Bipolar nursing instructors

suebird3 · Oct 10, 2005

Good luck! Let us know how your situation goes.

yahana · Oct 10, 2005

I am in my last 8 weeks of my first year of an ADN program. Throughout this entire 8 weeks my clinical instuctor has been driving me crazy. Two weeks ago we had midterm. Everything was fine. She said I had a little too much anxiety but that would ease with time. The next week, she asked me a question about something in the chart and when I hesitated trying to think of the answer she became very angry. At the end of that clinical she told me she was failing me. I went home in tears. She called me that night at home and said she would give me another chance but I would have to do an extra clinical day which I did and it went well. At that time I had only 1 clinical day left and that day also went well. At the end of that clinical day, she again told me she was failing me. She said she did not think that I was ready to go to 2nd year. I stayed calm but told her that I would appeal her decision.SHe became visibly upset and told me that maybe if we could do 1 more clinical day that she could probably get me passed. I told her no. We had an exam the next day and I was so upset I could not study. There was no sense of studying or going in and taking the exam if I failed clinical. Before all
this started I had a B in the class. She told me to go on to class and take my exam and to come talk to her the next day after the exam. So I went to class the next day and took the exam and got a D. The worst grade I have had. Right after the exam she came into my class and told me she had decided not to fail me after all. Now I have my final coming up and have lost points due to the bad grade. Should I go to the Dean of students? What can I do??

Julie029,

Are you from Minnesota? That instructor sounds alot like one that I had.

Julie029 · Oct 10, 2005

Thank you all for your responses. That is why I love this site. There is always encouragement and good advice here. And I will let you know what happens.

Julie029 · Oct 10, 2005

No, I am from Illinois. And I am sorry if you have an instructor like this.

Julie029,
Are you from Minnesota? That instructor sounds alot like one that I had.

mysticalwaters1 · Oct 10, 2005

I had an awful biochem professor from hell that told us in the begining of class that she was in the hospital and her healing took twice as long due to a faulty nurse and it was her responsibility to make us all competent nurses. She was not in the nursing department. It was a science required prior to our lengthy clinicals. She was horrible. She would belittle us and called students not in the program yet but taking classes (you know maybe were undecided and chose nursing but had to wait till next year to officially get in and YES maybe grades not all that great some but working on it) as "nurse wanabees" but in a condencending manner. She'd yell at you if you got anything wrong and it was very complex. She went ridiculously too fast and way too much material that was not necesarry. I just really wanted to learn ABGs and it was so fast. The average grade on the final was 36%. She had to curve it. But I got nothing out of the class and it displaced learning other things like NUTRITION to pass the chem class. You need a C to pass a nursing required class. The prof knew this and said in the begining of the class. 1/2 got Ds. We took it to the dean and our professors. She had tenure and we were told could not be touched. WEll we got independent comittes to sit in on her classes. She still teaches but not the nurses anymore. My point is she felt something nasty and personal towards nurses and therefore should not be teaching that group. Just like your professor. Like others said she needs to give you more concrete reasons to fail or pass.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2005

The way you have described this instructor's treatment of you does not sound right to me. My first thought was that this lady was being nasty. First of all, I've never heard of a clinical instructor telling a student they would give them a second chance by doing an extra clinical day! Is this permitted in your program, or is it something she made up on her own initiative? I'd go to her boss, the program director, or if you have a nursing instructor you are required to see on a regular basis and tell them about this and find out if your clinical instructor has this kind of power. Some clinical instructors are hired from hospitals based on their years and knowledge of what actually goes on at the bedside. Many (not all) clinical instructors do not have the educational background for teaching that your classroom nursing instructors have (MSNs and PhDs with a focus on education).

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 11, 2005

I would request a meeting w/the Dean of Nursing and report the exact details to him/her. And like Gwenith said, document, document, document.

Jolie, BSN · Oct 11, 2005

While I agree that your instructor's behavior is highly inappropriate, I don't think that referring to her as "bi-polar" is proper or professional on your part.

You have the right to expect to be evaluated on the stated objectives of your course, not on some subjective criteria your instructor comes up with on a whim. That should be the basis of your conversation with her supervisor.

Referring to her as "bi-polar" is inappropriate, unless she has shared her diagnosis with you.

Julie029 · Oct 11, 2005

I certainly did not mean any offense when using the term bipolar. I simply was referring to her constant change of behavior. I apologize if I offended anyone.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Oct 11, 2005

I just want to sincerely express to you how awful I felt while reading your original post. Seems like you have been tortured there. Please take action as this is abuse.

I wish you nothing but the best.