Help I have an Instructor that doesn't teach!

[Lovely_RN]

I have a unique problem with my Fundamentals course, our instructor doesn't teach! I know there are a lot of bad nursing instructors out there but most of the time they aren't the chair of the nursing department!

Sigh, our instructor has already said that she is not going to "regurgitate material from our textbooks." She expects the class to read the books on our own, do presentations (in groups) and that is how we will learn the material.

OK, that's fine but the problem is that we have been assigned hundreds of pages of reading and have no idea on what to focus on. Next, the presentations have sucked because there is no focus so we can't even get good notes from them. She refuses to give any useful feedback on the presentations. All she will say is that it was fine or it sucked, nothing more.

She does not return our papers or quizzes she just tells we all failed and screams at us and tells us how useless and brain-dead we all are.

Yet, based on all of this we have a quiz every single class. It's usually 10 questions that she chooses randomly from all of the hundreds of pages of reading. A few of the questions are general knowledge that you can garner from the theme of the chapters but some are really specific, a certain name, or situation etc.

Every single person is FAILING fundamental. No one, not a single soul is managing to make a 75 (passing) or better mark. So whose fault is that?

Her response? We are all idiots and she doesn't care if there is only one person left in the class she is not changing.

*** are we supposed to do? Who should we as a group go to for resolution when she is the chair of the department and basically autonomous?

I am ready to take it to the president of the college (it's a really small school) but I am not sure if I want to get our cohort behind me because of much back stabbing and gossiping.

I am thinking an anonymous letter will do the trick.

What say you? I am pretty pissed off because I am spending a ridiculous amount of money on this program and the thought of failing for the reasons listed above burns me up. I don't think I am just a whiner with a grand sense of entitlement, I know that nursing school is super hard. I am studying my a** off and getting really good marks in all of my other classes B+ and A but her class? I am failing...and so is everyone else as stated by her.

It just burns me up! :angryfire

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

Blow off class and spend the three useless hours of lecture reading the material. I had this sort of class and this sort of instructor. I don't need anyone to read my power point notes to me. I had the highest grade in the class and barely showed up. Most of the class failed.

Keep in mind this is not an option in a lot of colleges...attendance is mandatory where I go to school, so students need to make sure this won't get them in trouble where they attend....

[Lovely_RN, MSN]

Daytonite, I think you hit it right on the money. This instructor is in her 60s and has an "old school" approach to nursing.

Unfortunatley, blowing off class is not an option. If I told you how many hours I spend in school you wouldn't believe me. This is basically an all day everday program. It's a 1+1 being that we are doing LPN this year and RN next year, no pre-req's were accepted so we are doing it all over the course of two years.

I am going to think very carefully about my next move. I was really mad when I posted this but now that I have cooled off I am going to wait a little while longer and try some different tactics to see if things improve.

I had an inkling that she was playing mind games with the class but what Daytonite posted has sort of confirmed it for me. I truly find it hard to believe that every single person is failing because while there are a few slackers (there are always some of those) there are people who are super anal about getting the work done.

[healthexec]

I can totally relate to your problem. I am having the same issue at my school so I have been teaching myself as well. There is a great book that I learned about from this forum that has been invaluable for me with the 1st part of Fundamentals in which I got an "A" and I am still using it for part II of Fundamentals and hoping to have the same success. The name of the book is "Fundamentals Success- a course review applying critical thinking to test taking" by Patricia Nugent and Barbara Vitale. It has Critical Thinking exams for every part of Fundamentals. So read the chapter in Potter and Perry, then take the appropriate exam and review the rationales for why you got the right answer right as well as the rationales for all the wrong choices etc. If you can get through these exams, you shoul be able to get through your Funadmentals Class. So far it has been working for me in spite of the teacher. I just go to my class to sign the attendance roster because our teacher is a complete joke so I can feel your pain.

[rags]

Most colleges (if not all) have a board that you can go to with grievances. You can also go the your state board of nursing. The approve the curriculum of each nursing school in the state and they also was the passing average and make schools accountable.

There is just a few options. Like you said, you are paying for this education. Self study is a necessary part of nursing school and in itself very beneficial... when it is done right.

Good luck to you!

rags