Disturbing to anyone else???? NEED HELP.

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Last week in our first 4 hour lecture with our Psych instructor (2nd yr NS) she apologized up front if she offends anyone because she is used to letting the "F" word fly and hopes it won't be a problem.

She also told us a simple way to remember the SE for cholinergic drugs:

Can't See

Can't Pee

Can't Spit

Can't Sh*t.

Am I being too touchy or is this extremely unprofessional coming from an instructor???

In addition to that (if that isn't enough), we were told it was against the rules to eat or drink in this classroom that is being loaned to us (by DON). If any of us are caught violating the rules, we can lose the classroom. The first night of instruction, this same instructor was 1/2 hr into her lecture and made the announcement that she cannot teach for 4 hours without water and proceeded to get her drink and brought it to the podium. Now many students are bringing in coffee, pepsi and food. Do I rat??? I am so uncomfortable. Please help.

4.5 hours without a drink? If I didn't have a break in that class at all, I would have a problem. I do have a problem with the "F" word. That's not professional at all and she should know better. The DON is the one that needs to know. If you pay for this class, or if your State pays for this class, either allow the beverages or drop the "F" word. If she has to use the "F" word in class and can't be any more professional than that, she must be burnt out. But if my money is paying for that, I'd go over her head, going to her is not going to get you anywhere if she has that attitude. I use the "F" word too, but when it comes to being a professional and that's what we are, there is a time and a place and that is not the place. I'd write a letter to the DON now!

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4.5 hours without a drink? If I didn't have a break in that class at all, I would have a problem. I do have a problem with the "F" word. That's not professional at all and she should know better. The DON is the one that needs to know. If you pay for this class, or if your State pays for this class, either allow the beverages or drop the "F" word. If she has to use the "F" word in class and can't be any more professional than that, she must be burnt out. But if my money is paying for that, I'd go over her head, going to her is not going to get you anywhere if she has that attitude. I use the "F" word too, but when it comes to being a professional and that's what we are, there is a time and a place and that is not the place. I'd write a letter to the DON now!

I think of swear words like pepper. A little goes a long way. And some kinds are just too hot to me to use at all.

As for turning the instructor in for language or beverage use, I'd think long and hard about doing that. Get branded (by school staff and/or fellow students) as a troublemaker (over non-essential matters) and, unfair as it might be, YOU are the one more likely to have consequences.

On the language issue, consider this a learning opportunity for what other posters pointed out will probably be a regular occurence on the job. There IS a difference between hearing cuss words from a patient or a co-worker. You're not as open and receptive to them as you would be to an instructor. But you can begin now to learn how to filter the things you're not likely to change and absorb only the necessary parts of the message.

As for the violations regarding beverages, you don't really have a dog in that fight. That is between the instructor and the DON. If you yourself decide to bring in a drink, I'd make sure it was something that had a screw-on top or some other equally effective barrier to spills. That way if anyone causes a problem, it won't be you.

One last thought. You might want to ask yourself why you are so uncomfortable about these things. I'm not saying you're wrong. Only that it could be interesting to figure out what goes through your mind when these situations come up. Are you afraid YOU will get in trouble? Does it just feel wrong to witness such things and not say anything. What other possibilities might there be?

I hope you will come back and give us an update.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
If you pay for this class, or if your State pays for this class, either allow the beverages or drop the "F" word. If she has to use the "F" word in class and can't be any more professional than that, she must be burnt out. But if my money is paying for that, I'd go over her head, going to her is not going to get you anywhere if she has that attitude. I use the "F" word too, but when it comes to being a professional and that's what we are, there is a time and a place and that is not the place. I'd write a letter to the DON now!

Really? You'd make a public issue of someone's "unprofessionalism"?

You're going to be busy ...

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I sent a PM to the OP asking her for an update. Hope she responds.

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I sent a PM to the OP asking her for an update. Hope she responds.

Thanks! I am interested to hear what happened.

I am surprised at how many folks think using swear words means the instructor is somehow more interesting or intelligent than someone who doesn't.

Even my 5 year old can say a swear word - it isn't that hard. (Of course I don't let my 5 year old swear:wink2: )

And equating work with class doesn't make sense to me either. Of course at work we don't swear around the patients but co-workers do swear around each other in report where it is private. I've been known to say a few myself.

But in a work environment (classroom, nurse's station, bank, grocery store, florist shop, Macy's, etc.), it is unprofessional to swear.

She doesn't sound cool to me - she sounds immature.

As to the water issue - I agree with most folks and say leave that alone.

Hope the op responds . . .

steph

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The swearing would bother me. I might not do anything about these things, but would never run my own classroom that way.

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BIG clarification. Thanks Timothy - it is anticholinergic drugs. I apologize!!! Well, I have taken the majority of your advice and while she reaches new heights in unprofessionalism (especially for a Nurse Practitioner), I am choosing to lay low. Thank you for all of your responses!!!!

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I have the book that has that mnemonic in it. Valuable to me, and yes, that is how i remember anticholinergics!

Now, in my A&P class....we were taught BY DOCTORS how to remember if the cranial nerve is motor sensory or both: some say mary money but my brother says big breasts matter more.

Also, for the actual nerves: oh oh oh to touch and feel virgins glossy lady parts and hymen. Yep....and Ill tell ya, never forgot them.... He said the dirty they are, the easier they were for him to remember.

BUT i do not like the F bomb, and I would be disturbed to hear that one in school (not in the real world though, so much) I had a teacher in high school-a catholic private highschool-who would swear, and occasionally say the f-word. Back then it was relieving though to see someone who was not all wound up tight as many of the teachers/admin were.

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If you're going to work in healthcare, especially an ER like I do, you'd better get used to lots of "F-bombs" and more!

Don't sweat the small stuff is what I always say :)

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If you're going to work in healthcare, especially an ER like I do, you'd better get used to lots of "F-bombs" and more!

Don't sweat the small stuff is what I always say :)

I don't hear that word at all in the ER where I work. And we would never say it in front of a patient anyway.

There is a difference in saying it behind closed doors during report with co-workers (although some may still be offended) and saying it as a teacher in front of a class.

I still believe it is unprofessional. And I'm not "wound up tight". :monkeydance:

steph

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Steph., I don't think that poster was saying the nurses say it, but the clientele. Working in rural California, your clientele might be more subdued, but where I work, the f-bomb is shouted out occasionally by the clientele in the ER for sure, and the patients on the wards. :)

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I've worked healthcare and the ER for fifteen years as a Paramedic and I've never seen or heard anyone use the "f" word out like that. It's always been where no-one in the public would hear it and I've been on some pretty bad gruesome scenes with just me and my partner around, waiting on help and I've never heard it used out loud. So it can be done. Don't make excuses for someone who does that just because it's "awesome" or "cool". It's inappropriate behavior for someone in that profession. She's not in the ER, she's in the classroom teaching people to be good nurses, not be cool in the classroom by using language that might seem funny, you have to think about your patient's dignity and the families of the patients, not how cool it is to the students in class. Nursing is serious business. Go ahead and do it if you think it's "awesome" or "cool" but once you start doing that and using other words without respect for your co-workers or your patients and their families, it'll bite you in the butt before you know it. So go ahead, knock yourselves out, be cool and awesome and cuss like a sailor in front of everybody, yeah, you'll go real far.

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