.. so im a shy/reserved girl... I have social anxiety so I don't seem as outgoing in class and I choose not to talk about my personal life in class' because ive been through so much negative that I don't feel like theirs anything positive to share with the whole world, completely opposite from the classmates. I never participate in class because im ADD and ontop of that I have Social Anxiety. Im a slow thinker so when ever my prof asks questions I need at least a good 2-3 mins to think about what she just asked... by then were on a diff topic. My prof comes up to me and asks how im feeling about the course. I said it was fine and then she says... something like this... sometimes I look at you in class and you look like you don't want to be here in class, is their a problem, and you've missed a few classes? blah bah blah. Mostly that look on my face is because I only had 1 hr of sleep last night from all the studying and assignments I had due the next day and two I have a hard time concentrating in class so I stare off into space with a blank look on my face...:stone I've missed a few classes before here and there and that's only because I needed to take time off to catch up on studying for tests and assignments ,I've told my prof that straight up. Either that or I slept in because their was no way Im going to class with only 1 hr of sleep from the night before.
She assumes that im not into nursing and asks if I applied to nursing because of pressure from the family? And then she asked why I applied to nursing? I told her that I wasn't sure what I wanted to get into so I wanted to see what nursing was all about, and i've always wanted to get into the health care field...
so she then tells me to hang on in their for the first semester or even second semester and to get good grades because it might help me in the future when I apply to something else at a different college, she speaks as if im not going to make it through my full two years of nursing school, and that im going to fail all my classes.
This just really put me down.....the fact that im trying SO HARD in school and im finally getting decent grades 70s-80s-90's considering in high school I got nothing more than 40's and 50's... Now when I go back to class im going to be more reserved and uncomfortable because that's what my prof expects of me.... she expects me to be miserable she thinks that I don't give a **** about my classes and that im just their for the sake of being there... Now because of that I cant even see myself finishing my last year at the same college and graduating under the prof who thinks Im not cut out to be a nurse.. I keep telling myself to forget about others and what they think but it just keeps coming back... Id just appreciate advice, motivation or anything for that matter... sigh.
Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.
Holly G., You have a rare concerned nursing teacher. Believe it or not, she is one of the few that REALLY wants to help a student! You are actually lucky to have a teacher who's concerned about your "quietness" in class. Some of the teachers I know in nursing school just don't care. I am actually surprised you are complaining about her. Anyways, I think she's just concerned. I think she likes you as a student because the fact that she came up to you and actually ask how you are doing in class, and not talk to you about a failing grade or anything of that sort. Maybe she sees some potential in you and that she sees you are trying, only she wants to see you open up in class since most of your classmates are more open and talkative. But then again, that is your perssonality.
The fact that you are doing good, passing your exams and doing your best with your homeworks and stuff, I see that you are really trying. Just keep your eye on the prize, which is finishing your nursing degree. You will be fine!
I agree. I don't think she's judging you, it sounds like she's asking questions hoping to figure you out a bit more since you don't talk much in class. I would take this as a great opportunity and talk to her. Maybe she has some advice on overcoming your anxiety and time management so you don't have to be up all night, etc. Either way, just keep doing what you're doing and don't let others get to you.
"This just really put me down.....the fact that im trying SO HARD in school and im finally getting decent grades 70s-80s-90's considering in high school I got nothing more than 40's and 50's... "
There is a lot to comment about this post. I actually think what the teacher said to you was completely the right thing to do. She was concerned, and she talked to you about her concerns. Nursing instructors are so used to students going into the program for the wrong reasons, and being a nurse is not for everybody. They have to look out for your future patients. Nursing school isn't something you just "check out." As far as the comment on decent grades, in my program, anything below an 84 is a C which is not decent. 75 is failing and you cannot continue with the course and you have to wait a whole year to see if they will even let you back in the program. I think the teacher was right in saying hang in there, do your best, and we'll see. I completely empathize with your medical problems, ADD.... but maybe you do need to take a long hard look at why you really want to be a nurse, and when critical situations come up in the real world will you be able to think fast enough to act. We are talking life and death in some circumstances. I myself am wondering if I really am capable of finishing this program. I have so many physical/medical problems going on that I simply am not doing what it takes to really make myself a good nurse, let alone pass the program and I'm only in the first semester. We need to really think about what is best. Can we push ourselves harder than ever, or go into another career. For me, that's biology.
I can't agree with this at all. In fact I would bet money that my instructors would not do this.
Both my mom and I have revealed personal things to our instructors and it came back to bite us in the a$$. I'm not saying all instructors are like this, but there is some truth to it. When my mom was in nursing school, she admitted to the teacher that she was working 10 hrs a week (back then in her class, no one else was working.) The teacher did in fact use this against her and like my story with my CNA class I won't get into it cuz it makes me so angry what these teachers did when they heard anything about our personal lives. Well, I'll share one thing that happened with me. One day at my CNA clinical I was going to use an electrical shaver to shave a resident. I already passed my skills test in lab AND in clinical on shaving a resident with a blade, but this particular man just happened to want a shave so I offered. Me and another student were standing there, I had the electric razor in my hand, our instructor walked up, and all of a sudden my heartburn got so bad I was about to puke up acid. I had to pass off the razor to my fellow student and excuse myself to the bathroom. This was the end of the night and when I began to walk into the class for postconference, 2 instructors confronted me an another girl and called us incompetent UNPROFESSIONALLY IN FRONT OF EACHOTHER, and would not allow us to graduate with the rest of the class. (it had been the last clinical day) they made me and this other girl do an extra 3 clinical days in which we ended up doing absolutely NOTHING. They made me sign a piece of paper stating that it was my responsibility to take care of my own medical problems. What the heck???!!!!! I had severe heartburn one frickin day!!!!!!!!!! and they made me sign a piece of paper about it? Should I have thrown up all over the patient instead of excusing myself? We passed our 21 skills in lab the first time around, and the 21 skills in clinicals the first time around, yet they called us incompetent when my clinical instructor spent a total of maybe 15 minutes with me the whole month of clinicals we had. I get mad thinking about this all over again. The thing is, so many of us have these kind of stories that our opinion of instructors does get prejudice. Just please keep in mind that some opinions of these instructors are based on fact.
Take a good look at yourself and the issues you bring into nursing. ADD and anxiety can definitely be managed by medications and therapy. But you cannot use these disorders as excuses for why you can't think quickly. You have to get over your anxieties and you have to be able to think and act quickly in nursing. It will not be an easy thing to do, but it will need to be worked on. It is probably possible for you to finish the program, but you are going to have to be willing to ask for help if you need it and be willing to work hard to manage your ADD and anxiety. A boss will probably not be as sympathetic about your issues as this nursing instructor is. I do agree I wouldn't tell too much to an instructor, for the reasons already mentioned, but there has to be a student assistance program available to you that might have counselors who can help you out.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Both my mom and I have revealed personal things to our instructors and it came back to bite us in the a$$. I'm not saying all instructors are like this, but there is some truth to it. When my mom was in nursing school, she admitted to the teacher that she was working 10 hrs a week (back then in her class, no one else was working.) The teacher did in fact use this against her and like my story with my CNA class I won't get into it cuz it makes me so angry what these teachers did when they heard anything about our personal lives. Well, I'll share one thing that happened with me. One day at my CNA clinical I was going to use an electrical shaver to shave a resident. I already passed my skills test in lab AND in clinical on shaving a resident with a blade, but this particular man just happened to want a shave so I offered. Me and another student were standing there, I had the electric razor in my hand, our instructor walked up, and all of a sudden my heartburn got so bad I was about to puke up acid. I had to pass off the razor to my fellow student and excuse myself to the bathroom. This was the end of the night and when I began to walk into the class for postconference, 2 instructors confronted me an another girl and called us incompetent UNPROFESSIONALLY IN FRONT OF EACHOTHER, and would not allow us to graduate with the rest of the class. (it had been the last clinical day) they made me and this other girl do an extra 3 clinical days in which we ended up doing absolutely NOTHING. They made me sign a piece of paper stating that it was my responsibility to take care of my own medical problems. What the heck???!!!!! I had severe heartburn one frickin day!!!!!!!!!! and they made me sign a piece of paper about it? Should I have thrown up all over the patient instead of excusing myself? We passed our 21 skills in lab the first time around, and the 21 skills in clinicals the first time around, yet they called us incompetent when my clinical instructor spent a total of maybe 15 minutes with me the whole month of clinicals we had. I get mad thinking about this all over again. The thing is, so many of us have these kind of stories that our opinion of instructors does get prejudice. Just please keep in mind that some opinions of these instructors are based on fact.
It's an unfortunate situation that this has happened but I do not think it's the norm. You can get bad teachers, just like you can get bad students, nurses, doctors and so on. But I do not think that majority of instructors are out to get students and stuff. I don't think most instructors would use personal information against you and so on. I think more often then not students need to do a little self reflecting at their role in things. We have great instructors in our program, they have shown over and over again that they care about us and they care about our success in the program. One girl in class missed 2 non mandatory days, our instructor called her to make sure she was ok. You will find though a small group of students constantly ******** about our instructors, what it comes down to, they are expecting the instructor to spoon feed them everything and they are getting upset that they aren't. One girl made this huge vent on Blackboard about our instructors putting BPH on the exam and saying it was BS because she didn't know what it meant and they should have told us. I went back into my lecture notes and sure enough on that slide I had a star and what BPH meant which means the instructor DID tell us what it stood for, same with N/V.
So this student will have people believing untrue stuff about the instuctor because SHE fails to pay attention in class.
Anyway, this post has nothing to do with the OP I am not saying she is wrong at all or anything of the sort. This is just to comment on the one comment about instructors in general.
I did say that "SOME opinions are based on fact" and that was my only point. The teacher in me is actually tough. For example when someone in my class asks "how many questions are on the exam?" I want to applaud the teacher when she responds with "look at the sylabis"
Since she has noticed your absences, I would make it a point to not miss her class again. Just keep your chin up and do what you are supposed to do. We can't all be the little princesses that instructors seem to like to have in their classes. Hang in there.
I would at least make an appointment with her in her office hours to address the fact that she is making an assumption that you will not complete the program. You have to make it really clear that it is your intention to do your best and complete the program, regardless of what your instructor thinks you will do based on her observance of your behavior. I agree not to reveal so much, but you have to stand up for yourself and not make it look like you're agreeing with her statement about not finishing just by being passive.
Well of course, but truly...it's kinda her job to "judge" your progress.
What I'm wondering as I read your posts is, are you in treatment for your anxiety and ADD?
I'm also ADHD (combined type...I get to be inattentive and hyperactive ) but thankfully the only anxiety I dealt with was due to my ADHD not being treated. My point though, is there are things you can do....medications, counseling, coaching...loads of options.
Mostly that look on my face is because I only had 1 hr of sleep last night from all the studying and assignments I had due the next day and two I have a hard time concentrating in class so I stare off into space with a blank look on my face...:stone I've missed a few classes before here and there and that's only because I needed to take time off to catch up on studying for tests and assignments ,I've told my prof that straight up. Either that or I slept in because their was no way Im going to class with only 1 hr of sleep from the night before. 
And then she asked why I applied to nursing? I told her that I wasn't sure what I wanted to get into so I wanted to see what nursing was all about, and i've always wanted to get into the health care field... 
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~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN
5,259 Posts
I can't agree with this at all. In fact I would bet money that my instructors would not do this.