Targeted by instructor

purplemania, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2005

well, you didn't give any real information so it is hard to answer, but in general I think instructors have better things to do than try to flunk students. I think you need a heart to heart with the instructor, or your advisor. Be sure to cite real events and actual quotes,not your impressions and emotions. Good luck.

Why does it seem like my most recent instructor has singled me out like she is waiting for me to screw up????? We have 7 weeks before graduation, and I feel like she is trying to find a reason to kick me out! It's not just me, there's 2 or 3 of us in the class that have had experiences that we feel are very unprofessional, but don't want to file a complaint just yet, as she is also the director of our program. It literally seems like she has some kind of mental disorder ie bi-polar or beginning stages of Alzheimers, and I mean this sincerely. Is it this "normal" behavior for some instuctors? Anyone had similar experiences?:angryfire

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 22, 2005

What are they doing to make you think you're being singled out.

dcoffee · Apr 22, 2005

Actually, I did try to talk to her, and she told me I was a good actress and that I should be able to at least look like I knew what I was doing, and how did I really think I was going to get past the next instructor. To give you an example of her craziness, she accused me of not following protocol with a patient who was on isolation, embarresed me in the hallway at the hospital, came back to me after talking to the Charge Nurse, humiliated me some more, and then admitted that this patient was not on isolation.

well, you didn't give any real information so it is hard to answer, but in general I think instructors have better things to do than try to flunk students. I think you need a heart to heart with the instructor, or your advisor. Be sure to cite real events and actual quotes,not your impressions and emotions. Good luck.

ckh23, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2005

Why does it seem like my most recent instructor has singled me out like she is waiting for me to screw up????? We have 7 weeks before graduation, and I feel like she is trying to find a reason to kick me out! It's not just me, there's 2 or 3 of us in the class that have had experiences that we feel are very unprofessional, but don't want to file a complaint just yet, as she is also the director of our program. It literally seems like she has some kind of mental disorder ie bi-polar or beginning stages of Alzheimers, and I mean this sincerely. Is it this "normal" behavior for some instuctors? Anyone had similar experiences?:angryfire

You only have 7 weeks left, just stick it out. You have come so far to let it slip away or let someone like that get under your skin. If you know what your doing and your confident about what you have learned than it doesn't matter. Some instructors are just like that.

dcoffee · Apr 22, 2005

Accusing me of not following protocol, telling me how upset she is with me, when I can get proof from the DON of the facility that what I am doing is correct. Sneaking up behind me while I'm flushing or medicating thru a G-tube without knocking on the door or anouncing she is there, and scaring the hell out of me, and then accusing me of being too nervous...

What are they doing to make you think you're being singled out.

Sarahbrown · Apr 22, 2005

God how bad I feel for you. I can relate. Ive been put thru the same thing just 2 mos. away from graduation. Its a head game with these profs. But Im doing something about it. Im writing to the chancellor, and I filed a complaint with the attorney general. There has got to be something that can be done about the horrible treatments that students get. Im also planning to contact any source I can to report the horrible experiences Ive had. Im so done with this. I was humiliated by this one particular for actuatually nothing I did wrong. ANd she did it to me in class and unfortunately I also had this post menapausal b-- for my recent rotation. Unfortunately I quit school last week . I was on the dena"s list. I think they get a charge out of being bullies instead of professional proffesors. I have no respect left in me for any of them. I decided to change my major to teaching. Nothing could be hellish like nursing school. I believe alot of people dont enter the field for this reason, and its a shame because there's such a shortage, and there are alot of good people out there that could make the diff. These prof. get off on their power to destroy a persons honest and good intentions.

grinnurse, RN · Apr 22, 2005

I've been there and done that too! 3rd semester I had a clinical instructor that liked to humiliate the "older" students (don't know why, maybe b/c she felt threatened or something). She would single us out, bleed all over our papers when others did the same things and said nothing, blah,blah, blah. I was so glad when that semester was over that I got drunk after finals and I don't drink but that was how stressed out she made that semester's clinicals for me. My clinical instructor for 2nd semester who had just completed her Masters in teaching gave us a good motto to live by during tough times in Nursing school and it is "co-operate to graduate".

Good luck to you and don't let one crappy instructor detour you from acheiving your goal of graduating!!

Leda · Apr 22, 2005

Some thoughts on what you can do to help you "Cooperate to Graduate" (I like that line):

Be fully prepared for clinical, this means being knowlegeable about all aspects of care your patient will be receiving during the time you will be caring for them.

Anticipate what questions the instructor will be asking you in advance so that you won't appear flustered when she questions you.

Establish a schedule for your day and inform your clinical instructor at the begining of the shift what you are going to do when (even though we all know these plans fall apart quickly). By that I mean, since she drops in unannouced to observe you doing procedure, invite her in to observe at the start of the day, according to your plan for the day. This will indicate to her that you welcome her presence and are not intimidated by her. Then, if in fact her motives are to intimidate you she will discover that you aren't intimidated by her presence.

When you encounter a problem like you decribed (she say you aren't adhering to isolation procedure, and the client isn't on isolation). Take a deep breath, count to ten, and calmly inform her that you thoroughly researched this patient's data and there was no indication that the client was on isolation. Slowly go throught the list of your resources, client's chart, report you received from client's nurse, conversations with other appropriate health team members, etc. Then calmly invite her to help you find the information that supports her (wrong) idea. Don't make it a matter of who is right and who is wrong, present it in a way that you are seeking her wise counsel for obtaining the best information concerning your patient.

Don't be confrontational, but don't let her see you sweat. Being calm and appropriate can do wonders to help center people like your instructor.

If she finds that you are prepared, you welcome her in your client's room at any time, and she doesn't "get to you", then she'll most likely give up and find someone else to bother.

Hang tough, this will be but a memory soon.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2005

I have to agree with leda. You also have to remember, familes will come up behind you when you are working with a patient just like the instructor did.

I think maybe what she is leading to with the "actress" comment is that in nursing you have a facade that you have to be able to put accross to both your patients and their families, whether you actually know what you are doing or not. I say that lightly, there will be times when there will be questions ask, or you will be pressed for information about a test etc. and it isnt acceptable to stand and say you dont know, or stumble around for a response. (Not saying you did, but using it as an example)

We had an instructor that drilled people on drugs. Many to the point of tears, but the ones that could communicate with her (without tears) and calmly find the information she wanted were fine. The ones who teared out,, continued to get the drilling. Once she could see they were past the stress of being questioned, they didnt have a problem anymore. There were more than not that didnt like this instructor, but... you learned your drugs from her and got a lesson in keeping your composure under pressure. What will happen if a patients family yells at you at the nurses station in front of your DON or manager? Calm and composure at all times!!!!

Stick it out,, your almost done. And again,i agree, never let her see you sweat.

Indy, LPN, LVN · Apr 22, 2005

I have had an experience with an instructor that I won't go into here, because I still have to graduate in about a month and 3 weeks. Her problems are well-known and talked about, and all that talk isn't worth a hill of beans. However, our clinical evaluations are kept in hard copy at our school. Teachers sometimes write comments; students are encouraged to do so as well.

There is a very high probability that I will be addressing that issue with the dean of the department, and the president of the school, when I graduate. If students are required to be professional then by god, so are the instructors, particularly when they are doing narrative documentation.

As for what you should do, I agree with the other posters. Prepare yourself, and the part about presenting your daily "plan of care" is wonderful. That way she has an idea that you want her to know when she can expect to find you doing what things. I don't know what to make of the "actress" comment. Count to ten sometimes before you speak and whatever you do, don't interrupt the instructor. I know, some people have these long pauses in their speech that make you think they are done- then get their panties in a wad when you speak.

If you can, find some good quality in this instructor that you genuinely admire, that way if you are asked your opinion of this person, you'll have a decent answer. I am beginning to get tired of the thing I admire about a particular instructor though. It wears me out saying the one nice thing because I wasn't born to be a diplomat.

Oh yeah- if you're a caffeine junkie, cut down on the caffeine on clinical days. Don't leave it out altogether, just back off a little, and make sure you eat a decent breakfast no matter what time you have to be there. :)

Good luck to ya!

-Indy

not now, RN · Apr 22, 2005

We did have one instuctor who liked to single out people. She had me and another girl in crosshairs and would ride our butts like no other. Twice she and I got into "heated discussions" about completely insaine things (I wrote in my journal that I hated wearing all white and all he** broke loose). Both times I so incredibly frustrated/mad that had two options:

A. Cry

B. Punch her in the face

Obviously I did the former since I'm still in the program :wink2:.

I was on the verge of quitting due to her and then something happened. She told me "I will break you." Now, the fact that my Daddy's a retired Marine could be a factor but I swear to you that moment made me work harder than any other encouragement could have. By the end of the semester she was asking me why I hadn't gone directly into an RN program and that I better get my RN as soon as humanly possible.

So buckle down, have your stuff in order, don't talk back and get your job done as quickly & efficiently as possible with little or no mistakes and she cannot fail you.

Good luck