clinical prof, too strict

[deetrain]

Do nursing schools allow students to get a different clinical professor, if the student doesn't get along with their instructor?

[sandyfeet]

It seems to be a common thread that when you as a student are really struggling with a person, concept, unfair situation, it turns out that you are right on the precipice of a major learning experience. That mean instructor turns out to teach you discipline or that abstract concept turns out to be vital for what you needed to do next. I've had the luck of having patients go home after my first day of a two day clinical, which means I have to write a new care plan for a new patient. This happened three times in a row, and I would get so angry I would cry at my desk as I wrote, but now I can write a GREAT careplan. :)

Try not to let other people's opinions of instructors darken your view either. You never know how the interactions with other people really went, and you might miss out on a great instructor.

[decembergrad2011, BSN, RN]

Sigh. I can't believe I'm going to say this but...

You'll look back later and realize that you are better for it. I know that doesn't help in the short term, but it's the truth. My med-surg clinical instructor was extremely hard on me - but she respected me. The reason she respected me was because I didn't make excuses when I made mistakes. I listened and I tried to learn, and I verbalized to her when I was nervous, confused or overwhelmed. I was very honest with her about things, and she didn't cut me slack for it, but it opened up a line of communication between us. I would routinely cry after clinicals and generally struggled with getting acclimated to being on the floor, but I learned very quickly that I have all of the knowledge inside of me every time it came time to do a care plan. My instructor recognized that and, when she saw I did care, I was trying and I did "know" my stuff, she did her best to reinforce it in clinical practice. (She would praise my care plans and written work in pre/post-conference, and chew me out in a corner of the floor for clinical stuff almost every week that I had just written about but was getting flustered over. )

I say this with reflection. I did NOT feel this way at the time. I am sure you won't either, but do your best to learn what you can from them. My CI is a very, very good nurse. I will not implement my practice in some of the ways she does, but I learned a lot from her and appreciate that she was so strict because ultimately it taught me how to deal with pressure.

It's only one semester. If s/he's an instructor in the next class, try your best to avoid having them as an instructor again. (Our college actually does not allow this, and a few of our clinical instructors have groups in multiple classes. If a student takes A. for Class 1, they can't take A. for Class 2 or 3 even if she's teaching, etc. and if you fail and repeat, they change your CI.)

[ReinventingMyselfAgain, MSN, RN]

Nursing (and life) is going to be FULL of people you don't get along with.

Imagine if the instructors could ask someone to switch clinical groups for the same reason?

[latebloomer74, LPN]

she can want to be a nurse, and not get along with her instructor. That could just be a difference in personalities. Don't shatter her dreams. I have a tough professor---she sent a gal home today because she didn't have her name badge with her! You just have to toughen up. Try to get along w/the teacher, even if you have some differences between the two of you. Good luck!

Well I guess my CI wasn't that strict. One of the guys came in with no name badge and she just wrote his name, college, and student nurse on a piece of tape and slapped on him. She was strict in other ways.....