Bad Clinical Instructor

Nursing Students General Students

Updated:   Published

How much bad behavior should be tolerated?

What do you do when you have a clinical instructor who lies? These clinical instructors are something else. They think it's appropriate to put on an evaluation that's posted online everything the student does wrong, making it appear that the student is morally or professionally unfit, even when you explained what occurred such as the charge nurse was not involved with teaching the student - but the student gets all their work done and make sure the patient was taken care of more than the actual nurse. 

This to me warrants disciplinary action on the instructor. They end up teaching even though they have unsatisfactory evaluations from students. You don't get to choose your clinical instructor and, by all means, you'll never choose some of these instructors, not to mention you pay the  school for instruction.  The instructors will throw you under the bus, so it makes sense to,  in two seconds,  send them to the board of nursing for a complaint for unsatisfactory and immoral behavior. The reason why this is necessary is because you can't tell a nursing instructor your concerns or else you'll get a target on  your back (due to bullying). This is not tolerating bad behavior by clinical instructors. 

Thoughts?

6 hours ago, Honyebee said:

Why you didn't ask her why she assigned you in that unit then if her judgment that you weren't fit for? 

How can you be with an instructor without an interaction? Where's your original instructor? Was she a substitute for that day?  How do you do your care plan, MAR, and passing medications without your instructor? 
 

This is exactly why I don't feel she should say those things. She doesn't help with medications,  it's in our handbook that she must be present. She doesn't help with the MAR. 

2 Votes
19 hours ago, Honyebee said:

That's easy. If I can prove that an instructor fabricated something against me that I didn't do and affect me negatively, I'll take care of it at the office.

I'm sure most students won't do this. 

1 Votes
30 minutes ago, faithjohn said:

I'm sure most students won't do this. 

How can you be sure. 

2 Votes
35 minutes ago, faithjohn said:

This is exactly why I don't feel she should say those things. She doesn't help with medications,  it's in our handbook that she must be present. She doesn't help with the MAR. 

Then who does monitor you during your clinical day?  

4 Votes
Specializes in Customer service.
4 hours ago, faithjohn said:

This is exactly why I don't feel she should say those things. She doesn't help with medications,  it's in our handbook that she must be present. She doesn't help with the MAR. 

And you administer medications without being authorized by your school anyway? The staff nurses at your clinical can supervise you, and that's not illegal. However, if your school instructed you shouldn't pass medications without your instructor, you don't passed medications. In my school, that's a ground for dismissal for violating school policies. 

Specializes in ED RN, Firefighter/Paramedic.
Just now, Honyebee said:

And you administer medications without being authorized by your school anyway? The staff nurses at your clinical can supervise you, and that's not illegal. However, if your school instructed you shouldn't pass medications without your instructor, you don't passed medications. In my school, that's a ground for dismissal for violating school policies. 

Side note, my clinical would be a million times more efficient if I didn't need to wait for my clinical instructor to hold my hand while I pop the blister packs into the medicine cup and hand them to the patient.. 

 

3 Votes
23 minutes ago, Honyebee said:

And you administer medications without being authorized by your school anyway? The staff nurses at your clinical can supervise you, and that's not illegal. However, if your school instructed you shouldn't pass medications without your instructor, you don't passed medications. In my school, that's a ground for dismissal for violating school policies. 

 

4 hours ago, chare said:

Then who does monitor you during your clinical day?  

The nurse. 

Specializes in Customer service.
3 minutes ago, faithjohn said:

 

The nurse. 

Did your school allows this? 

Specializes in Customer service.
8 minutes ago, faithjohn said:

 

The nurse. 

Just let you know. Whoever is supervising you in your clinical, if this is your setup, that nurse evaluates you, too. 

4 Votes
6 hours ago, faithjohn said:
On 2/20/2022 at 4:18 PM, Honyebee said:

That's easy. If I can prove that an instructor fabricated something against me that I didn't do and affect me negatively, I'll take care of it at the office.

I'm sure most students won't do this.

What most students would or wouldn't do isn't important.  You have claimed that your instructor is not following the guidelines in you student handbook and is writing evauations that, in your opinion, are not reflective of your clinical performance.

The question is, what are you going to do?

4 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

It's always interesting to me when someone posts a problem, opinion or question (Usually quite vague) then becomes angry and defensive when the answers don't jell with what the OP wants to hear. Even worse they come back with a detailed scenario to prove themselves right when if they had just included those details in the first place the answers might have better suited them.

In this case a clinical instructor is accused of telling lies that are posted for all to see when we later learn it was an evaluation only the op could see unless they shared it with another student. 

I have read the original post and all of the responses and have to say that the advice given was well thought out and intentioned. In my 20 year nursing career as well as two years of nursing school I have received a lot of criticism some of which was warranted and some that really chaffed my hide. I used to get so mad about those things until a great instructor told me I would do well to develop a thicker skin. Nursing is a tough world I was told. You have to be able to deal with strong and often unpleasant personalities and that's just your supervisors and co-workers, wait till you meet your patients. If someone wrote or said "Outright lies about me you can bet that I would go directly to that person and confront them in a professional manner. It that didn't work I would escalate it up the food chain. Nothing is served by stewing on it. 

To the OP - if your student handbook says the clinical instructor is to be present when you pass meds - you should not under any circumstances pass meds without your clinical instructor present. It is not the charge nurses job to supervise a students med pass. Nor is it the charge nurses job to teach you anything. Their job unless otherwise specified in writing is to allow you to observe their practice in a real world setting. I adore having students observe my practice but I never ask a student to do things for me. That would not be proper as all actions of the student must be supervised. 

It is a universal spiritual axiom that no person, situation or thing can make you feel some kind of way. You feel the way you allow yourself to feel and instead of making an appointment and speaking to your clinical instructor you choose to marinate in your anger. 

When confronted with criticism the first question I ask myself is "What part of this do I own?" the second question is "What can I learn from this?" If I feel the criticism is unfair   I ask for clarification. We really do need a lot more information about what happened before we can give you anything but general advice.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

Hppy

9 Votes
Specializes in retired LTC.

I'm always amazed when the situation really boils down to a 'he said, she said'. So we never hear all sides to the story. 

Oh, to be the fly on the wall!

3 Votes
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