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

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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

You will see the students I'm talking about in some of your classes, then you will understand what I meant when I said that the respect isn't as freely given as I'd love to give it. It's unfortunate, but for the safety of everyone involved, I can't let my students just do as they please. Someone's life depends on it.

Who is saying that treating students respectfully means letting them do as they please? This as about those instructors who actually do behave unprofessionally with their students. I can't deny that there are immature students out there whose behavior is egregious. There are also some immature instructors out there as well. Thank goodness many aren't!

I understand questioning the validity of unprofessional instructor behavior claims from students who don't want to do homework, who don't want to prepare for clinical, who don't want to give up showing off their belly, etc. Sometimes, though mature, motivated students claim to have witnessed unprofessional instructor behavior, and in those cases, there may some truth in it.

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Specializes in mostly PACU.
I in no way expect to be just given respect, I just don't believe a person in any position such as theirs (any professional person) should act like a two year old. Rolling of eyes, huffing and puffing is NOT professional. I don't care what field or situation you are in. It could be a social situation and it wouldn't be accpetable to act they way they were. I come from an aviation background, and when I say we were treated like professionals from the get-go I mean that we were never give any slack. You are expected to know EVERYTHING and to perform flawlessly at ALL times. From the beginning they expect you to act like an adult, and to act professional. In that expectation they treat you as such. If an instructor, I don't care what field of study, wants you to be a professional they need to treat you like one. You don't treat a person like a child by yourself acting like a child, this is unacceptable. This IS unprofessional. Of course you have to earn respect and trust but you shouldn't need to earn professional courtesy be it a peer or an instructor. Maybe I expect too much.

p.s. obviously I was joking about nurses being mean ;)

See I actually agree with you and disagree with those who said "respect needs to be earned." I think that philosophy is total BS and part of the reason we can't keep nurses! You should give respect because people deserve it because they are HUMAN. I don't care how much experience or degrees someone has. Nothing about them gives them the right to humiliate or degrade ANYONE. I don't know where nurses or nursing instructors get off on thinking that they can make certain remarks about another individual because they haven't earned their stripes. Give me a break! I encountered that when I was a new nurse, and I encounter it now as a new NP. And you know what? I didn't tolerate it then, and I don't tolerate it now. I let people know from the jump that they will not talk to me like I'm their child. I didn't even let my own parents and grandparents talk to me a certain way when I became an adult. There's no way I will let some stranger talk to me like I'm a slave.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.
Are you sure they are taking it not so seriously? Perhaps they are frustrated with themselves, you, the situation, etc. Its a lot to judge an eye roll...

Its easy to talk yourself out of what you see when you are the newbie in the room. What if no one takes me seriously? What if I am wrong about those vitals? What if I get blown off? (Totally happened to me with a de-satting 10 day old with pertusis...)

The eye roll in question was followed with, "of course I know what X is for, I've taken it for X (not the correct condition, not even close) and I don't have to answer to you....." Yes, this was a real response from a real student. I also walked in on 4 students (different semester) that were calling me every name under that sun, because I asked them about their patients conditions and some of the meds that they would be giving. They told me to my face that I had no right to ask them anything, whether I was the clinical instructor or not. Now, this was a first semester course, and their 3rd whole semester day, and NOT ONE of them had ever worked in a healthcare setting. After a meeting with the department chair, they were separated to other clinical groups, and all 4 were eventually dismissed for acting the same way for those instructors. And those are just a couple of examples. Thankfully they are far and few in between. But no, not everyone comes wanting and ready to learn-all instructors that I know, myself included, love those students who want to learn, but those who already "know it all" ruin things for everyone, especially themselves.

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Specializes in ER.
The eye roll in question was followed with, "of course I know what X is for, I've taken it for X (not the correct condition, not even close) and I don't have to answer to you....." Yes, this was a real response from a real student. I also walked in on 4 students (different semester) that were calling me every name under that sun, because I asked them about their patients conditions and some of the meds that they would be giving. They told me to my face that I had no right to ask them anything, whether I was the clinical instructor or not. Now, this was a first semester course, and their 3rd whole semester day, and NOT ONE of them had ever worked in a healthcare setting. After a meeting with the department chair, they were separated to other clinical groups, and all 4 dismissed for acting the same way for those instructors. And those are just a couple of examples. Thankfully they are far and few in between. But no, not everyone comes wanting and ready to learn-I love those students, but those who already "know it all" ruin things for everyone, especially themselves.

:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle Are they on glue?

Holy cow, its stuff like that that makes me think that even though I can be outspoken, I am hardly a bother. I tell you what, that's all kinds of special. I am so sorry that happened to you. It definitely shows poor judgment on their part.

I will admit that I have some pretty dumb answers when asked questions even when I have made notecards and tried to memorize but that...that's just...its just different is what it is!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.
:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle Are they on glue?

Seems like it!! :smokin:

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
The eye roll in question was followed with, "of course I know what X is for, I've taken it for X (not the correct condition, not even close) and I don't have to answer to you....." Yes, this was a real response from a real student. I also walked in on 4 students (different semester) that were calling me every name under that sun, because I asked them about their patients conditions and some of the meds that they would be giving. They told me to my face that I had no right to ask them anything, whether I was the clinical instructor or not. Now, this was a first semester course, and their 3rd whole semester day, and NOT ONE of them had ever worked in a healthcare setting. After a meeting with the department chair, they were separated to other clinical groups, and all 4 were eventually dismissed for acting the same way for those instructors. And those are just a couple of examples. Thankfully they are far and few in between. But no, not everyone comes wanting and ready to learn-all instructors that I know, myself included, love those students who want to learn, but those who already "know it all" ruin things for everyone, especially themselves.

I honestly can not believe people act this way unprovoked. (Not calling you a liar, just more of it is so appalling to me it's unbelievable)

What the heck, I guess kids aren't beat enough anymore.

J/K sortof.

*Disclaimer- I am not advocating child abuse, I was a victim of severe child abuse my entire child hood, but I do think their is a line between abuse and discipline and I think to many kids are lacking a swift kick in the rear these days.

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