Feeling Very Discouraged

Published

Hi,

I am in a prestigious nursing school, and had a very bad experience with a preceptor. I found her harsh, uninterested in the student's progress and very critical and inflexible. All of my other preceptors were fantastic.

I tried speaking with the 2 directors of the program and clinical, and was completely put down by them and attacked personally, with every fault of mine they can think of, being bought up, as opposed to getting any support, encouragement or being listened to.

This was a very bad surprise, as the school itself seemed very focused on the student's best interests.

Does anyone have advice? It was not at all my intention for any of this to happen, and I am now eve questioning this field.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Are you referring to the clinical nurse to whom you are assigned for a clinical practicum? If so, you probably need to keep some things in mind. The vast majority of staff nurses receive no extra incentives to act as your teacher. They do not volunteer for this role. They have to 'teach' you in addition to managing a full load of patients. Some nurses really enjoy working with students. Others do not. It is your clinical instructors JOB to teach you - s/he should be running interference, including making sure that your assigned staff nurse is actually receptive to working with a student.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

You have posted no details. This leads me to believe there MIGHT be more to the story than 'poor student victimized by bully nurse.' And the fact that you felt compelled to mention 'prestigious program' causes me pause. Can you elaborate?

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I don't mean the clinical nurse. I meant my clinical preceptor. When I spoke about what was going on to the higher ups in my school, like the director of the nursing program, etc, that is where I felt attacked, misunderstood and that everything I was saying was misinterpreted negatively.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Again, some details please. Your feelings need to be supported by facts.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

It sounds to me as if the preceptor didn't live up to your expectations -- and when you complained about it to your faculty, they supported the preceptor, not you. Is that what happened?

You are not going to like every person you meet in ANY profession, not just nursing. As an adult in the work world, you need to learn to roll with a few punches and work successfully with all kinds of people. You said yourself that "all your other preceptors were fantastic." So, maybe you over-reacted to the one preceptor who was not very good. And maybe you are over-reacting to some negative feedback she gave you -- and your faculty agreed with her assessment. Maybe. Maybe not. We can't tell from the very limited information you have given us.

All I know is ... that you will have to get along with all types of people in just about any career that you choose. So choose a career in which the work itself is what you want to do with your life. Don't base your career choice on the personalities of just a few people you meet along the way.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

OP????????

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OP????????

On 8/14, OP asked how easy it was to get into Columbia. Apparently she was accepted quickly, as on 8/27 she states she is a nursing student at Columbia.

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I don't know if this helps or not but when I was in graduate school for a degree that had nothing to do with health care I got an really awful yucky teacher who I felt didn't like me... I survived the class. She seemed to like everyone in the class except me... however guess who got a job in their field? It was me... everyone else in the class didn't get a job in their field or lasted about two weeks... From my own experience with higher education professors get VERY defensive if you criticize them... especially if they aren't doing a good job... maybe I would go to get some suggestions and try to pick up a mentor and make the best of a bad situation... don't give up because that way the yucky people win.

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I'm still a little curious as to how you've experienced several preceptors in a few weeks' time, but I'll bite on your initial question: sometimes what initially seems criticism or negativity may not, in fact, be criticism or negativity. Without specifics, very difficult to tell on a board such as this. When I was in school, I had many different instructors with many different personalities. Negotiating the differences is a vital part of development as a nurse, or heck, even an adult human in any field.

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Specializes in ICU.

If we are talking about a clinical instructor, I am going to ask if you went up the proper chain of command? If you didn't go to your instructor first, and then went above her head, just going straight to the director, that is why. There is a chain of command that is to be followed. Is this your first semester? I wouldn't think you would have a preceptor in your first semester as a student.

Welcome to nursing school. You need to read your handbook and follow proper protocol. I don't know the situation, but this is something you will deal with from time to time.

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You're going to encounter people throughout your nursing career who you might not see eye to eye with but that's just life. You just pay no mind and do your job as long as they aren't interfering with patient care. I have to work with a person at school or the hospital, but I don't have to like them.

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