The story is really long but I will shorten it, so if it seems like gaps are missing it's because there are.
My clinical instructor kicked us out of the simulation lab because we were rude to her by quoting an inside joke the other professors often repeated to us. "Sorry to bother you at work". She must have not gotten the memo that 1/ it was our second time in the sim lab, so we weren't still sure how protocol worked and 2/ must not hang out with the other professors.
Anyway, she kicked us out, chewed us out for being unprofessional and then made us sit in time out while the other group of students got to finish working and practicing with the sim person. One of the girls started crying and I just thought that the professor could have handled it differently. Now, I don't give a horse's tail about being yelled at, but I feel like my time was wasted just because one professor doesn't know how to handle nervous and giggly block 1 students. Personally, I know jack shizz about working in a hospital so, instead of being yelled at, and put in time out, she could have run in there told us we were being uprofessional and made us start over. That would have been a useful pain in the butt, and less traumatizing for the others.
Phew. Anyway, I'm not really looking for advice or anything, but just wanted to share this funny/ridic story to get it off my chest. thanks for listening!! :)))
I wasn't there, so I can't really judge. I don't get the joke, but that's what makes it an inside one.
It may be that your professor should have reprimanded the group and refocused you. You are first year students and it sounds like young ones at that. However, it also sounds as if you all were behaving unprofessionally and teaching this aspect of nursing is also your instructors job. However she chose to make it her point was made. Sim lab is time to be serious, not joking.
"I posted about my instructor's inappropriate behavior and then they all ganged up on me..."
I don't see the humor or inside joke, either.
When we were at sim lab -- and even when we do professional development classes now -- we are in scrubs in order to help set a professional tone in what we're doing.
I'm in my mid 30's and one thing I've noticed, consistently, is that people in their late early 20's STILL act like teenagers. Telling them to "grow up" doesn't make it instantly do so, and I think people outside of that age group have a hard time wrapping their heads around it. Truth is, these students may be 17+. If the concern is with having someone of this maturity level handle patients, then that is a problem to be taken up with the board. I know students in that age group that are married, that have kids, that have their own homes and truly believe that they are mature because of their experience (and their friends and family will tell you that they are also -- "not my kid",), but then, they often make decisions baffle me. They can't see the fault.
I would like to believe that all--most teachers/professors/supervisors would be knowledgeable of the developmental levels of this age group and conduct their classes with this in mind. Like Cat365 said, that may have successfully occurred in this case, but in my personal experience, it rarely does these days. I recall learning/reading that decision making abilities and brain maturity aren't even complete until the mid-20's, so I don't see how berating students (not the professor in this situation, necessarily, but the responses, mostly,) helps any. It's counter-productive and hypocritical. Young people don't act mature because they aren't mature. In my opinion, adults should be categorized as 25 and up.
You're right in that not everyone matures at the same rate. One of the more interesting things about nursing school, in my opinion, is how it tends to weed out some of that problem. People buckle down or they don't pass. People show up like they should or they miss clinical hours and don't meet requirements. There's are reasons why not everyone passes nursing school or the boards and sometimes it's just that they aren't emotionally ready for nursing school or to be a nurse.
In this particular case the op can choose to listen to what others are saying or she can go on blissfully believing that what she did was appropriate in a professional setting or that she can choose to keep believing in her own superiority over her professors. That's up to her. The choice she makes will likely help determine her future success.
Just be glad she didn't send you all home and count it as a clinical absence. In the clinical setting you will need a poker face when you are a bundle of nerves-no giggling in front of the patient because your new at what you are doing.
I am in my last year of nursing school and graduate in May...
Bottom line, you are in school to learn how to be a nurse. You are an adult and are expected to act like one. You should also expect to be treated like one.
This is a time where you are learning how to become a competent professional, and your instructors take this seriously. So should you.
Simulation labs are a valuable experience and count towards your hours. If I were that instructor, I would have done the same thing they did AND made you all make up the hours at MY convenience.
When you act like that, you disrespect your peers and your instructor. Maybe you should read your student handbook and become familiar with the behavioral expectations of your particular program. This would've been a violation of our program's civility policy.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I guess I missed the train on that joke because I don't get it. SIM lab is the same as clinical time, if you were in the hospital and a giggly bunch of students were in your room & going to be doing procedures on you, would you let them? I sure as hell wouldn't. It doesn't matter at what age the brain matures, there are 25+ year olds who act pretty dang immature and 18-24 year olds who act more mature than some older adults. If you can't be serious when it's time to be serious, get out of nursing. Because if you're laughing when there is a code called, you could kill someone.
Nurse Leigh
1,149 Posts
Care to expand on this? Not quite sure where you're going with this.