Clinical Instructor too picky

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2009

I attend an LPN-to-RN transition program where every single one of our care plans are submitted to our various clinical instructors for grading. Our care plans are typically worth 40 to 50 points each. I do not see any negative issues with this policy. Actually, the care plan assignment tends to be an easy 'A' grade for me because I'm rather proficient in writing them.

Although I agree that the aforementioned clinical instructor is picky, it is in your friend's best interest to display some assertiveness. If an instructor or workplace boss yells at me, I will very respectfully ask that they lower their tone. No one deserves to be yelled at, belittled, or ridiculed. Clinical rotations are meant to be a learning experience, not a hazing experience.

Unfortunately, instructors pick at some students while leaving others alone. It is all about the manner in which they perceive you. If you are perceived as a softy who will cower, cry, shake, or appear frightened, they will target you because you have shown that you are an easy target.

SolaireSolstice, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2009

My school grades our care plans. It's a major part of our clinical grade for the day. How else does an instructor who has 10 students on 4 floors giving medication and providing care with all the students know that you know what is going on with your patient? On a good day, I can get 30 min - 1 hr with my clinical instructor, and it's never "sit down and talk" time. It's usually pulling and dispensing medications and providing skilled care at the patient bedside.

And on the IV medication, I try to do these calculations BEFORE it's time to give the med.

However, it's wrong that the instructor yelled at her.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Oct 3, 2009

I've never seen a school where care plans weren't graded.

And most clinical instructors ARE picky...that is part of nursing school and a part of the job. They ( and their license) are on the line for a large group of students and whatever those students do.

MrazFan · Oct 3, 2009

Our careplans are graded as well. Well, we don't technically get points for them, but it is a competency for clinical and our clinical instructor does review them to determine if we pass the competency or not. As far as picky instructors, as one other poster said, they have to be. Can you imagine being treated by a nurse that slid through NS because instructors weren't picky and didn't make sure that nurse knew everything he/she was supposed to? Kind of scary. Though I don't really agree with the statement about instructors singling out the quiet "easy victims". Every clinical instructor I've had, and even ones I have just heard about at my school, if they single you out, there's a reason. Either you come off as you don't know what you're doing, or you aren't confident about your knowledge/skill level, or they don't feel that you are competent (that might sound bad, but I had a girl in clinical with me last semester who was definitely NOT competent, and the instructor-and the rest of the class- definitely picked up on it- she ended up failing). Instructors should see all of those qualities as a problem and intervene, after all, it is their job to educate knowledgeable, SAFE, good future nurses. That said, I don't know why an instructor wouldn't let a student do a math problem on paper, especially if the student indicated that they weren't sure and wanted to make sure they had the right answer, for patient safety. Perhaps your friend could speak with the instructor privately to discuss her concerns? Maybe she's worried for nothing at all. I know I sometimes see things as being much worse than they really are. I think NS warps our perception of things just a little bit- we're always waiting for the worst! Ha ha...

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Oct 3, 2009

Are care plans aren't graded per say, I am only first semester though and we only have a few to do. None of our clinical assignments are graded, meaning the paper assignments we do, but we have to show proficiency or we won't pass clinicals, Our clinical is strictly pass or fail and of course if you fail you are out of the program. Steps will be taken though before hand so that you don't get to the end of the semester and find out you failed, remediation will happen prior.

So anyway, we turn in our paper work each week, it's not graded, the instructor puts it in our folder and might have post it's on it with more clarification she is wanting or something she would like fixed and that's that. Your friend has 2 weeks left, I would just strive harder to get through.

healthcarestudent · Oct 3, 2009

This is interesting... I think it comes down to if the CI wants them graded or not. I have never had my CP graded with a number assigned to it. Our instructor would go through it and let you know where improvement is needed or have us re-do the CP again.

goodstudentnowRN · Oct 3, 2009

hmmm..I am very good at care plans too but my care plans are not graded. Clinical instructos will pick on you for no reason. I had one who hated my guts when clinical started because she thought as an older student I would be very challenging. I proved her wrong and she ended the clinical session with good things to say about me. I did what I was asked to do and I definitely did not entertain the petty session with her. I sat quietly while she joked around. Lol, I really know how to deal with thier attention grabbing personalities.

elkpark · Oct 3, 2009

All my care plans were graded in nursing school (back in the Dark Ages :)), and the ADN and BSN programs in which I've subsequently taught have graded care plans. I agree getting angry at a student for preferring to do an IV calculation on paper rather than in her head seems a bit much -- but I wonder if maybe the issue was that the student was supposed to have already done the IV calculation, and the instructor caught her unprepared? (Of course, I wasn't there, so I don't know.)

Alternator81 · Oct 4, 2009

She even grades the Care Plan! I mean isn't the CP there to guide in providing care? Why grade a CP rather than providing constructive critisism?

Our Care Plans were always graded. I am in my final semester and don't have to do them anymore. My 4th semester the Care Plans were a majority of our clinical grade for our 8 week ICU rotation. There were over 30 pages and due every week. I didn't get much sleep that semester.

As for the calculation, you should ALWAYS be able to do the calculation on paper, and in fact it should be encouraged in my humble opinion.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Oct 4, 2009

Our care plans this semester are graded and picked apart mercilessly. If what you put as the priority for a pt doesnt line up with the teachers well then be prepared for a load of flak. it went so far as she said that infant/mother bonding was MORE important that ABC's! How is bonding important if your baby is dead. Ok vent sorry, only one left for this instructor thank god

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Oct 4, 2009

Sometimes the more and more I read these posts the more and more I love my school. We had a care map workshop on Friday to introduce us more to the whole thing and the biggest thing our instructors stressed to us was to NOT go overboard on them. To keep them simple and basic, that they shouldn't be taking tons of time and so on.