Pick Your Battles Wisely

[TheCommuter]

Life is not fair, and neither is nursing school. After having dealt with various sticky situations while attending an LVN program, and later, an RN bridge program, here are my blunt two cents on this matter: suck it up, choose your battles very carefully, and focus on graduating. I know that my words might not sound therapeutic or convey the image of cyber hugs, but this issue is something that I feel I must bring forth into peoples' awareness.

I know of a middle-aged woman who once attended a practical nursing program and had a clinical instructor who was allegedly cutting clinical hours short without any good reason. For instance, he sent students home after five or six hours when the clinical shift for that day was supposed to be eight hours. The woman reported her instructor's actions to the dean of the practical nursing program because she rightfully felt that her learning opportunities were being shortchanged. Of course, the unethical clinical instructor denied shortening the length of any clinical shifts. Also, none of the other students backed up this woman's claims.

To keep a long story short, the instructor gave her a failing grade for that clinical rotation a few weeks prior to what would have been her graduation date. We all know that this woman's failure of the clinical portion was most likely a retaliatory act by the instructor instead of a true failing grade. It is also a cautionary tale to pick one's battles carefully and exercise the utmost tact when handling unfair situations. While it was certainly not fair for the instructor to cut the clinical shifts short without good cause, this woman may or may not have gotten more effective results by following the chain of command and privately approaching her instructor about the issue.

However, she royally incited the instructor's wrath by going above his head and reporting him to his superior, and she paid for her actions dearly by receiving a bogus clinical failure. She was right and her instructor was wrong. However, the dishonest person has moved on with his life while the honest, ethical person must pick up the pieces of her life and start over. This woman was figuratively kicked in the teeth. Life was not fair to her, for she would almost certainly be licensed as a nurse by now if only she had selected a different course of action. It really stinks to do the right thing and be punished for it.

Another common situation arises when students have inside knowledge and solid proof that one or more of their classmates are cheating. "That's so wrong!" they exclaim. "I have to report it!"

All instances of academic dishonesty must be reported. However, after the students in question have been reported for cheating, no action seems to have openly been taken against them. My controversial advice is to stop pressing the issue any further. You followed through on your ethical obligation to report the academic dishonesty. Now it is time to worry about your own studies and focus on the prize, which is graduation. Remember that life is not fair, and you might end up with a target on your back if you keep bringing up the issue, even if you have done absolutely nothing wrong.

Favoritism, which happens when one person is lavished with unjust favorable treatment at the expense of others, is another usual complaint in nursing school. Favoritism is going to be found virtually everywhere you go: at school, work, and even in some hiring practices. I know that my words might not be what people want to hear, but my advice is to suck it up and deal with it. No matter how good your performance is, people select their favorites based on features such as personality and other attributes not related to the work you do. Choose your battles carefully and focus your energies on things that are within your control. Do not get caught up in petty politics.

Always think before you speak, especially when interacting with superiors who can make decisions that affect your future. Always use the utmost tact with every interpersonal encounter that you make. And most importantly, do not waste excessive time and energy fighting every battle that crosses your path. Pick your battles very carefully because nursing school is not always fair, and neither is life. If you learn to walk the political tightrope, you will prevail.

[amygarside]

Sometimes when the reality is directly in front of you, you realize that the real world is cruel and nursing school is not an exception. Thank your for showing and telling us the darkside of nursing school situations.

[ClearBlueOctoberSky]

Commuter, even though you bring up primarilay ethical or moral issues in your article, I figure there are just some things in life that are not really worth the time, effort and frustration of getting my panties in a bunch.

[x_factor]

Thank you for another brilliant article, you are truly a fantastic writer and a great inspiration to students and nurses alike.

I can relate, and wholeheartedly agree to this article. I was a former nursing student as well, just short of graduating, before losing everything I had worked long and hard for. I had done nothing wrong except opening my mouth when I shouldn't have by reporting unethical behavior. Morally, I felt at the time it was the right thing to do, that it was the honest thing to do. It was the worst mistake I could've ever made. Nothing was done to those who were being unethical, but much was done to me in retaliation, and I walked away empty handed while everyone else went on to graduate.

It took a lot, but I've put my past behind me, and started over. I'm finishing up pre-reqs and will be applying for an RN program very soon, in just a couple months. I learned a major lesson from my past though: keep my mouth shut, because sometimes the price of doing the morally honest thing isn't worth the cost.

[NJnewRN]

To your credit OP this is a fantastic article! That was very insightful. I am going to briefly explain what happened to me in nursing school. I did well enough to keep my head above water throughout the entire program until the final semester. I had passed clinicals with flying colors and everything was going well until we had an instructor who decided to makes everyone's life a living nightmare. The woman threatened to fail me because I kept forgetting to put air in the syringe before I drew up a medication. Mind you, It's my final semester! I couldn't believe that if I was doing so bad up until that point. Basically, she tortured the other students including myself for no good reason. I wanted to report her abuse so bad! She was even made it a point to tell me that she was going to personally make sure that I don't graduate. Yes, those were the exact words. I remember staying up all night crying. No one has ever made me cry continuously like that before in my life. I remember a lady over heard me on the phone crying saying it was going to be ok. It took everything out of me not tell her that what she is doing is wrong! I wanted to report her so bad, but I had to bite my tongue and take the whipping. My school was not to be tested. I have seen how they callously failed people for grades like 79.5. I knew she would have failed me. So I played the part. I listened to her carefully. Memorized the way she wanted me to draw up air a syringe and that it takes .70 mls to fill out the smaller syringe. I even woke up at 2am in the morning to practice in my head how to hang a piggy back.

So, to make a long story short. She passed me and told me that I did very well and how she was surprised at my turn around. Yes, I had to sit there and pretend as if this woman did not make our lives a nightmare.

[catlvr]

This is a great article, and it is absolutely disgusting that what the Commuter says is true. These rouge instructors (and it seems as if every nursing program has at least one) are training future nurses to shut their mouths and ignore the wrongs that they are going to find once they enter the workforce. First you keep it shut because you want to earn your licence, and then you keep it shut because you need a paycheck. Before nursing, I spent 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, and I find way more ethical violations in my LTC job than I ever did in the villified pharm world - and that sure is saying something. I've picked the most egregious events and reported them up the chain of command, but nothing changes - so I'm left to look for a new job.

I worry that we are conditioned to choose NOT to battle (see no evil, hear no evil) because that is seen as the easiest and wisest course of action based on the understandable goal of graduating or getting a paycheck.

[Yogalimbs]

You know, reading this was like being in dejavu. And that's all i'm going to say. Favoritism is such a terrible thing to see, and so is bullying by instructors, but hey it happens.

[Saysfaa]

Doing what is right is always worth it.... not least because evil prospers when good [people] are silent.

However, favoritism and petty politics are very different things than cheating and shorting clinical hours. It would be nice if everything were fair but that isn't really a right/wrong thing. Besides, it is impossible to do.

I do agree that one should think before speaking, especially when interacting with superiors who can make decisions that affect one's future. Also, always use the utmost tact with every interpersonal encounter made.

And that *how* something is done is often far more important than *what* is done.

A question, though.... do you know if the clinical hours were shorted just the once or regularily. Also, if it was once, did the clinical program have a few extra hours built into it? I'm asking because despite an excessive amount of hype about how absenses of any sort were unacceptable, it turned out that it was very unusal that not a single student missed a single clinical hour - so we met the allotted hours requirement before the end of the last day and were legitimately sent home early. Although, the instructor did explain why.

[Mully]

Here's what you do if an instructor asks you anything:

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

A question, though.... do you know if the clinical hours were shorted just the once or regularily. Also, if it was once, did the clinical program have a few extra hours built into it? I'm asking because despite an excessive amount of hype about how absenses of any sort were unacceptable, it turned out that it was very unusal that not a single student missed a single clinical hour - so we met the allotted hours requirement before the end of the last day and were legitimately sent home early. Although, the instructor did explain why.

The clinical hours were being cut short on a regular basis by this one particular instructor. Since this was a second job to earn some extra money, he did not really put his entire heart and soul into the task of teaching.

It took place in the state of California where approximately 954 clinical hours are required prior to completion of an LVN program. The nursing program was set up for exactly 954 clinical hours, so any students who were absent or late had to make up the time.

This particular instructor was cutting clinical days short for his own convenience without notifying the school's administration, so he was basically falsifying records through omission (re: not revealing he was ending the clinical shifts early).

[Guinevere39]

Thank you for the article! This is essentially the advice I was given by a recent grad just before starting my program.

[PrincessRN101]

its so true, u have to know what battle's u want to fight or not. SO WHAT the teacher sent u home early, go spend ur extra time studying in the library, or volunteering at a hospital or nursing home gaining some experience, with human interaction and communication.. picked a fight with a teacher and u lost. I NEVER tried that in nursing school, and i walked out unscathed, no failing grades or failed classes. the teachers are the boss and ur the student. thats just the way it is

[Feistn]

If you watch Weeds, Mahalia James says "Fair is what you pay on the bus." I keep that in mind in my nursing school experience. Sometimes it's little things like such and such clinical group got to do this and we didn't, or someone performed their skill in front of this instructor who was more exacting. Get. Over. It. There is no way that your experience is going to be exactly the same as everyone else's. Your job is to get through, not quibble over one or two points.