrible effect on me: I lost 25 pounds, I was stressed out beyond belief. I was not sleeping, and it took a toll on other classes I was taking. I am an A student, and I began to get grades that were below that. It was then that I took control of my life.
I realized that when there is a person, instructor, boss, manager, who you can NEVER, EVER PLEASE, despite how hard you work, and how correct your work may be, there may be a personality disorder there, and you may need to simply talk to other faculty who may be able to talk to the instructor. You may just need to realize that IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S THEM. And that's ok. It's ok to realize that you are doing your best, and there are people who you cannot please. But lateral violence, nurses being mean and cruel to each other, and younger nurses accepting this attitude and even praising it is baffling to me.
This harshness and uncaring attitude that some clinical instructors show to students is what fuels lateral violence in the nursing profession, and it makes being a nurse more about personality conflicts than taking care of patients. In nursing school, I have seen more times than I care to remember other nurses who are mean and cruel to new nurses, or me as a nursing student. I don't cower in a corner like many nursing students, I stand up to nurses like that, and demand to be treated with respect.
I can understand that nursing students may be afraid to cross these clinical instructors, but what kind of nurse will you be, and how can you advocate for patients, if you cannot advocate for yourself? You need courage to be a nurse, and it seems that the message on many boards is: "do what you can with mean clinical instructors, be silent, accept the abuse, and move on". This just seems strange to me since as nurses, we need to be strong for our patients.
There is a nursing shortage going on, and we don't need students dropping out of programs because they have clinical instructors stuck in the past who think it's acceptable to embarrass and intimidate students and create a hostile class environment. It's unnecessary, and we as nurses need to acknowledge it.
I think it's high time that abusive instructors and nurses who practice lateral violence to other nurses and CNA's realize just how they are making this nursing shortage worse, by discouraging bright and talented nurses who don't need the cruelty. For those of you who are reading this who practice this behavior and you know who you are: Stop It.
And we wonder why so many nurses leave the profession.
I'm highly considering dropping out of school. I'm so close to graduating, but the abuse is becoming unbearable. 45 minutes of yelling at one student in preconference? The rest of us were literally shaking and afraid to speak. Then, we were told we were stupid, not worthy of doing clinicals (after doing so for a year) and that we would never EVER pass our boards.
Each day before class, I vomit or have diarrhea. My mental and physical health is at stake, as is the rest of the class. We do not have the option of another instructor. I hate to quit, but I'm on edge all of the time.
Even in the midst of writing this, I had to go deal with vomiting. Just thinking about it makes me so very sick.
What can we do? who will stand up for us? Is this sort of abuse even allowed?
I just want my old self back. No more stress.
Similar problem with an instructor at my school. The administration was made aware of the problem, but they won't do anything, and the consequences seemed to be worse when reported and students were singled out after that happened. Several students are going to write letters to the school regarding this instructor after graduation is over and our licenses are in hand.
Similar problem with an instructor at my school. The administration was made aware of the problem, but they won't do anything, and the consequences seemed to be worse when reported and students were singled out after that happened. Several students are going to write letters to the school regarding this instructor after graduation is over and our licenses are in hand.
I noticed that the nut case instructor at my school is still there after twenty years. The school apparently loves her and her methods. It is a shame that she is responsible for so many students having to go to other schools to becomes nurses. Very sick individual.
Things became worse this weekend, and it is SO hard for me to stay with this. Our entire class was sent home from clinicals. THE ENTIRE CLASS. Before we could even get out of preconference. I feel like throwing my hands up and walking away.
Due to this, we are being punished by having to make it up in one day. So, we are going to have a 7am-7pm clinical next weekend.
...one last thought on this and I'm going to leave it alone. Is it okay for an instructor to curse either during classtime or during clincals at the hospital? I'm really growing tired of being subjected to such crass language. It isn't professional, and I'm also tired of hearing her put down the nurses in that hospital. "Any idiot off the street can do what they do"
...one last thought on this and I'm going to leave it alone. Is it okay for an instructor to curse either during classtime or during clincals at the hospital? I'm really growing tired of being subjected to such crass language. It isn't professional, and I'm also tired of hearing her put down the nurses in that hospital. "Any idiot off the street can do what they do"
I feel so bad for you. Unfortunately, some nurses still like to eat their young, so to speak. Please hang in there. Don't let this horrible person deter you from fulfilling your goals. I would definitely approach your school administrators and make them aware of what is going on. Often we suffer in silence and tolerate abusive people in positions of power when we should not. You are paying tuition to receive an education, not abuse. If you do not feel safe to file a formal complaint prior to graduation, please do so after you complete your program.
Also, you may fare better if all or a majority of your classmates join together in filing a complaint. There is strenght in numbers. Keep the faith!
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Things became worse this weekend, and it is SO hard for me to stay with this. Our entire class was sent home from clinicals. THE ENTIRE CLASS. Before we could even get out of preconference. I feel like throwing my hands up and walking away.
Due to this, we are being punished by having to make it up in one day. So, we are going to have a 7am-7pm clinical next weekend.
I'm at my wits end.
Why was the class sent home?? 12 hr shifts is my normal clinical time. If it's busy the time will fly by. But if it's slow it drags forever.
We were all sent home because she didn't like our patient reports. She really drilled us and yelled..so naturally, we became nervous and fumbled our way through. She singled me out asking why I was doing so bad with patient info, when my paperwork and patient care is textbook perfect. I told her I was nervous. She told me to grow up and get over it.
The level of stress has been cranked up, she wants to fail all but 4 of the class (Her words).
I'm just tired of being physically ill constantly. I haven't been able to eat a proper meal in almost a week.
I will be graduating in almost 2 weeks. I have noticed something that the original post said that is true. Most other student will just stand by and be happy that it isn't focused on them. Having an instructor tell us that the only way she feels that her students are learning is by her being tough with them seems ridiculous. We spent all this time learning that there are many ways to give patients educational materials, everyone has different learning abilities. This is no different for us as students. I don't expect all my patients to fit into one cookie cutter pattern of learning, but yet, I feel like my instructor does.
I gained 30 lbs in the program over the last 2 years... and in the last 6 weeks, I have lost 25 of it. I just want to be done with this.
..shaking and afraid to speak. Then, we were told we were stupid, not worthy of doing clinicals (after doing so for a year) and that we would never EVER pass our boards.
Each day before class, I vomit or have diarrhea. My mental and physical health is at stake, as is the rest of the class. We do not have the option of another instructor. I hate to quit, but I'm on edge all of the time.
Even in the midst of writing this, I had to go deal with vomiting. Just thinking about it makes me so very sick.
What can we do? who will stand up for us? Is this sort of abuse even allowed?
I just want my old self back. No more stress.
Tough clinical instructors pressure students think and learn, abusive ones make students anxious and fearful, this a find line between the tow types of instructors and the later should never be considered instructors, they are the shame of educational field, if they don't quit themselves, the situation will find who they are and fire them. you are not the one to go, they are the ones to leave, not you, nursing field needs you, just pick up a little courage, you be just fine.:)
I noticed that the nut case instructor at my school is still there after twenty years. The school apparently loves her and her methods. It is a shame that she is responsible for so many students having to go to other schools to becomes nurses. Very sick individual.
it is all about business, federal fundings to school is based on the numbers of nursing students at the beginning of the semester, the dropout of nursing students does not affect the the federal money school receivesfrom, so more students drop out at the end of curriculum, the less work instructors have to deal with, and the more money the school gets to keep, this ingenious way discovered by this kind of instructor does promote her job security and demand. any business antity absolutely love to keep them.
I had a similar experience earlier this year after my second semester. The entire semester my clinical instructor bragged about how she hand picked us because we were the top students, and how we were doing amazing and were so far ahead of the rest of the class due to our clinical location. I went through the semester believing that I was doing well. I had good grades, worked hard, did great on clinicals, hadn't missed any class or clinical time, and even volunteered for extra duties. I felt rather confident in my abilities, save for the usual nervousness around instructors.
About a week from the final she pulled me into her class and told me that I was just setting myself up for failure, and that I'd never make it. When I asked her why she believed this, she told me, "If you don't know the answer to that, then you shouldn't even be in the program." I backtracked my steps, looked over my work, my grades, and didn't find anything. I asked her to clarify what she meant, as I clearly didn't know the answer, and her response was, "I rest my case."
She has since singled out two other students that I know of, they had amazing grades, even better than myself, and always got positive comments in clinical. One, my younger brother who was in the program with me, was one of those two. Aside from a gout attack, he did great on his clinicals. My brother was told toward the beginning of the summer semester by the same instructor that he would never make it, and he should just give up now. He too asked why, and got a similar response to mine. He was depressed for over a month, barely ate or slept.
We tried to talk to the head of the program, but she said she'd look into it and never did. We also wrote the president of the college, and never got a response. My brother decided to drop and continue in the fall, so I followed him. He has been depressed all summer, and just recently told me he couldn't go back. The third student dropped out a few weeks ago, with good grades and clinical experiences.
I am heading back this fall to finish the final 2 semesters (hopefully), and I am dreading it so much. I know that I have to go back and face the same instructor that destroyed 2 other great students, and may brake me. I'm so apprehensive about it that I have even considered dropping myself and going back to 100 hour work weeks just so I don't have to be near her again. I am terrified, especially now knowing that I'm going back as the only one left from her attacks, which may increase now that she knows I reported her. Students in the first semester who have given anonymous notes about instructors were singled out.
I too was told to suck it up and deal with it, that I'd learn the most from her, "Tough instructors are the best instructors." This is so far from the truth.
I totally know what you went through! Going through it now with 8 months to graduate... My clinical instructor hates me for some reason and she makes me SO uncomfortable treating me like a complete moron. It makes me so anxious when i'm around her because she seems like she is just looking for something to run me into the ground about. I come home miserable and think about dropping out becaue I can't stand the bullying. BUT DAMN! I've come so far and I'm just going to try standing my ground and know my **** so if/when she does confront me on something I know what I'm talking about. Also, I have to be confident in what i"m doing. I think if you are not confident, a lot of clinical instructors see that as a weakness and pick with you about it. It's kinda sick but it happens all the time in Nursing school.
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:)
pitaya
321 Posts
Similar problem with an instructor at my school. The administration was made aware of the problem, but they won't do anything, and the consequences seemed to be worse when reported and students were singled out after that happened. Several students are going to write letters to the school regarding this instructor after graduation is over and our licenses are in hand.