Am I Always Going to Argue with my Instructors?

healthstar, BSN, RN · Jul 30, 2010

I know the feeling. I also had to defend my test answers,most of the time unsuccessfully. They simply say...the book says so. I learned it's better not to argue --arguing only ruins your reputation in nursing school. Next time just focus on the book; but keep in mind that not everything in the nursing books is true...( most of them are written by a nurse) which makes it impossible to know everything.

Despareux · Jul 30, 2010

I have the same issue. I used to be in technical writing and editing, so I find mistakes in my text books all the time; I point them out each time. I even contact the publishers regarding the mistake. It drives me insane when I see things like this because these are learning tools for those who do not know.

Anyway, I think it's okay to protest, but make sure you have sound references. If they don't accept it, then move on--I suppose that's all you can do at that point.

AOx1 · Jul 30, 2010

As an instructor, I would applaud a student for catching an error. It is important to model and to appreciate continuing education and keeping our practice current. However, be careful that you are doing this in a respectful way. If you are actually "arguing," that is not appropriate. I respect my students and do not "argue" with them, and I expect the same respectful treatment from them. None of us are perfect. Faculty should be content experts, but we are still human. I would just politely submit my request and references in writing. An open-minded faculty member will always consider your request, or explain why the item will not be changed with sound rationale.

anonymousstudent · Jul 30, 2010

So here's the question I have for you: How are you going to deal with doctors and supervisors and family members and senior nurses when you are in practice? All of these people are over you.

When I read what you write it's clear that you have caught valid mistakes. And that's fine. But questioning the medication regimen when you don't know the case history is not a great idea. I would have been more concerned with the theophylline myself. You will never as a nurse give meds that are not safe for your patient. But unless you are a NP, you won't be ordering meds, just giving them. Your instructors will make mistakes. But we are going into nursing "practice." Which means it's not perfect, and there are a lot of variables that are changing.

Perhaps you should seek a medical degree instead?

LuckyinKY · Jul 30, 2010

Arguing was probably a poor choice of terms, I have just asked questions or for clarification on test answers. I am not aggressive or pushy about it, in fact I just want to know the rationalization for her answers so I can better understand for future nursing tests. This class is usually taken after the first year of nursing, so I am new to writing careplans, taking nursing tests and the whole nursing process. I am still adjusting to the whole choosing the "best" answer instead of there being one right answer.

I know I will not be prescribing drugs (yet), but my goal is to be an NP.

I don't want to step on toes, but also want to understand things thoroughly. The test answers I defended all were defended with references to scientific literature.

LuckyinKY · Jul 30, 2010

So here's the question I have for you: How are you going to deal with doctors and supervisors and family members and senior nurses when you are in practice? All of these people are over you.
When I read what you write it's clear that you have caught valid mistakes. And that's fine. But questioning the medication regimen when you don't know the case history is not a great idea. I would have been more concerned with the theophylline myself. You will never as a nurse give meds that are not safe for your patient. But unless you are a NP, you won't be ordering meds, just giving them. Your instructors will make mistakes. But we are going into nursing "practice." Which means it's not perfect, and there are a lot of variables that are changing.
Perhaps you should seek a medical degree instead?

This was not for an actual patient, just a fictional scenario. And yes I was surprised by the choice of theophylline too. I just questioned it because I have asthma and a child with asthma, so that came into play when writing a patient teaching plan.

I think I will do fine dealing with doctors and supervisors, I am a pretty easy going person. I want to learn the correct information to begin with. This program has a reputation for being chaotic with instructors contradicting each other, but it was the best program that works with my schedule and location.

JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 30, 2010

My nursing instructors say that there will be times when I am up against a physician or nursing supervisor and that I will need to figure out when a mistake has been made by a higher up. YES, there are dosages that will kill a patient if a doctor makes a mistake. YES, I have the potential to kill or injure a patient by only following what the doctor orders. My instructors tell me I need to know as much as a physician because I am the one giving the meds. Yes, you need to be able to point out mistakes in a professional manner and give rationale. I would agree that "arguing" would be the wrong word and the wrong way to go about it. Be as matter-of-fact about it as possible and be open to the possibility that you may not have all the background information.

mazy · Jul 30, 2010

I think you will find, as you get deeper into the program, that while it is always a good idea to keep informed, you are going to need to pick your battles carefully. First and foremost, because pretty soon you will be up to your eyeballs in school work and will not have time to argue or overthink things. Focus on the basics, learn the foundations first, and then start building and analyzing.

Discussion is always good, but remember to be respectful of others. You're in school because you don't know it all. There's a pretty good chance that your instructors actually do know what they're talking about, even if on occassion you might feel that there is something more current that can be added to the material.

I think most good instructors are interested in constructive input from their students, if it is brought to their attention in a professional and respectful manner (never too early to start brushing up on those skills.)

When I graduated from nursing school I felt that I knew less about being a nurse coming out then I thought I knew about it going in. It is a very humbling experience when you get out on the floor and it hits you that someone's life depends on you.

It's always a good idea not to be to quick to judge a medication order unless you are very familiar with the patient history. What might seem obvious at first glance will begin to make more sense further on in your studies or in your career. I have known patients to be on very "old fashioned" or odd medications because they could not tolerate anything else, or because of some other co-morbidity, allergy, personal preference...there could be many reasons.

AOx1 · Jul 31, 2010

It sounds as if you have an inquiring mind. This is a good thing. If you are an iPod/iPhone user, I encourage you to investigate the options available. For example, Dr. Jeffrey Guy has a podcast called ICU rounds that is full of great info and new research. Keep challenging yourself.

kids · Jul 31, 2010

He it put on Theophylline and Azmacort (triamcinalone inhaler). I am confused as to why she chose Azmacort since it is no longer available and why the patient wasn't prescibed a fats-acting inhaler such as albuterol.

Azmacort has not yet been pulled off the market, it is being phased out and will not be sold after 12/31/10 but it is indeed still available.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugSafetyPodcasts/ucm209072.htm

JBGC4 · Jul 31, 2010

The students in my program find errors on test all the time. The instructors rarely re-write the tests, so when given to us in 2010, some things (although not many) have changed. There is always a time and a place to discuss these things w/ the instructor, in their office. It's up to the students to see their tests after grading and see what they missed. It's at that time they can maturely discuss any differences in view.