Dear Nursing Instructor,
I want to remind you that at some point in your life you were in my shoes. Remember your first day of class? You were nervous, scared, and maybe wondering "Am I really made for nursing?"
You were handed a syllabus, and quickly went to work planning your schedule for the days to come. The thought of all the chapters you need to read, and understand. "How am I going to process all of this," you thought?
Maybe nursing was a breeze for you. Maybe you failed out and had to give it another try. A year or two later there you are walking across the stage in your nursing uniform holding your candle in remembrance of the mother of nursing Florence Nightingale. Remember how excited you were to get pinned. Oh the tears of joys that you finally made it!
Years have now passed by, and you have decided to become a nurse educator. However you forgot some things. What it is like to be a student. Some students are new to the health field; others are here looking for a second career, or a better life for their family. We all come from different walks of life.
Yes we know and may have heard all the horror stories of nursing. Does nursing school really have to be a horror story? Do you have to yell at your new nursing students on the first day? Is it appropriate to tell your students your not cut out for this? Do you as an instructor have to meet a quota every semester on who you can weed out?
I am a student here to learn. Yes, sometimes some students make it all the way through there preq's thinking "I can fly straight through nursing with no problem." However, some of us are not like that. We want to learn! We want what you have: a state board license!
We have sacrificed our lives and loved ones just to make it to the end of the program. However, some of us don't make it through the first few semesters. As students we do take the blame for our faults and short comings. I know I do. However being manipulated, taunted, yelled at, curse at, and treated like a nobody is not what I signed up for.
Let me give you an example of what some instructors have done in my presence. I had a class mate whose period came on during our lab at the school. We are told that while we are in clinical lab we are not allowed to go to the bathroom, only when we are given break.
She fell ill and told the instructors what was going on. In her defense, she has periods that come when they want, 2 times a month maybe once every 3 months. Nevertheless, she informed said professors on what was going, and got permission to leave the class. She had a mess on her clothes which caused her to leave the class for a second time in 30 mins. She was withdrawn by the Dean because she should have had a Dr.'s note.
I had a similar situation. I heavy a menstruation (due to Essure) sometimes as well, and in my first semester I had an accident as well my clothes. I had to sit for 30 minutes thank goodness before I could leave. All because of that stupid rule. I was embarrassed some, but hey we're all nursing students right. Thank God I lived 5 mins away from school.
My point is: is it really that serious not to have your class interrupted because of an emergency? If that is not an excuse. Please be sympathetic towards your students if deemed necessary, ie. student who found out her father had a heart attack, and is at the hospital fighting for his life. You have now put this student in the position to choose her class time and not risk being dropped from her class, or her dying father. Did you have any unusual emergencies as a student?
As a student we are held responsible for actions. We look to you for guidance and a great learning experience. Why are you so mean? Do you have to eat your young?
Now, now, I'm going to get a lot of comments on how nursing is to be taken seriously. "We have patient lives in our hands". I get that. I have 7 years of healthcare background in a very busy trauma one hospital. I know how stressful nursing can get and how overworked some nurses are, but I'm talking about teaching here. Teaching does not have to be so cruel and intimidating. I'm not saying you have to hold our hands and talk softly, and give us a high five for remembering small or big details. Treat me like a student who wants to learn what you are willing to give.
I just want you ask my instructor, the one I look to for educational needs, to remember what it was like when you were in our shoes.
Respectfully Submitted,
Fearless_Leader
P.S. For the Instructors who do care for their students, and do want them to succeed, we appreciate all you do.
Julie Reyes, DNP, RN
14 Articles; 260 Posts
I am sorry you had a bad experience with your professor. I am a strong believer that you can have a rigid regimen and cover mountains of material while teaching students - and do it in a tactful, classy, emotionally intelligent, exceptional manner. Students (in my opinion) learn best when they respect the instructor and strive to meet the high standards that the instructor sets.
That being said, the instructor respects the nursing student as an adult that makes decisions - good or bad - and is accountable for whatever decision that is...be it going to the bathroom and missing information or waiting. The instructor lives up to the needs of the student to succeed and grasp the information - and will teach the students exceptionally well, hopefully - in order to pass the NCLEX and get that coveted license. If a student has to miss something, they can - in most cases - get it from other students. If it is a skill that is being worked on in lab, there are usually make up days.
I never would expect an instructor OR a student to act in such a manner. This is a profession that is held in high esteem and is highly respected by most people. ....and because I would never treat any human being with such disrespect (except my ex husband...), I would expect to be treated in a respectful way no matter if I were the student or the professor.
Best of luck - and may you always remember your roots and act accordingly in the future!