I think I am being targeted in nursing school.

[mzattitude]

This might sound completely crazy, but I am starting to feel as though I am being "weeded" out by a few professors in my nursing dept. It's getting to the point where I feel as though I need to talk to a lawyer.

Do u think that would be a good idea?

I posted here a little earlier, but haven't gotten many responses. If u want to know the whole story, please refer back to my original post.

Thank you so much.

[obicurn]

Ok...I just went and read your previous post. I'm sorry you're going through all this. First semester is hard enough as it is!

My suggestion is to take a hard look at the evaluation that she sent you and see if there are indeed any areas that you can improve on. I have problems with being anxious and a bit nervous at times also and others can definitely sense it in the same way that a dog smells fear. If you seem fearful, your patient will be fearful as well.

It looks like the instructor is creating a paper trail. Save every document. Do not communicate via email because things can be misconstrued, especially when you are angry and upset when replying to a negative eval. Meet with her in person, and take notes while you are speaking.

Take active steps to correct the things she seems to think you are lacking in. Even if you think you're doing well, do better. That way you have a valid argument when she takes her documents to the dept. head to get you out of the program. If you can show that you have tried to remediate, then you have a leg to stand on. Try to not be on the defensive with her. Keep a professional demeanor at all times. In nursing, we will have to deal with difficult personalities not only with other nurses, but with patients, families, and doctors as well. Treat this as a learning experience that you will use throughout your career as a nurse. Don't give up!! I know this is hard, but stand your ground, take care of business and this semester will be done before you know it!

I would hold off on the lawyer thing until they actually make a move to get you out. You might have a hard time proving discrimination at that. If this continues to be a major problem, I would consider switching schools instead of going the lawyer route.

[mzattitude]

Ok...I just went and read your previous post. I'm sorry you're going through all this. First semester is hard enough as it is!

My suggestion is to take a hard look at the evaluation that she sent you and see if there are indeed any areas that you can improve on. I have problems with being anxious and a bit nervous at times also and others can definitely sense it in the same way that a dog smells fear. If you seem fearful, your patient will be fearful as well.

It looks like the instructor is creating a paper trail. Save every document. Do not communicate via email because things can be misconstrued, especially when you are angry and upset when replying to a negative eval. Meet with her in person, and take notes while you are speaking.

Take active steps to correct the things she seems to think you are lacking in. Even if you think you're doing well, do better. That way you have a valid argument when she takes her documents to the dept. head to get you out of the program. If you can show that you have tried to remediate, then you have a leg to stand on. Try to not be on the defensive with her. Keep a professional demeanor at all times. In nursing, we will have to deal with difficult personalities not only with other nurses, but with patients, families, and doctors as well. Treat this as a learning experience that you will use throughout your career as a nurse. Don't give up!! I know this is hard, but stand your ground, take care of business and this semester will be done before you know it!

I would hold off on the lawyer thing until they actually make a move to get you out. You might have a hard time proving discrimination at that. If this continues to be a major problem, I would consider switching schools instead of going the lawyer route.

I am definitely going to take what u said into consideration. I have went over that email several times and some of the things she said in it is just bogus. It was like she was making things up as she wrote the email. I also spoke to my other clin peers and they told me that they didn't recieve ANY email from her at ALL.

I will definitely stay strong and keep my head about me.

As for switching schools. I couldn't do that even if I wanted too. If I end up getting a fail for my clinical, I won't recieve anymore financial aid. I have been in school for nearly 5 years and have about 30,000 in student loans. Not the schools fault, but it was something I had to do to survive.

As for getting a lawyer, I wouldn't even think about talking to one if I didn't feel like I was being treated wrongly. Not only that...But my grades prove that I am competent. I have passed my competencies with flying colors. If those grades didn't matter, then why would they test us in the first place?

I want so badly for this to just all go away, but it will be impossible if I have to keep on proving myself to my instructors

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

lecture and skills lab grades matter, but if your clinical grade is failing then you will fail. i understand your situation; i had one substitute instructor who does not think much of african americans. so the one day i had her as a substitute ended up being the worse evaluation i had ever gotten my entire nursing school career! in fact it was so bad, it did not even come close to reflecting evaluations i have gotten from prior instructors or who were very critical of me and my peers. she was "making stuff up"!

for example, she did not spend much time with me all day and every time i asked her if she wanted to watch me or received permission to do something she rolled her eyes and nodded, but told me to go with my nurse. in her evaluation of me she had noted that i had performed procedures i had never done, accused me of taking charge of patients as if i was a rn (doing stuff without my nurses), as well as never asking for permission. not to mention, i was one of few students who spent my entire clinical day providing patient care while others sat around and did not receive any poor comments.

fortunately for me at the time i was able to fight her accusations with documentation i did throughout the day and with my witnesses (all but one nurse on the floor i was working with because one of them was her friend and she was trying to deflect blame regarding one her clients). in any case, i ended up having to accept an unsatisfactory for one incident that day because it was her word against mine.

in any case, i passed the clinical rotation but not without lots of prayers, losing weight, losing sleep, losing time on the floor (i had to make up a clinical day), losing time with my family (i spent a lot of time outside of clinical working with rns to teach me more then i needed to know), and losing my mind by spending every waking minute going over every procedure and making sure every moment in clinical i did everything right. i got so good at what i did that my actual instructor (who is not a racist) had no choice but to pass me. it might not sound fair but it is what i did....

after years of reading what happened to others on this board who are now nurses (wooohooo!) i learned how many of them fought unfair evaluations without lawyers and survived. i evaluated myself, i found room for improvement, and i made changes that made the unfair evaluation of me look like complete garbage! :up:

fourth semester student and nurse extern-soon to be new grad!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i just went back and read your other post. please don't get me wrong because what i am about to say is not meant to be mean, but some things were just very clear to me as i was reading your account of your clinical experiences. keep in mind that i am an outsider and i don't have the emotional involvement that you have.

• after talking to your instructor you said, "i'm really starting to feel confused because of how i'm getting treated."
  
• one instructor said you acted confused and you said in your other post, "i don't understand what she means by me acting confused??"

i see the same confusion in you that your instructors are seeing, but it is not because of the way you are being treated but because of the way you yourself are acting. i had to read your post several times for it to be clear and as i was pulling out some statements that you made to point this out to you.

three different clinical instructors have found problems with your performance. that cannot be coincidence. your current instructor wrote them down so there could be no confusion about it. the third was a substitute who i assume knew nothing at all about you beforehand. she told your new clinical instructor that you acted like you were confused.

your current instructor gave you a very clear written evaluation of your clinical performance (7 issues). she was willing to discuss them with you. you did talk with her, but did you go over each of these 7 points and ask her about each of them and what you could do to improve on each of them? i didn't see any of that addressed in your post. what i did see was you saying a lot of things like

• "i let people walk over me"
  
• "i felt like i was getting the silent treatment, like she was just blowing me off."
  
• "i could always learn more and expand my knowledge, but i am at the same level as all of my peers"
  
• "this new person [the substitute instructor] gave me an attitude right away"
  
• "i don't get it?? what am i doing wrong?? they are not telling me what i am doing wrong??"
  
• "they are telling me very short undescriptive things that i am "acting" like"

part of the problem you are having is not listening to or believing what you are being told. instructors are telling you what you are doing wrong and you just don't believe them! you disagree with them and you are mistaking their comments as "giving you attitude" or treating you like "crap". you can't do that and expect to have a good relationship and a successful student career. clinicals are pretty much on-the-job training. if this is the way you are with your instructors you will also have problems with supervisors and managers on a real job. an employer will just fire someone after figuring out how subordinate or belligerent they are and get tired of putting up with it. your instructors are giving you the opportunities to come to them and openly discuss the problems they see you having in order for you to learn; an employer will demand it and if the employee does not comply they are fired. it seems that you are not yet willing to accept that there are a lot of changes that you need to make in your clinical performance. what you can't reconcile in your mind is that you feel you are doing things correctly and your instructors disagree. what counts is what the instructor is telling you. you have talked to the assistant chair of the nursing department. they had responded very positively to complaints. i doubt they would continue to leave you in the hands of an incompetent instructor.

when we are students we have to be like clay. the instructor's job is to mold us; our job is to take shape. you have to trust that the instructors who are licensed professionals do know more than you and have had a lot more experience. from where i am sitting reading this, however, you are not doing your part as the piece of clay and refusing to take shape. it is time for you to do your part here. you need to talk with your clinical instructor about each of the 7 points she addressed on your evaluation. you need to ask her what you can do to improve at each of those things and instead of arguing about what she has to say, you need to listen to her, take notes and really try to practice what she tells you. and not only that, but she needs to see that you are trying. in clinicals you need to talk about how you are trying and ask her if you are doing things as she has suggested to you or are you still doing them wrong. she has to see that you are trying to learn. right now what she sees is someone who is resistant. that translates into someone who doesn't seem to want to learn. why would anyone put any extra effort toward teaching someone who doesn't seem to want to learn, who resists change, who already thinks they need no improvement?

as i prefaced above, i am sorry if this also sounds mean to you. it was not meant to be. i am struggling with how to say these things as nicely as i can. i am sorry you are having such a miserable time, but a good deal of it is because of your own doing. i am sorry.

[Nurseinprocess]

Your instructors are trying to push you to do better. If you can't rise to the occasion and prove to them that you are competent, you won't succeed. Is there something about yourself you think the instructors are predjudiced against? I don't think it sounds like you have a case against the school, but they have made a "case" against you for not being competent. If you can't step it up and start impressing the instructors you won't pass. Do you have any fellow classmates to collaborate with, or who can help you during clinicals? In my class we all work together. Even people that don't necessarily hang out together still support each other when we are on the floor and someone needs guidance. It's a group effort!

[Sara5229]

I will have to agree with Daytonite. I felt the same after reading your previous post.

[Esther2007]

I am concern about you as well. I think you have to sit and evaluate yourself. If I were you, I would meet with the instructors and ask how I can approve myself rather than thinking the out to get you. I have a student in my class, she is always blaming everyone, but herself. I think from your name alone is troubling to me "MZATTITUDE".

[txnursingqt]

i just went back and read your other post. please don't get me wrong because what i am about to say is not meant to be mean, but some things were just very clear to me as i was reading your account of your clinical experiences. keep in mind that i am an outsider and i don't have the emotional involvement that you have.

• after talking to your instructor you said, "i'm really starting to feel confused because of how i'm getting treated."
  
• one instructor said you acted confused and you said in your other post, "i don't understand what she means by me acting confused??"

i see the same confusion in you that your instructors are seeing, but it is not because of the way you are being treated but because of the way you yourself are acting. i had to read your post several times for it to be clear and as i was pulling out some statements that you made to point this out to you.

three different clinical instructors have found problems with your performance. that cannot be coincidence. your current instructor wrote them down so there could be no confusion about it. the third was a substitute who i assume knew nothing at all about you beforehand. she told your new clinical instructor that you acted like you were confused.

your current instructor gave you a very clear written evaluation of your clinical performance (7 issues). she was willing to discuss them with you. you did talk with her, but did you go over each of these 7 points and ask her about each of them and what you could do to improve on each of them? i didn't see any of that addressed in your post. what i did see was you saying a lot of things like

• "i let people walk over me"
  
• "i felt like i was getting the silent treatment, like she was just blowing me off."
  
• "i could always learn more and expand my knowledge, but i am at the same level as all of my peers"
  
• "this new person [the substitute instructor] gave me an attitude right away"
  
• "i don't get it?? what am i doing wrong?? they are not telling me what i am doing wrong??"
  
• "they are telling me very short undescriptive things that i am "acting" like"

part of the problem you are having is not listening to or believing what you are being told. instructors are telling you what you are doing wrong and you just don't believe them! you disagree with them and you are mistaking their comments as "giving you attitude" or treating you like "crap". you can't do that and expect to have a good relationship and a successful student career. clinicals are pretty much on-the-job training. if this is the way you are with your instructors you will also have problems with supervisors and managers on a real job. an employer will just fire someone after figuring out how subordinate or belligerent they are and get tired of putting up with it. your instructors are giving you the opportunities to come to them and openly discuss the problems they see you having in order for you to learn; an employer will demand it and if the employee does not comply they are fired. it seems that you are not yet willing to accept that there are a lot of changes that you need to make in your clinical performance. what you can't reconcile in your mind is that you feel you are doing things correctly and your instructors disagree. what counts is what the instructor is telling you. you have talked to the assistant chair of the nursing department. they had responded very positively to complaints. i doubt they would continue to leave you in the hands of an incompetent instructor.

when we are students we have to be like clay. the instructor's job is to mold us; our job is to take shape. you have to trust that the instructors who are licensed professionals do know more than you and have had a lot more experience. from where i am sitting reading this, however, you are not doing your part as the piece of clay and refusing to take shape. it is time for you to do your part here. you need to talk with your clinical instructor about each of the 7 points she addressed on your evaluation. you need to ask her what you can do to improve at each of those things and instead of arguing about what she has to say, you need to listen to her, take notes and really try to practice what she tells you. and not only that, but she needs to see that you are trying. in clinicals you need to talk about how you are trying and ask her if you are doing things as she has suggested to you or are you still doing them wrong. she has to see that you are trying to learn. right now what she sees is someone who is resistant. that translates into someone who doesn't seem to want to learn. why would anyone put any extra effort toward teaching someone who doesn't seem to want to learn, who resists change, who already thinks they need no improvement?

as i prefaced above, i am sorry if this also sounds mean to you. it was not meant to be. i am struggling with how to say these things as nicely as i can. i am sorry you are having such a miserable time, but a good deal of it is because of your own doing. i am sorry.

again daytonite is right on the money with this one. i also felt like you were not listening to what your instructors are saying. personally i did not think that the email that was sent to you was rude at all. i think that your instructor is really trying to help you. i hope you give daytonite's post alot of thought.