I cried in front of my instructor!?

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I am currently in my first year taking the bachelor of science in nursing. I am in the middle of my first clinical. We are at a long term care facility caring for two residents. My instructor is really intense and her expectations are ridiculously high. I am so overwhelmed with the amount of readings and assignments that their are to do. Anyway, I had my midterm meeting with my instructor and I actually broke down in front of her when she was telling me how I was doing. She told me that she could tell that I am younger then everyone else in the group and that I am having a difficult time handling the stress (most of my group is 20-24 and I turned 18 at the end of December). She said that I am lacking confidence when providing care and that I don't have enough knowledge. She told me that it was okay that I cried because getting emotional at least was showing her that I cared. I am just so embarrassed for crying in front of her. I do not normally cry easily, but was just so stressed out and tired. Has anybody else cried in front of their instructor before?

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I am currently in my first year taking the bachelor of science in nursing. I am in the middle of my first clinical. We are at a long term care facility caring for two residents. My instructor is really intense and her expectations are ridiculously high. I am so overwhelmed with the amount of readings and assignments that their are to do. Anyway I had my midterm meeting with my instructor and I actually broke down in front of her when she was telling me how I was doing. She told me that she could tell that I am younger then everyone else in the group and that I am having a difficult time handling the stress (most of my group is 20-24 and I turned 18 at the end of December). She said that I am lacking confidence when providing care and that I don't have enough knowledge. She told me that it was okay that I cried because getting emotional at least was showing her that I cared. I am just so embarrassed for crying in front of her. I do not normally cry easily, but was just so stressed out and tired. Has anybody else cried in front of their instructor before?[/quote']

I am almost 30 and I cried in front of an instructor once. I wasn't even being evaluated or anything! I was just talking to the instructor about something random, but for whatever reason I find that instructor very intimidating. That fact, coupled with my exhaustion and stress and out came the tears! I am pretty sure that instructor thought I was crazy! Pick yourself up and get past it! Your instructor now just knows this means a lot to you and may be more likely to try to help you be more successful! Best of luck you you!

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Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

Try not to do that again if you can help it. It's not the worse thing you could do or anything. But crying is perceived in different ways, some of which will not bode well.

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I haven't cried in front of a clinical instructor, but I have cried in front of classmates and on the phone to classmates and in front of customers (at an old job). It is a normal release of emotion, and if it makes you feel better I was laughed at all through fifth grade cause I was a 'crybaby' which I was, to be fair. But I'm still here and nursing and all those tears? They just showed that I have the emotion, empathy, and compassion to feel for another person. And you know when that comes in handy? When you work with people! So yes, I was, maybe still am, and will probably always be a crybaby when things pull my heart strings or I get too involved in emotion. But my patients so far appreciate me because they matter to me. I can't fix everything for everyone, but I can honestly say every single one of them MATTER to me. So suck it up, embrace those tears, realize everyone at every age has tears here and there, and use those feelings to be a compassionate nurse who remembers that your patients are still people, not tasks.

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I did something wrong in clinical and burst into tears when I was telling my clinical instructor. I also teared up when we were telling my classroom instructor what I had done. I'm not an overly emotional person at all and am still mortified over crying. I think it was exhaustion and stress mixed with being terrified (I made a big mistake).

The best thing you can do is try not to be embarrassed (I know it's hard) and take what she was saying to heart. Best of luck to you.

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I had one instructor who made me cry (a clinical instructor) although I didn't cry in front of her...I wouldn't give her the satisfaction ;) But I cried from the sheer stress of it all many times at home. I had a lecture instructor last semester (my favorite instructor so far) and was told prior to the semester "Whatever you do, don't cry in front of her!" LOL I later found out that the person who told me that had failed an exam and cried in her office over the failure. The instructor told her there were a thousand things in this world to cry about, a failed exam is not one of them.

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I cried in front of my maternity clinical instructor and another student after I had been allowed to observe an emergency c-section at 27 weeks where the baby was born with gastroschisis and spina bifida. Even though that's probably a justified reaction I was still mortified afterwards.

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I cried in front of the instructor comping me (because I failed). And then I cried in front of her when I passed (and hugged her).

Our nursing building is set up in a way so that ALL the lab rooms, practice rooms, SIM LABs, a nursing only lounge and a nursing only computer lab are like on one half of a building (basically evey nursing student from any year is in that area). We also have two (three if you sign an agreement with the dean) chances to pass the comp. I see people cry daily. I've never seen an instructor/ lab personnel/ any fellow student react poorly to another crying.

We are under a tremendous amount of stress. I understand it's embarrassing but I wouldn't simply attribute you crying to your age. I'm 25 and I cried. And I've seen students older than I am leave some of those rooms red faced and puffy eyed. Crying in this case (though I'm sure it'd be best not to make a habit of it) shows that you truly are dedicated and do not want yourself to do poorly.

Best of luck!

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I've cried when I failed my competency. I cried when I've felt overwhelmed with school. I'm a great student and I care a lot. I don't view crying as a weakness. I've never cried at clinical just at school with all the crazy stress.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Yep done that more than once.

I got chewed out by a nurse on the floor where I was doing a placement. I don't remember what I did. Some silly student mistake.I was so upset.I was terrified of going back to that floor because of that " awful nurse".Now I work on that floor and the same nurse is a good friend.

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She told me that it was okay that I cried because getting emotional at least was showing her that I cared.

I'd believe her. We've all seen plenty of students who try to BS their way past us when we offer them constructive criticism (and I don't mean "bachelor's of science"). This also shows that she cares enough to give you honest feedback on which to proceed.

Now go and work on it-- time to gain more knowledge, more confidence. Spend some extra quality time in learning lab, make appts with her to go over your tests and lecture material. These will build your confidence. You are very young. You can do this, though.

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Yep! I'm not normally one to cry but, nursing school has changed me... Lol, chin up and move on.. You're not the first and won't be the last!

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