Are "real" nurses as mean as my future instructors?

Nurses General Nursing

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Obviously the title is meant to have a little humor to it, but after today I'm questioning that. I had orientation for a Community College RN program and the instructors were VERY unprofessional. It was 2 1/2 hours of them huffing and puffing like 6 year olds toward us, and basically acting like we were below them. I posted a more detailed explanation of todays events in the "student" section, but I'm just wondering if this type of attitude is something I can expect more of in my new career? I come from a field where from the get-go everyone treats each other as a professional and there is a lot of support and encouragement, and after today I'm hoping I don't have to prepare for the exact opposite of that. Give me some hope people! lol

Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..
I consider myself a nice person, but I have high expectations of others and myself. Therefore I may come off as being "mean". Some students are willing to learn and work hard and I can appreciate that. Others I have serious doubts about. Would this scenario not make you livid? Recently I had this one particular student had no work ethic/accountability whatsoever. Neglected our patient all day and later I found out she was in the lounge all day surfing the net by a colleague?! All the time I thought she was busy with another pt. All she did was the vitals and even that she couldn't do because she never charted them after she showed them to me?! I did all the care w/no student in sight. She happens to show up after I am done the wash or the dressing change and says "oops I'm late again". Honestly it was such a crazy day I didn't even realize until the end of the day that she never reported off to me. Like there was anything to report anyway other than her absence. I spoke to her instructor but I have a feeling it was not addressed. She is going to get a BIG reality check if and when she graduates which is supposed to be this year. I was even debating if I should notify her instructor. She even had the nerve to ask why I was "angry all the time". Because of people like you who don't take their job seriously and expect everything to be handed to them and feel they are somehow entitled. The RPN students work 10x harder than the RN students. It amazes me.

Wow! I think that student that in the above post would have made Mother Teresa angry.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Instructors are like every other group of people. Some good, some bad. But this is not high school and there are expectations. You do not have to like them, or them like you. Just do your best and DON'T waste time and energy griping and complaining. That is poison.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I consider myself a nice person, but I have high expectations of others and myself. Therefore I may come off as being "mean". Some students are willing to learn and work hard and I can appreciate that. Others I have serious doubts about. Would this scenario not make you livid? Recently I had this one particular student had no work ethic/accountability whatsoever. Neglected our patient all day and later I found out she was in the lounge all day surfing the net by a colleague?! All the time I thought she was busy with another pt. All she did was the vitals and even that she couldn't do because she never charted them after she showed them to me?! I did all the care w/no student in sight. She happens to show up after I am done the wash or the dressing change and says "oops I'm late again". Honestly it was such a crazy day I didn't even realize until the end of the day that she never reported off to me. Like there was anything to report anyway other than her absence. I spoke to her instructor but I have a feeling it was not addressed. She is going to get a BIG reality check if and when she graduates which is supposed to be this year. I was even debating if I should notify her instructor. She even had the nerve to ask why I was "angry all the time". Because of people like you who don't take their job seriously and expect everything to be handed to them and feel they are somehow entitled. The RPN students work 10x harder than the RN students. It amazes me.

The weird thing about this-- we always hear, "don't worry, the system (ie NCLEX+clinicals) will sort them out". . .not always true! I've got a co-worker, who yes, has a license (I checked), who is late more often than not, very spotty with documentation, and several other easily remedied problems. This person is liked by patients and not unpleasant, but wouldn't you think having to sign and return a document detailing the problems with your performance would get your attention? No. You have a meltdown about how everybody is picking on you, do better for about a week, then proceed to revert to all problem behaviors. :banghead: Do.Not.Get.It.

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If you let the huffing and puffing get to you at the very beginning, you will never make it through. Develop a thick skin, work hard, listen, study, work hard, work hard, learn, learn, learn, listen, learn from your mistakes (and quick) and you will make it through. Be professional yourself, always. That's all you can do.

I had a a first semester instructor who wanted to get under my skin and make me cry. Never happened. She said to me during an eval "I'm trying to figure out what makes you tick, Lipgloss" I looked her right in the eye and said "Keep trying" LOL! :) There were 5 students out of 10 left standing in her clinical at the end of the semester and I was one of them.

I think it's like the military, they break you down as a lay person and build you up as a nurse and you will never be the same again. :) Best of luck in school, I wish you much success.

Oh and PS: after you make it through school, and pass the boards you will get a job and think ok I'm ok now. Then you will meet your PRECEPTOR! LOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fun times fun times. ;>

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Lots of reasons people end up as instructors; sometimes good, sometimes bad. They sure don't pay them well enough; maybe this is especially true at the CC level? I don't know, but I know in general they could make more as regular nurses, especially when you factor in they need graduate degrees to teach. You'll always have bad co-workers, no way around it, but sooner or later they'll get better; you just have to keep looking. And suffer through the whole school thing...

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I will say that I really liked most of my professors. By and large they were very pleasant people to work with; they were very supportive, even the ones that I thought were scary at first. Actually, especially the ones that I thought were scary at first. Weird how that works out...

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I did have some instructors that were tough and at the time I almost considered some of their attitudes "mean." Having been in the real world of nursing for several years now, I can see why they were that way. There are some really stupid nurses in this world. And those instructors have to try to weed out some of the bad apples. Obviously they don't get them all, as I see some nurses and wonder how they keep a license...but overall I see their point.

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The weird thing about this-- we always hear, "don't worry, the system (ie NCLEX+clinicals) will sort them out". . .not always true! I've got a co-worker, who yes, has a license (I checked), who is late more often than not, very spotty with documentation, and several other easily remedied problems. This person is liked by patients and not unpleasant, but wouldn't you think having to sign and return a document detailing the problems with your performance would get your attention? No. You have a meltdown about how everybody is picking on you, do better for about a week, then proceed to revert to all problem behaviors. :banghead: Do.Not.Get.It.

You are checking someone else licenses,wow!:eek: Sorry but it is not your place to investigate about one's nurse license. You can voice your concerns by speaking directly to her or say something to the manager but by no means you should engage yourself in your own investigation..backstabing if you ask me and that is why lateral violence among nurses still continues...

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Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.
You are checking someone else licenses,wow!:eek: Sorry but it is not your place to investigate about one's nurse license. You can voice your concerns by speaking directly to her or say something to the manager but by no means you should engage yourself in your own investigation..backstabing if you ask me and that is why lateral violence among nurses still continues...

Some states don't make it that difficult to search for a license online. You just need a name of the nurse for some, at least it used to be that way. It's a simple search.

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.
You are checking someone else licenses,wow!:eek: Sorry but it is not your place to investigate about one's nurse license. You can voice your concerns by speaking directly to her or say something to the manager but by no means you should engage yourself in your own investigation..backstabing if you ask me and that is why lateral violence among nurses still continues...

Lateral violence? Anyone can go on our state's BON website and check a person's license history. I've done it before out of curiousity not in spite.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
You are checking someone else licenses,wow!:eek: Sorry but it is not your place to investigate about one's nurse license. You can voice your concerns by speaking directly to her or say something to the manager but by no means you should engage yourself in your own investigation..backstabing if you ask me and that is why lateral violence among nurses still continues...

You are jumping on someone when you don't know what you're talking about? Wow :eek: Backstabbing? Lateral violence? Give me a break. :uhoh3: You can find out my license status far easier than you can find my phone number. I would invite you to do so if I wanted to break anonymnity. Here's what you will find out about me. When I was licensed. If my license is active or inactive. Do I have blood withdrawal and/or IV cert. Any pending disciplinary items or restrictions. Not exactly Detective Squad material.

Thanks for the suggestions about talking to this person or my manager, though. As it happens, those ideas did occur to me. I've bent over backwards to help this person. I've cut her miles and miles of slack. There just comes a time when I'm not going to be treated like a doormat. The reason I looked at the publicly accessible online data site was to see if she was a new grad or not, in an effort to know how to best interact with her, which might also explain the total lack of professional behavior, (not that I need to explain this, or that new grads are necessarily unprofessional ) So,in reality, I was doing the opposite of lateral violence and backstabbing.

Please take the time to find out exactly what someone means by what they are saying instead of jumping to conclusions.

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Specializes in Paramedic.

In my honest opinion if you walked in and that was the very first impressions they implemented upon you all as students id find another program...

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