Anyone else feel like their clinical instructor doesn't like them?

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2007

nursing instructors are a breed all to their self. my advise is not to dwell on this, but have all your stuff ready , know your meds and just be prepared at all times. remember she is not their to be your friend or to baby you . she is their to make sure you obtain a strong clinical experience. she probably does like you and more than likely feels that you will make a good competent nurse ,but you will not know this probably until the end of school. i had military nurses training me and thought this often. they were hard and put me in some outrageous situations... in the end though i can handle anything and it was them that molded me into this nursing machine your talking to right now. the hardest teacher i ever had came up to me at graduation and said " oh and feel free to call me cheryl".....are you kidding me??? but 10 years later every time i insert a foley i see her standing there at the end of the bed saying ..."uh did you just contaminate your sterile field.." know that they are just trying to assist you being the best at what you are training to do....

ok, i know it doesn't matter much, but i feel like my clinical ins. doesn't like me. when she said that she was impressed that all of us really cared about our patient, b/c in the past she had students that that could care less she looked right at me, and she never looks at me. one time i caught her rolling her eyes when i said i feel like everyone knows more than me in clinical. maybe i'm paranoid?:uhoh21:

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2007

Most instructors try to hold you to their own standards...and being a student makes you even more paranoid than usual....although I have to say that I really do feel like I get singled out because I'm a male...but that's the price I pay.

I always know my stuff, and try to establish a rapport with my patients. If they need anything at all, I do my best to achieve it. Patients with "Issues" often just need someone to understand what they're going through....they're sick, no answers around, and PO'd about what they want to know NOW!!! You'll be fine...my instructor has a rep about her, but she is AWESOME!!! She wants us to suceed so badly it would be disappointing to let her down.....

Beary-nice · Sep 13, 2007

There will be instructors you will get along fine with and others you will hope to never see again.

I know, I myself can be very thin-skinned. If someone looks at me in what I think is the wrong way or rolls their eyes in my direction, I am easily offended and feel like I am being singled out. In reality, maybe I just happen to be where the eyes fall at the end of a comment. Sometimes I have been in the line of fire when I had nothing to do with anything that led up to that point.

Just keep working hard, learn everything you can. Seek out experiences whenever possible because you can do this.

Good luck and take care.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 13, 2007

Many years ago, in my junior year of college, we had the same clinical instructor for the whole year (2 semesters). On the third week in September, she had me in the Dean's office because she didn't think I was cut out to be a nurse. It was a long, hard year.

I now have my PhD and a job that many people envy. The instructor retired after she had a couple of kids.

gagezoie · Sep 13, 2007

:uhoh3: Don't beat yourself up to much over this. I just finished school this spring and had a nursing instructor that I felt the same way about. Turns out she was having horrible problems at home and was taking them out on us. We let the Nursing Head know about this and are instructor was very upset because we didn't come to her first. She said she didn't realize she was doing it and things really changed and she became our favorite instructor. Maybe you just need to let her know that you feel your being treated unfair and if that doesn't help then go see the head of the department. Hope this helps.

:lol2:

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2007

Yes, I've had a couple of clinical instructors that openly and unapologetically did not like me. One even stated, "Maybe you should find another career field."

All you can do is be yourself, and always do the very best you can. Unfortunately, not all people are going to like you. In addition, we cannot be all things to all people. Power perceived is power achieved, so do not yield any power by thinking too hard about your clinical instructor.

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Sep 14, 2007

hi,

I had one clinical instructor that hated me, and it was obvoius, but I hated her right back. I wasn't rude or mean to her, but I gave her a pretty darn poor reveiw at the end of the rotation because I felt she did not have a clue!

One thing to reember is don't say things that make it obvious that you have low self confidence, especially in front of an instructor or within ear shot becuase they pick right up on that and may make you a target. So when your at clinicals ask questions, but also have confidence in your abilities and show that, just not to the point of arrogance.

Sweetooth

WindyhillBSN · Sep 14, 2007

Thanks guys, all of your responses made my day!

Secret89 · Dec 16, 2008

Hi there, I just finished semester one, and was told by my instructor that I don't belong in this program. She can't put her finger on exactly what my "problem" is, but clearly nursing isn't for me.

I truly believe she has a personal issue with me, not sure why, but she has made it very obvious that she just doesn't like me. I know she doesn't have to like me but I deserve to be taught the same was as everyone else in my clinical group.

She is a miserable woman and should think about the lectures she gives and realize that they apply to people in general, not just patients.

Thanks for your post, it's good to know there are other dysfunctional instructors out there.