Abusive Nursing Instructors-LPN

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Hi,

I am going out on a limb here as I am not a nurse but I have 2 daughters in LPN school. Their grades are good and they are on their third clinical rotation. One daughter is 24 and the other is 17. My 17 year old was given very high grades for her first two rotations. But then while in a patients room one day the patient asked my daughter how old she was. She told him 17. The nursing instructor who is notorious for making fun of girls, degrading them, insulting them and making them cry asked my daughter how she got in an adult program at 17. She explained she graduated a year early, passed the entrance test and would be 18 by the time she graduated. She just shook her head. My daughter(the 17 yr old) got the same instructor for the 3rd rotation and this time it was a different ball game. She verbally tears her up, told her she should have worked a year before she entered the program. She said she is never prepared enough. This is the same instructor that gave her very high grades on her last rotation. My daughter is not the only one she targets, there is an 18 year old she tears up verbally too. I feel bad as my daughter is getting discouraged. She works hard. My older daughter will get this same instructor next hospital rotation. This instructor seems to target the younger girls. She told one girl that she had no business trying to be a nurse. I checked all of the education credentials of all the instructors and they all have extensive education. But I noticed this particular instructor has her R.N. but not her Bachelors. She is an older instrcuctor. One of the other nursing instructors that has the highest degree in nursing told my 17 yr old that she was going to make a fantastic nurse and she could see her going all the way. But yet you have another instructor that says she should not be there ???? I am really confused by all of this. Its hard for me to give my daughter advice when I have no nursing knowledge. What could I say to her ? She is half way through the program and since this instructor she has come home crying twice. I feel so bad. She did say she makes lots of girls cry. Is this the norm of some kind of teaching method ? I would think it would violate a persons rights to insult them. It really ticks me off that we are paying A LOT of money for her education to have just one instructor tear her to bits. She has her two more weeks and then moves on. The rest of the instructors are decent. She has even worked with the head instructor and been told what a great job she did. Any Help ?????

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Like others have said this is not unusual for nursing school. I am sorry that your daughter is having to deal with this at such a young age but she sounds bright and capable so I'm sure she will get through it.

Since she is taking on an adult role now being suppportive is great but I would let her work some of this out for herself. Imo getting too involved in the politics of school even if your intentions are pure really isn't going to help her become independent. As we all know learning to deal with difficult people especially if she is going to be a nurse is just a part of growing up. She'll work it out, Mom!

Tell them about this site and maybe they will join us. Jules

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During my second year, we had one instructor who was famous for treating the students terribly - one rotation, it was my turn - and she kept it up until I'd just had enough. I slammed my hand down on her desk and snarled right back. She was so shocked that she didn't say a word, but we got along OK after that.

That's not probably the answer for every situation, but it never hurts to stick up for yourself.

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Yes, many of us had instructors who were on a power trip. It's best that she learns to deal with it, nursing is rife with people like this. She needs to learn that the woman has issues and probably an unhappy life, and is burnt out. She'll have to learn some coping mechanisms to deal with difficult people like this.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

I agree with the others...this is common in nursing school, and it can go further than that (preceptors, coworkers, doctors, etc.). Your daughter is going to need to learn to develop thick skin very quickly if she is going to survive it. If things are excessive, just advise your daughter to go to the dircetor of the program. As long is she is passing, then I say leave the issue alone...their house, their rules so to speak. After she gets her license, she has more pull (like with an employer, etc.), but for now she has to survive this program.

What can you do for her? Be emotionally supportive. Remind her, 'this too shall pass.' Be an attentive ear and help her focus on the good parts of her day to keep her motivated.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I am so sorry that your daughter has had yet another bad experience in nursing school. Obviously the instructor was out of line. I've seen instructors do this to "non-traditional" students, ones deemed by the instructor to be either too young or too old to be a nursing student. If there is an instructor who is close to your daughter, she may want to talk to him or her, to find out the best way to handle this problem. I've had similar situations in colleges where I have been a faculty member, and eventually we were able to "force" these type of teachers out. Especially if they were adjunct or low on the totem-pole, but the only way we knew about this behavior was if the students CAME TO US. That being said, your daughter needs to tread lightly so as not to make the situation worse. The other option is to keep trudging own and to realize this instructor isn't the end-all-be-all and to have some thicker skin. She wasn't failed or sent home, just embarrassed infront of her co-students (whom I would imagine were pretty sympathetic).

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, MNICU.
I am so sorry that your daughter has had yet another bad experience in nursing school. Obviously the instructor was out of line. I've seen instructors do this to "non-traditional" students, ones deemed by the instructor to be either too young or too old to be a nursing student. If there is an instructor who is close to your daughter, she may want to talk to him or her, to find out the best way to handle this problem. I've had similar situations in colleges where I have been a faculty member, and eventually we were able to "force" these type of teachers out. Especially if they were adjunct or low on the totem-pole, but the only way we knew about this behavior was if the students CAME TO US. That being said, your daughter needs to tread lightly so as not to make the situation worse. The other option is to keep trudging own and to realize this instructor isn't the end-all-be-all and to have some thicker skin. She wasn't failed or sent home, just embarrassed infront of her co-students (whom I would imagine were pretty sympathetic).

Unfortunately, I think this goes on quite a bit, especially with older instructors who feel that students need some sort of "initiation" or with instructors of any age who have some sort of perverse need to feel superior or something.

One thing that really bothers me about this situation is that instructors like this can help create problems since the students are more likely to NOT come to them with questions/ problems. Who would you rather have as a nurse, someone who was taught to never approach an instructor with questions (for fear or being seen as unprepared or unknowledgeable), or someone who was encouraged to be prepared but to also realize that there are always more opportunities to learn.

The example of the colostomy vs. iliostomy is pure crap. The difference is placement, the care is virually the same. Instructors need to realize that situations change and information in the chart can be wrong. I have taught clinicals before and have found that students can sometimes get erroneous information. Or worse, they do all their preparation only to find that the patient was unexpectedly discharged and they have to fly by the seat of their pants.

So mom, be encouraging to your daughters, and make sure to document these instances. This is a toxic teacher. I don't believe in making the student feel uncomfortable in order to toughen them up. If that's the case, then why not have a supportive teacher and make sure they take difficult patients? That's more realistic. By providing a resource person who is caustic, they are setting students up to fail, as one of the important tasks of new grads is to learn who their resource people are. When you graduate you don't get to do an extensive preparation the night before, and it's very helpful to have resource people identified who can help with the questions that WILL come up.

Good luck to y'all!;)

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Some instructors actually are rather weak in up to date information, so they use this aggressive style to cover up the fact that they themselves have a knowledge deficit, related to the fact that they haven't practiced in years, and haven't kept up on the latest. I've seen this phenomina before.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

Boy, is this ever a juicy thread....I got my chompers on this one...

Nursing school is like no other...degrading students is protocol and for some odd reason considered OK...Kind of like the ARMY...If you train a soldier to face emotional hardship and he triumphs through with fying colors; well you (the sergeant) made him a soldier I had a nurse instructor belittle us left and right on our care plans until the very end,she said how proud she was of us and considered us the best of the best..yatayatayata...I heard subconscious echos in the back of my mind "I MADE YOU A NURSE!"

PS. I have faith that your daughters both will pass with flying colors and remember to tell them at the very end that nothing will seem quite as difficult as surviving a tour of duty as a nursing student...

I hear that medical school (once you are accepted) is supportive of its own; however, do all the prereqs in nursing school and gain entry to see your person shattered by intimidating faculty. So, let them following a short career in nursing both become doctors/lawyers (they're blessed with youth and smarts) and show that ingnorant SL##t who's who!

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Care plans are the most useless invention on the face of the earth. Does anyone come into work and first thing check the care plan to plan their day?

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Specializes in Lie detection.

i am continuously amazed by the readings on this forum! and i feel so lucky that i went to 2 great schools for my adn and my bsn.

i had wonderful professors that were smart and supportive. i think the worst that ever happened were a couple of boring lectures.

anyhow, to the op, please tell your daughters to hang in there. it sounds like you have great daughters with a great mom to back them up. as someone else said, send them here, there's a student section too.

good luck to all 3 of you.

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Thanks for your support. Last night right after my daughter went to bed I went in her room and showed her this forum. We read all of your comments. You helped her so much! Shortly she will move onto the next instructor. Not soon enough!!! LOL....It is sad though. I know nursing students take so much abuse but not only that, I have heard that nurses get abused by doctors or charge nurses. You think a blanket of protection could be put into place to keep this from happening. No wonder there is a nursing shortage. My daughter hopes to go all the way(the Lord willing)...I told her last night she might want to consider private duty. It seems like hospitals are fillled with people just like her instructor. There are also RN's that work on her floor and they have stated, we hate LPN students and they do nothing but get in our way. How Awful! There are some kind nurses though that want to see the students learn.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
I told her last night she might want to consider private duty. It seems like hospitals are fillled with people just like her instructor. There are also RN's that work on her floor and they have stated, we hate LPN students and they do nothing but get in our way. How Awful! There are some kind nurses though that want to see the students learn.

I'm sorry that you feel this way I hope your daughters keep an open mind because this was not my experience.

The nurses on the floors (7 facilities 12 different departments) when I was in LPN school were very kind. I know it was a bit of a disruption having us there but for the most part they made us feel welcome. Some even went out of their way to show me extra things and offer the chance to do skills that I normally might not have been able to try. They helped make my clinical experiences great.

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