:angryfire I have the clinical instructor from he** this quarter. I can deal with her bad attitude, the making students feel stupid, reaming us for not knowing things we haven't yet been taught and generally snotty demeanor but things have gone from bad to worse. I've started having nightmares on Thursday nights (clinical is Friday) and I dread going to the hospital.
Yesterday, my patient commented on how this woman talks to me (I'm not being singled out in any way, she's like this with all of us) and this is the second patient I've had who has been shocked by my instructor's way of speaking to me and commented on it.
I'm pretty confident in my brains and ability so I take the "this too shall pass" approach, but she is destroying the confidence and desire to learn of some of my fellow students.
Yesterday, she made a major error when administering TPN and lipids, which I attribute to her working a 12 hour night shift immediately prior to our 10 hour clinical.
My question is this... do I say something to her the next time her behavior is innappropriate, do I say something to the higher ups at school or do I keep my mouth shut and thank the heavens when this rotation is over??
Our class had an OB instructor from hell, she was the talk of the class for our entire 2nd year. On my second clinical day, she began targeting me and I said, "Are we having another bad day again, today?" She left me alone after that - of course, that snide remark could have buried me. I think being a nontrad and catching her off guard was in my favor - I never could stand a bully. :angryfire Let us know what you decide to do...
You've got to get through your program. Can you find out from her about what she wants from you as students or what she wants changed? Do your best! And realize that she's a big part of the problem because she doesn't seem to be communicating effectively with you in productive ways, and it is her responsibility to facilitate your supervision needs.
Document everything chronologically - even for your own sake.
I'm fortunate that I had very good instructors, but I have encountered other people from time to time who were - well, I wonder if maybe they didn't realize just how awful they were behaving. One who was rather foul, but, well, at the end of my internship (a different field from nursing), she invited me to lunch - I really think they sometimes don't realize their own behavior, etc. I had a supervisor once who was rather "ghastly" to everybody - then when I quit, she demanded to see my resignation letter (I'd written it for the HR office), I think she was a bit paranoid - I openly showed it to her and there was nothing in it about her, I had stated simply that I was returning for more education. She later invited me out for lunch and also planned a going-away party for me with the staff. Many were complaining about her, and left after I quit. Then I learned that her marriage had fallen apart. Then she quit the supervisor job - she hadn't lasted a year at the job as a supervisor. I think she really didn't know the impact she was having on so many of the staff. I challenged her in staff meetings. I challenged any supervisor, and finally one of them, after a year of my ongoing challenging, phoned me at home to apologize - saying that she had gone to a higher supervisor and discovered that I was right!! Then she left when her year or so was finished and moved on to somewhere else. They really don't know how they're doing unless we find ways to let them know. But, you as a student - you have the additional pressure of getting through your classes, you must. I had another situation as a graduate student, my entire class seemed to wonder about the head of our program (not nursing)- but the result of our doing "nice" things for her - she gave us all A+ for one of the courses. I thought she disliked me, for reasons beyond my comprehension - other than that I was a mature student with a professional nursing background (I get kind of assertive) - but she sent me a personal card of congratulations once I had finished my thesis. I think she had lots of other stressors. So, you never know.
Good luck, I sincerely do hope it works out.
Or you could turn to Desiderata - I always liked this when I was younger, and it inflluenced me (within reason, of course) - "go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, be on good terms with all people. Listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story."
Take care and know we do care about what happens. And we want you to get through. And we want safe, compassionate care for patients.
i had a terrible instructor for my first clinical class ...almost made me quit. yes, you are right, this too will pass. stay strong. i would try to make school administration aware of the problem. there is no reason to belittle students.
what a great post! my first clinical teacher was the biggest b**** you could imagine. beliiting her students in front of staff, patients and expecting us to be independant in all of our duties when it was all new! anyway, by the end of two weeks (four week placement), we as a group sat down in a debriefing session and confronted her about the excess and unrealistic pressures she'd placed on us. she ignored iit and said that we were lazy. we then took the minutes of that meeting to the subject co-ordinator who took it to the dean. the dean stated that she had to go as she was indeed belittling students, as well as promoting bad practices.
she was dismissed. a part of me still feels sorry for her.
the point of the story is that your paying for a service, you should be getting the best you can for the $$$. evaluate your practice; if it's you - fix it. if it's her, tell her "as a friend" (she may be b****y b/c she doesn't know how to relate to you - age is no barrier) and ask her what she expects from you. if things are still tight - speak to your year level co-ordinator or the dean about it (email is best & keep a copy of what you wrote for legal purposes). if still not working -> go to the student conselling service and the student respresentative council for help.
let us know what's happening.. good luck and the s*** will pass, they're not all that way. good luck!
It's truly amazing what you learn as a supervisor. I had always suspected that one of the problems (at least when I worked in the computer industry) was that my higher-ups had all gone to meetings and were on one wavelength, but were unaware of the fact that us underlings didn't go to all those meetings and weren't privy to all that information...(good reason for supervisors to give meeting reports to their underlings...)
When I became a supervisor, I also discovered that people had expectations that I was completely unaware of!
I also, even though I was aware of the pitfalls of supervisors assuming their supervisees shared the same level of knowledge about company happenings, I was caught having changed the priorities of one of my supervisees without him knowing about it! (embarrassing.)
It's also interesting why people might treat you in a way you don't expect: I became an employee at a company where I'd been a contractor, only to find out that another employee had thought that he would get that job--and resented me because I got it instead!
Moral of the stories? You never know what's motivating people, so always be nice to them...who knows, you may need that kindness returned some day!
I tend to agree with Triage 34 and redservo. I'm an educator and I agree that you are not going to learn anything from her if you fear her. There are good and bad in all professions, Educators included. Saying nothing just perpetuates the problem, and also doesn't give your educator the opportunity to develop. She quite possibly has no insight into her behavior. There is definately a rostering issue here too.
I would raise the issue with someone you trust and get some help to appraoch the issue.
I read all of your advice (more than once) and thought long and hard about what to do. In the end, my conscience won. I was unwilling to let her behavior continue especially after I found out that both students and faculty are forbidden to work the night before clinicals.
My nursing instructor for classroom work and clinical are two different people and the classroom instructor is where the buck stops. It was either talk to her or go further up the food chain--I decided to start with my classroom instructor. I told her what I have told you with a bit more detail and she seemed downright horrified. One of my fellow clinical students, unbeknownst to me, had done the same earlier in the day. So, without my knowledge, I'd already been backed up so to speak... other people were saying the same things that I was. I believe that my classroom instructor will take appropriate action and I feel so relieved. No question in my mind that I did the right thing.
Thank you, each and every one of your for the advice. I think I just learned one of those lessons that isn't covered in the Med/Surg text book.
In my program, 9 out of 10 instructors are bi-polar! Up one day and down another.. If you see they are in a bad mood, or you can sense that they need to pick on someone, stay out of there way! Hide from them if you can! Hang in there.... light IS at the end of the tunnel for us students aka glorified aides!!!
When I had this probelm with one, I went to my instructor (our clinical instructors were different than our school instructor) whom I trusted and discussed the issue in a private setting with a box of tissues (I knew I would cry..and I did). She had a talk with the clinical instructor...then all the sudden I had another private meeting with both of them.....uhggggggg!
But you know what...she and I both got to vent, and I found out that she too had some issues with her job, and since no complained she didn't notice how her stress in her life and in her career came through to all of us! She had stress at home big time, then she was thinking of giving up clinicals and going back to work as a cardiac nurse, which was her passion. She really didn't realize her dissatisfaction with teaching was comming through so strongly..which is a suprise seeing as everyone was so intimidated by her!
She and I actually became quite close after that, and I encouraged her to go back to cardiology...which she did! It was a very hard choice for her, give up all the teaching she had done, which she had been doing for over 10 years...to take a risk being a floor nurse again! Took guts!!! Last I heard she was employed and very happy...a totally different person so I hear!
If I didn't have the courage to speak up to someone I trusted, and get this thing taken care of...no matter how uncomfortable it was for me (and believe me I was very very uncomfortable!!!)...well, I proably would have screwed up in clinicals being so nervous around her (she viewed me as her pet project before all this and followed me like a shadow...UHGG!), harmed a patient and expelled. She would have continued till she exploded and not followed her heart towards hearts!
It was a total win win situation, only because I spoke up as nicely and matter of factly as I could! And no, not in a million billion years could I have expected the outcome...heck no! But I will tell you, I feel so good about helping her even to this day! Who would have thought, I sure didn't!!!!!!!!!
Good luck to you!
Thanks for posting this!! This must have been REALLY difficult to do at the time-- risky, scary etc. BUT it was really the best move for everyone involved. by NOT saying anything to anyone, not only do you make other students suffer with this horrible teacher, demoralizing yourself and tme, but you put patients at risk!! IF she is coming off a 12 hour shift and them supervizing ( we must use that term very loosley in this situation) inexperienced students, she is putting people in a very dangerous position!!!!
I am sorry if she is stressed at home or if she doesn't really want to teach any more -- all that considered, maybe she (like the other teacher mentioned) is looking for a way out -- you COULD be doing her ( along with countless students, patients and theri families a favor) regardless of the surrounding circumstances, her behavior is unprofessional and needs to stop!! I would think your lecture prof, your advisor or the program chair would all be potential folks to go to. P{LEASE consider talking to someone though!! Express your concern about potential backlash but make sure they know that your concern for your fellow students, the patients you all care for, their families and your own well-being is on your mind too!!!
Good on you. I am constantly saying to the students who I support that the academic content of their course is only a fraction of what they learn. Communication and personal development is the biggest part , and yes you are right, it's not on the curriculum.
Roy Fokker, BSN, RN
1 Article; 2,011 Posts
Good posts all :-)
So far, I've had only good experiences as regards clinicals....