I feel out of place a lot of times during class/clinicals. I am 6-3, 245lb, tattoos all over, ex-military. I look like a biker not a nurse. The other guys in my class are nothing like me, and does it ever show. I hope that there are more guys like me in nursing school so we can show everybody that this is not a profession just for ladies. I constantly feel that I have to be extra careful when caring for patients esp. younger female patients and elderly ladies. And that everybody in the hospital is watching me.Waiting for me to hurt somebody or do something wrong. My CI has put me in her cross sites and makes every day hell. With the hopes of getting me to quit, right! I have been through basic training and air assault school and can survive anything!!! I have been told to lay low, and to kiss her butt. Now, just how am I suppose to do that? I have been insulted, told that I will fail, even excused from clinicals in front of everybody. And all I do is show up the next day waiting for what she has in store for me. I get all A's and B's with exceptional remarks on my last evals, even rated above average. The only problem I have is when I ask for help she thinks I am threatening her, and gets very defensive. Whatever, I will pass. Anybody getting the same problems? Because I feel like I am the only guy in nursing school getting this treatment.
ha, most instructors have a "demon child" they want to ride, but you can't always tell if they're riding them to break them (sounds like the op's case) or riding them to try and make them better.
A lot of teachers I've come across ride me simply because of my tattoo's and military experience.
One of our teachers had a bad experience - with a member of her debate team having the entire team fooled into thinking he was a Veteran for over 1 1/2 years - it took them forever to call this guy out, but when they finally did he transferred to another school. Then harassed the faculty at his old school with death threats.
The teacher told me that she would specifically be hard on me to see if I was stable or not - I didn't think it was a very mature way of handling things, but I guess it's what we have to deal with.
Nobody made me get these tattoo's, and nobody made me serve in the military - where military service use to be admirable, it seems that by today's standards it's been demonized. Like we're turned into robots, or mentally ill killers.
It's just unfortunate that people are so biased - I think you'll find the folks who go out of their way to get ink, piercings, etc. are very open minded by comparison to people who keep the most professional appearance they can. Strikes me as odd.
Well pretty much what everyone else here is saying. Lay low, dont stand out, blend in, as well as know everything that you should know or intructor expects you to know. My (guy) friend is also under heavy scrutiny of our current clinical intructor and on midterm evaluation she wrote a couple pages that were bulleted if he failed to complete or meet any those requirements he out of program, which she had him sign too. Some were as simple as forgetting to bring a watch to hospital. Him and I know the same amount and he got chosen and I had no complaints on mid evalauation. So beats me why some get picked on...theres enough stress as it is without someone waiting for you to make mistakes...anyways..hang in there buddy!
Wow, glad I read this thread. I am starting my RN program in May and I am an ex-Airborne Infantryman with a slightly visible tattoo on my arm. I have never had any issues with any instructors in all my other classes, so I'm not too worried, but this is also a whole new world actually being in the RN program. Guess we shall see how it goes and will attempt to stay under the radar.
But to all my brothers in arms here, stay strong. They may think whatever they want about us, but we know who we are and what we do. Just keep on keeping on!
Well if I'm reading the date right You've probably already made it. But, I too have had this problem. I was a CNA before this though and you will always have to be careful with young women and elderly ladies.
Don't worry my man. I feel the exact same way about my clinical instructor. It seems that she talks to everyone else with respect and easy questions. But when it comes to me she'll ask me a million questions, mind you with hostility. Looks at me like i'm a failure, and is just waiting for me to mess up.
Luckily my grades speak for my performance, but we had a one on one the other day. She explained to me that she sees "great potential in me, I am smart and able to come up with the answers rather quickly, but I am a lazy person." Gahhhh. You can't please everyone right?
Oh yeah. I'm 5 6". Half sleeve tat on my left side. two wrist tattoos. and my ears used to be gauged, but i removed them now, and they're healing slowly but you can still see the holes. lol.
Eh, I am as clean-cut as they come. Seriously, I look like a middle-aged, well-kepy upper-middle-class woman. My instructors seriously hated me and dinged me for all sorts of ridiculous crap, including absenteeism. Heh. I missed ONE lecture and was honest - my r/t commute was 140 miles a day over mountain roads. They knocked five points off my grade, and knocked me off the dean's list.
They just hated my guts. They liked meek and mealy-mouthed and, well, I ain't.
Hang in there and quit trying to figure out why she hates you. Personally, I go with they were threatened by me. I am a confident person and it was interpreted as cockiness. Some of them were actually idiots and not too bright and of that I have never been accused.
Just survive it, head your head down, and hope things go better with the new instructor.
I haven't had this problem yet, but I have no tattoos and look pretty unassuming.
I'm also only 5'8" and 170, though.
I love to box, though, so I try to be careful both about letting it be known that I'm into that sort of thing and minimizing visible facial abuse.
I have some scar tissue around my eye sockets and my nose is bent, but it's not too noticeable. I usually have dark circles under my eyes all the time, so black eyes have to be pretty extreme to stick out too bad.
Something I've found enormously helpful is being extremely polite. I've got a lot of experience waiting tables, and over time (in an effort to bleed every last cent I can from my customers) I've developed the ability to make people feel like their needs are incredibly important to me.
This works well with patients (they are more cooperative and pleasant if you make sure they feel important) and with your instructors; you don't need to brown-nose them (being polite is totally separate, being a yes-man is incredibly rude imo), but if you are excruciatingly polite to them (even if they are worthless ******* out to get you) it almost always helps.
With practice, you can be extra-polite even while disagreeing. It's important to give them the impression you listen and carefully consider all of the advice they give you, even if it's trash. If they just don't like you, they may get reinforcement out of giving you a hard time (if you visibly show that it bothers you to be singled out), so if you react positively to their criticisms they may not tend to give them as much.
They'll love you as soon as they need to move a heavy patient, anyways.
I haven't had this problem yet, but I have no tattoos and look pretty unassuming.
I'm also only 5'8" and 170, though.
I love to box, though, so I try to be careful both about letting it be known that I'm into that sort of thing and minimizing visible facial abuse.
I have some scar tissue around my eye sockets and my nose is bent, but it's not too noticeable. I usually have dark circles under my eyes all the time, so black eyes have to be pretty extreme to stick out too bad.
I have that problem too sometimes. I love fighting ( not bar room brawls or anything ) and its no face shots cause i do not need shiners when I am taking care of pts.
With practice, you can be extra-polite even while disagreeing. It's important to give them the impression you listen and carefully consider all of the advice they give you, even if it's trash. If they just don't like you, they may get reinforcement out of giving you a hard time (if you visibly show that it bothers you to be singled out), so if you react positively to their criticisms they may not tend to give them as much.
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ItsTheDude
621 Posts
ha, most instructors have a "demon child" they want to ride, but you can't always tell if they're riding them to break them (sounds like the op's case) or riding them to try and make them better.