Dealing with Rude Nursing Instuctor

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2008

Capitulate now. You didn't realize it, but you're in the army now (so to speak). :rotfl:

You keep your head down. You work your butt off. You work so hard and you are so prepared, your instructor cannot find anything wrong with your work. You take your lumps and say nothing. And then before you know it - it's graduation time. That's nursing school.

blueheaven · Nov 1, 2008

I had in my opinion one of the WORST clinical insructors of all time...this alleged teacher was known to just out and out lie to cover herself. I tried following chain of command but that did nothing for me in the "right now" so I had a teacher there at the school tell me to 1) keep a copy of every thing I turn in and date it. 2) Verify all projects/assisngments/times etc via email with horid intrstuctor. 3) keep your head down, keep busy and stay out of her way.
Just put a big red circle on the date of your last class you will ever have with this teacher and just tell your self, you can last-you can do it.
I also had a mental list going of 101 ways I would LOVE to torture this teacher, it made me feel better and put some humor in it.

LOLOL, I had a mental list of torture for one of my senior instructors!!!!!!! Glad I'm not the only sick puppy out there. Please just hang in there, keep low and get through. She may be one of those that "weeds" out students that can't hang. This one sure was!

My freshman nursing 101 instructor was a retired Major in the Army Nurse Corp (WW 2 and Korean war) you can imagine what our lives were like!! When I made it through to my senior year, she was all sweetness and light. She was just hard on the freshmen. I can say that I did learn A LOT from her.

I love my cat! · Nov 1, 2008

So I'm in nursing school right now and the nursing instructor I have can be very rude and arrogant to us nursing students. We're new and learning and its hard to try to adjust and learn when shes acting this way. I find myself not even wanting to ask questions or even be around her with the fear that she will be rude to me or try to embarress me in front of patients and other health care staff. I don't know how to deal with it? Any suggestions on how to go about dealing with this??

As a person who spent many years as a student, I would recommend that you should try to have little interaction with this instructor as possible. Like others have stated, be prepared, be on time and keep the graduation date circled!

If you have questions, see if you can have them answered by classmates or even other professors. This instructor is not going to change.

In the past, I've seen students face-off with instructors and I can tell you that none of the students ever came out ahead. If the student did say something, they were picked on even more and when the other students realized that the instructor had it in for that student, fellow students didn't want to associate with them.

Hang in there....remember we are always here to talk to!

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2008

On occasion, what comes around, goes around.
One of our nursing instructors that I hated from first year, also works full time at a local hospital (yes, she works two full time jobs).
One of her former student graduates from about 10 years ago, has a dual Masters in both Health Administration and an MSN. She had been working out of state and from my understanding this instructor was particularly hard on this lady when she was a student...but this wasn't a case of "oh, in the end I was a better nurse for it"...no, this student felt like this instructor was purposely sabataging her and she almost dropped out of nursing school because she was so cruel.
Well, GUESS WHO just got a DON position where this instructor works full time?
Yup, the former graduate.

You are a fount of 'justice prevails in the end' stories, Hopefull!!! This one is even better than your meeting with the dean!!! :up:

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Nov 2, 2008

I would speak someone in your program admin if you feel this instructor is unapproachable. You may have found other students have filed complaints. Remember you are working under this instructor's license and she could be protective of it.

Ask for a transfer since this could be a personality conflict, Good Luck. Remember you are paying this instructor's salary.

Riseupandnurse · Nov 2, 2008

I disagree about keeping your head down. I think the student should approach the instructor privately and professionally and keep the focus on how she is being interpreted. Oh would some gift the giftie give us, to see ourselves as others see us. That's Robert Burns. Many people have NO IDEA at all how they are coming off to others. That's been myself, and yes I have changed.

Scrubby · Nov 2, 2008

I disagree about keeping your head down. I think the student should approach the instructor privately and professionally and keep the focus on how she is being interpreted. Oh would some gift the giftie give us, to see ourselves as others see us. That's Robert Burns. Many people have NO IDEA at all how they are coming off to others. That's been myself, and yes I have changed.

Some people cannot handle criticism from anyone. Nursing is ridiculously heirachial and a lot of instructors that I've had would take it as an affront that a mere nursing student would even dare point out their faults.

And when they have the power over whether or not we pass our clinicals and considering the amount of money we spent on our education it is worth keeping your mouth shut to avoid being targeted.

Sometimes people are well aware of how they affect others and get a real kick out of upsetting people. I had an instructor who seemed to enjoy watching the student get all upset. I just pretended to get all upset when she pointed out my faults, I even made out that i was just so in awe of her to keep her off my back but inside I was laughing at her for being so stupidly obvious. You just have to know how to play them. I have found that people who put themselves up on a pedestal like that can be easily manipulated because often they have self esteem issues to act the way they do.

There is unfortunately not a whole lot of support out there for students. They aren't going to take the word of a lone inexperienced nursing student over someone with years of experience.

Once you get through and you have your licence then it's safe to do something about it, write a formal letter of complaint to the dean, get other nursing student to do the same. One instructor was so bad they let her go because of the sheer number of complaints.

justme1972 · Nov 2, 2008

You are a fount of 'justice prevails in the end' stories, Hopefull!!! This one is even better than your meeting with the dean!!!

..these are the benefits of living in a small town and going to school with a ton of nursing students that work as PCT's at the smaller hospitals.

It was one of those days where you show up to class and someone immediatley grabs you and says, "Hey, you are never going to believe this...."

I was grinning from ear to ear.

Along the lines with the thread, I think instructors are doing both the profession and their students a disservice by being rude and nasty to the students. While it's given me a good idea of what I'm going to run into when I graduate, it also explains the nursing shortage.

I'm also, not one of those people that will look back and say, "I'm a better nurse for it"...more along the lines of, "Don't put me on your list of graduates to solicit for donations."

I firmly believe that these rude instructors act this way towards students b/c they knew if they did this toward patients they would be out of a job.

horsehobby · Feb 15, 2009

I am new to all of this and this is my first post. I have read through alot of replies over the last year because I am a nursing student in my second semester in a two year school and have found them to be helpful. I just recently received a rude comment on paper from an instructor who doesn't know me except for me doing a team simulation about leadership which none of us have any business doing. She told me that I giggle alot and there isn't much depth there. HELLO, I "giggle" when I am nervous and uncomfortable! Can you believe it?what am I suppose to learn from that? and thank you for crushing any spirit I had for nursing and the people who are suppose to be there to teach. I will perservere through this and let me tell you, I wouldn't have the kind of people that are around me, around me if I was an airy giggle head. I am an A,B student in my nursing classes and have been doing well in my clinicals also. I can't believe she thinks she has the right to judge someone she doesn't even know!!

whipping girl in 07, RN · Feb 16, 2009

Don't allow her to "crush your spirit." Learn from the criticism. If you have a tendency to giggle when you are nervous, try to suppress it. She gave you her first impression of you. You should thank her for it. You're in a position now that it doesn't really matter if you giggle when you are nervous. If you can get a handle on it now, it may not hurt you when you are interviewing for jobs, or talking to a cardiac surgeon who's yelling at you, or telling a family member the patient passed away (all examples of times you might be nervous and it wouldn't be appropriate to giggle).

As far as dealing with rude nursing instructors in general, though, play the game and get through it and graduate. Then you won't have to see those ******* again!