I have an instructor who is above-the-top crazy, manic depressive. I dread going to the clinical area with her. She randomly snaps at students when only 1 hour before she was treating the student like her best friend. She goes ballistic over every little thing. She is always wired on caffeine and is constantly drinking energy drinks ALL day....
I just have to be honest in saying that she SCARES me. And all of her students say the same. Sometimes she is goes so ballistic, I think she is going to hit someone. She has 0 patience for anything and anyone, is completely unsupportive....
When she in in lectures, for the entire semester, she always begins class by giving an hour 'speech' on why nursing basically sucks, how she hates nursing, and tells about 10 stories to support her 'theories' about how nursing is terrible. Yes, EVERY class she does this. I am not kidding. She wastes an incredible amount of time doing this and I am considering going to the dean about it, as are some other students that have had enough of it. I once challenged her and asked, "So, what do you like about nursing?" She gave me a dirty look and said nothing.
When we do competencies, she becomes so manic that we can't even understand what she is saying. She talks so fast and becomes so hyperactive that we can't even follow what the heck she is saying/doing. Then we have to do the competency and if we miss even the smallest thing (even on the first try) so goes NUTS! I mean, she is ready to jump out of her skin to attack you. It makes me so afraid to try anything in her presence and I become rigid and afraid of missing something that I even begin to get mini-anxiety attacks before class because of her behavior. I know the procedure left and right (thru my own reading) but when it comes to showing her, I get so nervous that I screw up something small and there it begins (her crazy behavior). She does this to everyone in the group. A few times she has thrown gloves at students and called a few students stupid, lazy, etc....
The strangest thing is this behavoior is so on-and-off that you never know what you'll get when you walk into class that day. One day, she can be sweet as pie (besides her usual 1-hour speech about how nursing sucks) and the next day it is like hell froze over and she wants to just smack the cr*p out of you for nothing. And sometimes it's not day-to-day, it is minute-to-minute....
I just feel so uncomfortable around her.
Should I really speak to the dean or the head of the nursing dept., rather?
I think this is a rite of passage of sorts - having a mentally unstable nursing instructor. I think many of us will encounter one during our college experience.
While the vast majority of my nursing instructors have been quite professional and good, I did have one I would swear has a significant psychiatric illness that resulted in craziness with students. Guess what? The other faculty knew about it and told us they knew about it.
At first I thought it was unprofessional of the other instructors to speak about this instructor (negatively) with students, but then I was so glad to know they knew.
It sounds like in your case this isn't an adjunct instructor who's never at campus since you said she teaches lecture class in addition to clinical. So she interacts with other faculty on campus. The faculty probably has some idea about her behavior.
There's a shortage of nursing instructors willing to put up with big work loads and low pay. That's the reality. My recommendation is short of being physically assaulted or receiving an unfair failing grade - put up with it and say nothing. This isn't about how things should be, it's about how things are. Document it on your anonymous course evaluation, if you do those at your school. Then let it go. However, just in case, I'd keep a log of date, time, and details of incidents.
If you do choose to say or do something, I'd be very careful how you present the situation. I wouldn't say anything like "she's acting manic depressive" like you did in your post here. I would just objectively state her behavior without labeling or interpreting it.
Start keeping a written log of times, dates, and what she says and does. Document everything with just facts only- no opinions. Write down the name of witnesses who are present when these things happen. When you have several pages worth, take it to the dean. You are much more likely to get results with this kind of documentation.
Have you or anyone even talked to this instructor? In my school, you are to talk to the problematic instructor first before you even go to the higher ups. It may be very uncomfortable, but at least give her the chance to improve herself. If all else fails, then you go to the Department Chair or Dean or even the School President.
Multicollinearity, BSN, RN
3,119 Posts
I think this is a rite of passage of sorts - having a mentally unstable nursing instructor. I think many of us will encounter one during our college experience.
While the vast majority of my nursing instructors have been quite professional and good, I did have one I would swear has a significant psychiatric illness that resulted in craziness with students. Guess what? The other faculty knew about it and told us they knew about it.
At first I thought it was unprofessional of the other instructors to speak about this instructor (negatively) with students, but then I was so glad to know they knew.
It sounds like in your case this isn't an adjunct instructor who's never at campus since you said she teaches lecture class in addition to clinical. So she interacts with other faculty on campus. The faculty probably has some idea about her behavior.
There's a shortage of nursing instructors willing to put up with big work loads and low pay. That's the reality. My recommendation is short of being physically assaulted or receiving an unfair failing grade - put up with it and say nothing. This isn't about how things should be, it's about how things are. Document it on your anonymous course evaluation, if you do those at your school. Then let it go. However, just in case, I'd keep a log of date, time, and details of incidents.
If you do choose to say or do something, I'd be very careful how you present the situation. I wouldn't say anything like "she's acting manic depressive" like you did in your post here. I would just objectively state her behavior without labeling or interpreting it.