How can I not feel so overwhelmed at clinical?

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The past two semesters clinical was great. My instructors were encouraging and truly seemed to care about us all learning. This semester my teacher is intimidating! She asks me more questions before I can think of the answer to the first and says things like 'you should know this' and just looks at me like 'well, come on, lets go.' I am a very organized person. I like everything to be written down and done correctly. I am not slow, I get good grades and I like learning. I also like to think before I answer. The way she approaches and speaks to me makes me feel uncomfortable. She evaluates me so I don't want to make a big deal about it. How can I find a happy balance between being quick and being thorough? Do you have any advice?

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I'd say try to stick it out, but if she marks you unsatisfactory (or some equivalent of it) for your clinical, then consider asking for a different instructor. If another instructor shares the opinion of your current one, then it's just you. I, however, would be surprised if this is the case. There's a wide variety of clinical instructors out there.

Some clinical instructors are frickin' awesome. I have one now that makes me "wanna be like her when I grow up". She is simply an amazing nurse and has high expectations and loves to teach others what she knows. She doesn't make you feel stupid but encourages you to be excellent and "make her proud". Some other instructors, on the other hand, should be barred from having contact with human beings. I've have been in school studying different things for quite some time and have never seen such a oddly wild spectrum of instructor quality as I have in nursing school. I have no explanation for it. At any rate, I recommend sticking it out. Try to excel and if you truly think she's giving you a raw deal it can't hurt to ask for a different instructor (you may not be granted this request, but it can't hurt to ask).

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If you truly don't know the answer, tell her you'll look it up. And then do it, of course. That way, you're learning the info but you're not accountable to her for it immediately.

You'll find this is an effective manner of dealing with all kinds of issues. Patients will ask you things that you don't know, too, and instead of saying, "I don't know", and staring at them blankly, tell them, "I'm not sure, but I'll find out and let you know". That way you're getting educated along with your patient.

I had a preceptor who tried this with me when I was a new nurse orienting on a very busy outpatient oncology unit. There are so many different types of chemo drugs with so many different side effects and mechanisms of action, it'd make your head spin. She seemed to think that I should know them all upon arriving to her unit. I had just taken the chemo course a week or two earlier and I didn't really know much about the specifics of oncology drugs and treatment. If I had, there'd have been no need for me to orient on her unit (which I ended up telling her).

You sound like a responsible, intelligent, organized person. Don't let this instructor get under your skin. Everyone starts somehwere. Give yourself the patience and time that she won't and master the knowledge she requires of you.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

It sounds like this instructor is a typical "Nurses eat their young" type of instructor. It sucks when it does happen. I had an instructor like that. It was my first med pass clinical and she felt like I should know every med known to man. She even made me cry, so I feel for you. I did get a good evaluation though, so tough it out, you may be surprised! Good luck to you =)

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Thank you guys so much for the encouragement! I am going to stick it out! One of my major downfalls is not having confidence. Maybe if I show that I have a little more confidence in myself she will cut me some slack.

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It sounds like this instructor is a typical "Nurses eat their young" type of instructor. It sucks when it does happen. I had an instructor like that. It was my first med pass clinical and she felt like I should know every med known to man. She even made me cry, so I feel for you. I did get a good evaluation though, so tough it out, you may be surprised! Good luck to you =)

Some instructors have high expectations for their students, especially if they sense that the student is intelligent, dedicated and can handle the stress. It may not be the OP's preferred method of instruction, but I'd try to take it as a compliment before I'd take it as "eating their young". If the instructor is simply trying to raise the bar for a student with great potential, that's hardly eating one's young. She's probably doing the OP a favor, even though it doesn't feel like it now.

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Specializes in Critical Care - ICU.

I've always found its the more challenging instructors, that I may not have necessarily "liked," are the ones I've always learned the most from. Clinical instructors in school seem to prepare you for working as a nurse in that you are always going to deal with different personalities. Clinicals more than anything are your time to learn, take everything you can from each day whether its a nursing skill, life skill, people skill...they all count toward the ultimate goal.

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