Help! I have an evil clinical instructor!

gracie05 · Sep 16, 2006

How is she evil?

Megsd, BSN, RN · Sep 16, 2006

Yes, what does your instructor do to give you this impression? What concerns did you bring to your advisors and the dean? What were their responses? Are other students having problems with this instructor?

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Sep 16, 2006

Honestly, I don't think the " they are out to get me" attitude is gonna help you much.

She can't fail you unless you actually do something wrong and if you have to work double time to impress her, then do it.

Welcome to nursing school.

mmom51 · Sep 16, 2006

If you feel victimised keep a diary. There should be a clause in your OH&S policy for zero tolerace for bullying and harrassment. Reflect on your relationship with her/him. Confront the person with your feelings on the behaviour. Don't accuse. Simply request a meeting andtell the person how you feel. This is a non-threatening approach. Perception is not always reality. Maybe you got it wrong. Reflect on the meetings and assessments you have had. It is possible you made errors, got mixed up. Goodluck and remember there is always good in most people sometime you have to dig a bit deeper. Don't be swayed by others opinion. Keep your own council. It is hard to do

leslie :-D · Sep 16, 2006

and then in real life, there ARE instructors who are out to fail you.

those are the stories i've listened to over the yrs.

many do it to see how tough you are.

whatever their reasons, they can make your experience miserable.

as calmly as possible, i suggest having a 1:1 talk.

no one has the right to belittle you.

do your work and believe in yourself.

remember, no one can make you feel inferior w/o your permission.

leslie

firstyearstudent · Sep 16, 2006

Well, you've already seen the dean and your advisors, which I would not have done until there were no other options or until I was free and clear. But what's done is done. At this point, I'd keep my nose very, very, clean. Be very, very careful in terms of what you say and do (follow all rules to the letter) and avoid her when possible.

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2006

Ok, mine has this reputation, but during clinical compentacies, she was ok towards me. In clinical, she may be a certain way, but there's nothing I can do about that except do my work and impress her with my double-time ethic. Another instructor was being called a b---- and so forth for being mean/harried on Thursday, but come to find out that 3 instructors had emergencies that day and she was just overworked. Understandable, which was a good lesson to all of us to just suspend our judgements.

However, there's not much you can do. If it is unprofessional, directed solely at you, than meet with them and explain your concerns. If you went directly over her head....GOOD LUCK! I think you'll have to give 300% to pass.

moog8746 · Sep 17, 2006

I've been having a difficult time with paper work. My clinical group started clinicals on the third day of school, so we haven't had the benefit of learnging what is expected of us this semester (1st semester of 2nd year). I've asked for help regarding my difficulties and she refuses to help me. I just got my midpoint evaluation and she gave me all U's, based on my errors in preclinical paper work (i've improved 300% since clinical started, but apparently that dosen't mean anything), and the fact that i didn't half my risperdal (in pharmacology last semester, we were told NOT to split pills that weren't scored. This pill WAS NOT SCORED so I didn't split it before haviing her check off my meds. She counted this as a med error.) I can't ask her questions because she says I'm unprepared if I do, but I hear other students ask her questions all the time I don't nkow how I'm expected to learn in an environment like this. I feel that she has a personal problem with me, and I've tried to work it out with her 1:1, but she assumes that I'm lazy and incompetent and will have nothing to do with me. I've NEVER recieved bad marks in clinical, so I don't know what else to do! I've begged the dean and my advisor to put me in a different clinical group. I don't want special favors, I just want a fair chance at passing like everone else!

moog8746 · Sep 17, 2006

I don' think "they're out to get me", but it's pretty clear that this woman has a problem with me. Apparently, she has a history of picking on one student in each of her clinical groups, and I'm it for some reason. I'm pretty clear on what nursing school is like, thanks. I've been busting my ass in school AND in my surgical internship for the past two years. I may be alot of things, but a paranoid slacker I am not.

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Sep 17, 2006

I don' think "they're out to get me", but it's pretty clear that this woman has a problem with me. Apparently, she has a history of picking on one student in each of her clinical groups, and I'm it for some reason. I'm pretty clear on what nursing school is like, thanks. I've been busting my ass in school AND in my surgical internship for the past two years. I may be alot of things, but a paranoid slacker I am not.

I couldn't ask my clinical instructor questions either, I had to provide at least what I thought may be an answer or a solution, even on things we hadn't done yet. I never got a U, but I did get needs improvement. I always corrected what she said I did wrong the week before and she always noticed. I'm not sure I get the med error though. If the expected dose was half and you didn't even say that, yes, this dose is half of what this pill provides, then I see why she said it was a med error. Where you going to give the pill at double the dose just because you weren't supposed to split it? Did you mention that you knew the correct dose was for half, but you were concerned about splitting it? In real life, if you need half a dose and you can't get it w/o splitting the pill, you ask the pharmacy for another form of the drug or you may just have to make due or even ask the doc if they think it's ok, to split. From what you stated, I think this may be the problem. Your instructor wants you to think and even if your answer is wrong, at least you are trying to think critically.

Going over her head is probably what set her off with you.

In the future, do thorough research on all procedures, meds, etc for your patient and don't ask her anything until you have exhausted every possible way to find the answer for yourself.

I just really think like other poster's have said that you are gonna have to do some MAJOR butt-kissing now that you went to her superiors.

Good Luck.