Please help...How can I handle my professor?

[toriphile23]

Hi,

I need some advice. I have a problem with my nursing instructor and I don't know how to handle it.

We were having our clinicals, 6 am, on Tuesday and as usual, we did our VS and PA on our patients. My 2nd pt was d/c on Tuesday, so I have to pick a new pt. I did all that for both pts, charted before 8 am. It was our 2nd day of giving PO meds, and I was all excited, and at the same time, nervous bout it. I totally forgot to do pt care such as bathing the pt and changing the linens. My professor was in charge of 12 of us, and she was not always with me. So I was waiting for her to give PO meds, but she was not available.

Around 10 am, I started gathering clean sheets and was ready to do pt care on my first pt. All of the sudden she appeared in front of me, and asked me if she had done PO meds with me, and I said no. So I put the linens aside and start showing her the meds that the 2nd pt needed (1st pt went into the bathroom to shower at that time, so we couldn't give the meds to her).

Since the meds are beta blockers and ACE inhibitors, we went into the room and did her BP before deciding giving the pt's meds. A CNA walked into the room and told me that she had already changed the linens for my 1st pt. My response was, "OK". She asked if I wanted her to do the 2nd pt's bed, I said "It's OK, I can do it myself"

After clinicals we had a small conference at 11:45 am before going home. It was at the hospital lobby. I was running a bit late because I was still helping the 2nd pt doing a bath as she was slow. At 11:50 am, I went down stair and my professor and the rest of my class were waiting for me. She stared at me like she's gonna kill me. She stated, "the next time, if pt care was not done by 8 am, you're getting a probation.".

I started to explain to her the reason why I didn't do pt care earlier because I was trying to prepare for meds and was anxious. She didn't want to hear me and threaten me saying, "do you want to get a probation NOW?" in front of all my classmates with all the visitors in the hospital. I stood there dumbfounded and quietly replied no.

The next morning she came in with her usual bad mood and handed me a probation. She wrote on the probation saying I didn't follow the routine of care. But the thing I couldn't believe was she stated that I was being "very defensive" and having "bad manners". I was not satisfied and didn't want to be accused for something that I didn't do. So I went up to her and tried to explain to her, and she cut me off again by saying, "I heard what you said to the CNA, you said 'OK'...you should've said 'THANK YOU'", in front of all my classmates. I was almost choked with tears. She said, "if you don't like what I wrote, you can go to the dean and change professor...do you want that?" I stood there, frozen, and speechless. And at the end I gathered courage and said no, she forced me to sign the probation.

I find her to be so unapproachable and intimidating. She threatened me, and to all of us, but none of us have the courage to complain because we waited so long to get into the program and we didn't want to lose this opportunity. During winter session, she even made racist remarks on me in front of 60 students because I'm an Asian, until I stopped her. She's not nurturing at all, and she threw her tantrum on us without reasons. I don't understand this, but I haven't seen a professor like her in all my college and university life.

Now the question is...what should I do?

I heard the dean was even harder to approach. Someone suggested that I could approach the dean of the academy and explain the scenario to him/her. I didn't want to feel unsafe and intimidated anymore because we are all adults, and we should have the right to express our feelings. I have been a good student all the while and have been getting good grades. It's against my culture to fight against a professor, but at this point, I have no choice but to do something because I do not want to have anymore sleepless nights just because of this issue. I rather have sleepless nights for studying hard for my exams.

[Cattitude]

I would like to hear more accounts from a professor's point of view. It seems that all we hear about are stories from students.

How about it TDub, and other teachers? How do you feel today's students are overall? Whiners? hard workers? Matter of fact, I'll start a new thread to address this.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

This entire thread brings up much of what is wrong with nursing education today. Often it's impossible to win with an instructor who loves to exercise power over her students. It's very likely that if OP had not taken another pt, she would have been chastised for trying to get away with an easy day--apparently, she didn't complain about the OP taking the other pt. Also, I read the instructor's comment that "if she doesn't like it she can see the dean and change professors" as a threat. What do you think usually happens to a student who tries to change clinical instructors after beginning of term?

Many nursing school instructors don't know how to deal with today's students--we're often older and working on second or third careers--and they are still harping on having to teach us how to think critically.

If it's "just her style," the instructor needs to make some changes. It was just Dom Imus's style to make the comments he made about the Rutgers' Women's basketball team.

Because of her position, a teacher wields a certain power and must be careful not to abuse that power.

yes, i too saw that as a threat, and agree that if she hadnt taken another patient , she may have been judged for that as well

[middlekane]

tdub, i disagree, i disagree, i disagree! we should never tolerate abuse or grovel for being unavoidably detained, people should understand we are not fast food providers or the cable guy, but professionals providing a service involving human beings! do you expect your md or dentist to grovel, or even to offer an explanation when they see you 15 min to an hour late? (don't you just assume they were delayed for an important reason... an emergency or crisis?) do you teach your students this philosophy? no wonder nurses do not get the respect we deserve, if this is how we portray ourselves! many things have bothered me about this thread, but this was by far the most upsetting to me. erika, critical care 22 years

i do, when my np, pa or md is late, they always apologize for the wait. if it is excessive (more than 10 minutes), they usually tell me a few details why without violating confidentiality- "there was an emergency and i got called over to the building next door. i am so sorry you had to wait. how are you doing today?" apologies for lateness are always appropriate, letting people know at the time of the call that you will be late is appropriate when feasible, taking abuse is not.

[RedWeasel, RN]

we had an instructor like that-basically by the end it was our motto, "lay low, don't make waves, yes maam no maam thankyou maam, yes of course I wont let it happen again--just get your degree." Now as a nurse its "Expect the unexpected, be prepared, assume nothing and plan well." Hope everything turns out ok-although (and those who live in a perfect world will disagree with me but it ain't a perfect world) it wont matter if you go above her head-ours has been reported sooo many times, as I am sure yours has, and they are both still there-like I said dont make waves---after you graduate hand em all your documentation of this event (and future ones, because yes there will be more situations like this with you AND classmates) and make a hell of a tsuanmi---after you have your degree. It wont help now, at all. Believe me. By the way are you from the midwest? She sure sounds like our instructor!!!

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

[quote

About "tarred with the same brush", many people think tarring and feathering is the origin of that phrase. It's not. Tarring and feathering is an American practice dating from about 1740 or so. It had nothing to do with being black; it was a punishment of whites disapproving of other whites. British Tories, Socialists and tax agents have been tnf'd. "Tarred with the same brush" is a more European term from 100 years later. This guy says it better than I could:

"The origin is the verb to tar, meaning to defile or dirty, known from the early years of the seventeenth century. The idiom appears in print first in 1818, in one of Sir Walter Scott's novels, Rob Roy: "They are a' tarr'd wi' the same stick-rank Jacobites and Papists." Our modern form appears in William Cobbett's Rural Rides in 1823: "'You are all tarred with the same brush', said the sensible people of Maidstone."

The idea behind it is that two individuals who have been liberally daubed or painted with the same tar brush look much the same and so appear to have the same characteristics. The links of the colour black with matters that were detestable, dishonourable or evil also added to the negative sense."

World Wide Words is copyright © Michael Quinion, 1996-2007. All rights reserved.

Site: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-tar1.htm

this is not an example of idiomatic english that is used by any one i know, and perhaps not your former student either.....the expression that i am familiar with is "painted with the same brush"I Have heard the expression "tarred with the same brush". I think some students use the racism excuse way too liberally. When I was a student, there were some students in my clinical group who accused the instructor of racism because she was tough on them...but she was tough on all of us. Obviously, racist terms should never be tolerated, but I think these days, everyone is just a little too eager to jump on the PC bandwagon. Just my 2 cents. Also, I agree that 8am is way too early to expect all patient care to be done. I think this goes back to old school nursing-where patients were "bossed around" by the nurses and didn't get a choice about when baths happened. I'm all for using gentle persuation and psychology to win patients over(I had a paranoid schizophenic patient who was refusing a bath..I told her it was a "secret beauty treatment" and made it seem like she'd be sticking it to the man if she accepted. She said yes to the bath:lol2: ) but I will not command an adult to take a bath etc. In school, we had to get patient care done by 11am.

[TDub, MSN, EdD]

"I Have heard the expression "tarred with the same brush". I think some students use the racism excuse way too liberally. When I was a student, there were some students in my clinical group who accused the instructor of racism because she was tough on them...but she was tough on all of us. Obviously, racist terms should never be tolerated, but I think these days, everyone is just a little too eager to jump on the PC bandwagon."

Thank you!

[purple1953reading]

I might concentrate on her asking me if she had passed meds with me yet, as she can't recall,or was she testing you? The fact that it was after 10 and your am meds weren't passed seems more important than when am care was completed. Am care cannot be accomplished by a certain time, with physcians , respiratory , post op visits, consult drs. seeing pts and hoping to get to office by 9am. If lab comes in at 5, as a patient I always took my bath, shower, etc then as it kept people from knocking on the door and interrupting me. IN additon, as a student, I always wondered how so any of those that were NOT good nurses were sitting at the desk, listening to things that did not concern them, and I was working my behind off trying to get linens, vs, check IVs, dressings, diet , insulins, etc,doing head to toes, and gettting all that charted BEFORE the dr made rounds, so the info was available to him before he saw the pt. I soon realized they did not do the work, the had their pts do own care, did not change beds, just smoothed them,made up much of head to toe, etc, YET nobody questioned them.

I don't think making excuses, or explanations fixes much of anything , more likely to antagonize, as I think it did in your case. QUIET and respect speaks for itself. If I felt she truly discriminated against me,I would approach her privately, unlike she did you, and ask if there she could give you a plan or idea to accomplish all that she wants in what order. That you are willing to do what it takes to be the best nurse possible. IF that doesn't seem satisfying, keep meticulous notes, note when and in front of whom she made these comments ( just so if asked, they can reiterate what you have stated, not ask them to get involved, as everyones goal is to get through school. I certainly would do the best job,be prepared,and try to avoid giving the instructor anything to gripe about. My paper work would be impecable, I would never be late, I would not be seen lounging at the desk,and would always be the first to volunteer to help another student. I worked with a friend through school, we made beds together, after setting up each of our patients, who could, with bath basins, etc. Then went back and helped with backs, lotion, etc. Then f needed ambulated or helped them to chair at bedside.

Anytime I entered a room,as a student or nurse, I always made sure to do a quick survery, made sure everything was within reach of patient, they had phones, call lights, tv control, fresh water, bedside table clear, etc. AND ASKED prior to leaving if they needed or wanted anything. THis freed me for usually an hour to chart, other patients, etc.

School is a balancing act, esp, if trouble with instructor. Like drs. they tend to get away with alot more than we do. I once confronted an instructor about a treatment she told us that was old, and had been updated to be opposite in our text. SHE kept telling me it was a mistake, and she was right. I actually contacted the publisher, got their verification I was right, and gave it to her. DID NOT DO MUCH for her opinion of me. BUT it was principle. I had asked her why they would publish something in the books that were bibles to us, if it was incorrect. Turned out it was a question on a test, and she had counted me wrong. I made an A anyway, but principle.

Sorry for rambling. Stand up for yourself, admit when you are wrong, apoplogize, thank those who help you. Just the other day I was wondering why kids did not say please, thank you , and you are welcome. IT IS A HABIT I was taught from the point I could talke, and it should be for all of us. GOOD LUCK

[miss arron]

do you expect your md or dentist to grovel, or even to offer an explanation when they see you 15 min to an hour late? (don't you just assume they were delayed for an important reason... an emergency or crisis?)

yes, i do expect them to - b/c my dr's and dentists have always apologized for being late and explained the situation to me. as a nurse, i plan to do the same. everyone's time has value and by apologizing for taking up theirs you show you respect that.