I have been a CNA for 8 years. I love patient care and I have finally started to further my education. I have attended a local Technical College for the past couple years for my pre-reqs and LPN program. I will be completing the LPN to RN bridge program this fall 2007.
This program has been by far one of the worst learning experiences of my life. I started out so excited and enthused to become a nurse, but this has really changed my view on nursing. I feel that as nursing students we are really trapped into a program once we are finally accepted. It is difficult to transfer from a tech college if you are dissatisfied with your current program without sacrificing major money/time/energy.
I could go on and just start my bachelors, but this would mean I would loose many credits and it would take twice as long. I feel that many of the instructors act more as an authority figure versus a teacher or mentor. Don't get me wrong there are some really excellent instructors, but I have really gotten unlucky with the ones I have encountered.
There are so many dissatisfied students at my school. So many complaints and yet we have no where to go or anyone to turn to that we haven't already tried. Many students have gone from counselors to the dean of the program and even to the president with their concerns only to feel ignored, frustrated, and devastated by their services.
Every survey I have taken for each instructor/course where I would be able to express my feelings, is given to me at the end of the course and is able to be viewed by the instructor prior to receiving my final grade. To my knowledge, there are no anonymous instructor/course surveys regarding student satisfaction and/or instructor abilities or behaviors. Some of the behavior is incredibly inappropriate. Who is regulating the behaviors and expectations of these instructors?? Who is making them liable to follow the expectations?
For example, one student who was currently receiving an "A" in her clinical was failed due to having an asthma attack on the last day of clinical and missing that day. She has since fought and beat it, but this is just one example. This same girl, the first week of clinical was told that her first weeks work was thrown in the trash and she was given a "zero" because it smelled like cigarette smoke. She does not smoke! Another example, one of our theory classes that contains 5 exams...every exam average was below the passing scale of 80%, and 1/3 of the class were retaking the course to begin with. Doesn't this say something about the method and/or content of the instruction?
I would like to challenge other students to speak up and express their opinions here. I am a hard worker, a tax payer, and an asset to the nursing field, but I really feel strongly that there is really a problem in the education system. Something needs to be done! Students have the right to be treated as adults, as learners, as human beings!
Does anyone know how I can go about opening up this hidden problem? Who can be contacted to investigate a schools inner workings and why there are so many dissatisfied students who feel they have no one to turn to????? PLEASE HELP!!
Nursing school is difficult enough with the content...the experience shouldn't be!
Green bay, WI