I have an Unhelpful instructor

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I already know that nursing school is a lot of work (before anyone wants to preach to me about something I already know) but my instructor is extremely unhelpful. You can tell she's ready to be done teaching. She's an older woman. I think she's in pain everyday because she walks with a cane and is always talking about how tired she is and that she's "too lazy" to make any supplemental work for us. When she says that she acts like she's helping us with not providing extra work but it's actually hurting us! 1. We have a HORRIBLE book 2. We aren't provided with power points or study guides or anything to help us follow what we are learning. 3. She goes right along with the book when she lectures 4. She takes DAYS to answer any emails 5. If you ask any questions she makes you feel like you're stupid for not knowing. 6. Questions on the exams don't go along with the reading. There are questions that do pertain to the reading but a lot of them aren't and the whole class gets really confused where she's getting her information from. From what I heard is that there are 3 other instructors that are teaching the same term and they all give the same exam. It just seems like our instructor isn't giving us all the information or material to study like the other instructors are and it's really hurting my grade. The other students in class agree.... We have everything on ebooks and I'm just trying to get some study tips from some book learners out there. Any tips would be appreciated!! Thanks!

Make an appointment with your adviser. Focus on the problems you are having, ask for some direction in ways that you can adapt to the professor/course.

Don't lay it all on the prof. It won't help, trust me.

YouTube, Kahn academy, other text books, NCLEX prep books can help you with supplemental info.

Bottom line is you have to figure out how to teach yourself. Nursing doesn't spoon feed the content like the pre-reqs do

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Specializes in Tele, Interventional Pain Management, OR.
Thanks! You are 100% right about the positive attitude. When I was taking my pre nursing courses I had awesome grades because I was so excited and focused on my journey to my career. I started off the same way when I started the program but I think I'm letting the stress and frustration get to me because its a whole different world. I was thinking about making a motivational poster to look at when I'm starting to feel stressed.

I LOVE clinicals! It's the courses and I think the transition that's getting to me. I need to learn new study habits for the critical thinking part. I also talked to one of our coordinators and she's going to meet with me to go over some test taking skills and study techniques so I'm excited for that [emoji4]

Honestly, OP, you sound like you've got this. You're taking advantage of available resources and not getting defensive at strangers' online advice (haha).

Believe it or not, we're not trying to sound like know-it-alls. We want you to succeed! And I believe that you will.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Is it that the questions are not part of what was in the book, or just how the questions are being asked? Some people in my class have trouble with the NCLEX style questions. Remember, NCLEX style is not just repeating back memorized facts, but actually applying the information into a situation, which is vastly different from any of the pre-reqs that I took. Also, see if your book offers online supplements. All of mine have other resources that include practice tests.

In the end, if you are having trouble you need to figure out where the problem lies. Don't blame the instructor (even if they really suck), because you cannot change her. Go back to the book right after an exam and try to find answers. This might help you see how the information is pulled for the exam. If none of the questions can be linked to the text, then you have a valid concern to bring to the instructor's attention, and possibly up the chain if need be.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

It's obvious what OP's "issue" is.

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Specializes in ICU.

Go to the the dean. You're paying for your education and they have a responsibility to teach the material.

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
Go to the the dean. You're paying for your education and they have a responsibility to teach the material.

As former faculty for ten years in a BSN program, Do NOT go to the Dean. Follow the chain of command first, make an appointment to meet with this instructor. Are you allowed to meet to review your exams later to see which questions you missed and what the correct answer is? Most textbooks now have lots of resources, CDs, online resources (those powerpoint that some students Have to Have!, I don't know why but they want them), many have practice NCLEX style questions at end of each chapter. Is there a workbook?

Yes faculty do have a responsibility to teach but students also have a responsibility to dedicate time to learn the material. Which is the not the spoon fed/gotta have the powerpoints/must have study guide for each test type of student. Nursing is different than pre-reqs where you just memorize stuff & regurgitate it. You have to apply the knowledge. I taught physical assessment, I would put anatomy questions on the exams only to have students complain they had already passed anatomy so it was "unfair" to see anatomy questions. My response: "Oh you passed the course? Then you should be able to answer the question! How can you assess the human body if you do not remember the anatomy?

Also, know there are many different styles of learning. OP do you know what type of learner you are? (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic etc) Most universities have a department that tests students to figure out what type of learner you are.

Most students GPA drops after getting into nursing programs. Even those that graduated with honors with a previous Bachelor's.

I did not give study guides, never used powerpoint, I prepared lectures for each class. I expected students to show up, read the material before class, ask questions, form study groups, and yes make apt if not doing well. I even did group tests for many of my classes, students take the exam individually first, then randomly assigned groups for each test (they drew colored sticks/tongue depressors), second hour take group test, same exam they just took individually, have one answer sheet and 10 minutes less then individual test. During group tests, it got quite loud as debates arose, but usually 2-3 members of the group could explain to others what & why the correct answer was. Individual exam was 60-70% & group test was 30-40% of grade for each exam.Rarely had anyone that needed to meet to look at their test after that.

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Specializes in Short Term/Skilled.

Just remember if it's in the book, its testable material. Read the boxes and care plans that go along with your chapters.

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As former faculty for ten years in a BSN program, Do NOT go to the Dean. Follow the chain of command first, make an appointment to meet with this instructor. Are you allowed to meet to review your exams later to see which questions you missed and what the correct answer is? Most textbooks now have lots of resources, CDs, online resources (those powerpoint that some students Have to Have!, I don't know why but they want them), many have practice NCLEX style questions at end of each chapter. Is there a workbook?

Yes faculty do have a responsibility to teach but students also have a responsibility to dedicate time to learn the material. Which is the not the spoon fed/gotta have the powerpoints/must have study guide for each test type of student. Nursing is different than pre-reqs where you just memorize stuff & regurgitate it. You have to apply the knowledge. I taught physical assessment, I would put anatomy questions on the exams only to have students complain they had already passed anatomy so it was "unfair" to see anatomy questions. My response: "Oh you passed the course? Then you should be able to answer the question! How can you assess the human body if you do not remember the anatomy?

Also, know there are many different styles of learning. OP do you know what type of learner you are? (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic etc) Most universities have a department that tests students to figure out what type of learner you are.

Most students GPA drops after getting into nursing programs. Even those that graduated with honors with a previous Bachelor's.

I did not give study guides, never used powerpoint, I prepared lectures for each class. I expected students to show up, read the material before class, ask questions, form study groups, and yes make apt if not doing well. I even did group tests for many of my classes, students take the exam individually first, then randomly assigned groups for each test (they drew colored sticks/tongue depressors), second hour take group test, same exam they just took individually, have one answer sheet and 10 minutes less then individual test. During group tests, it got quite loud as debates arose, but usually 2-3 members of the group could explain to others what & why the correct answer was. Individual exam was 60-70% & group test was 30-40% of grade for each exam.Rarely had anyone that needed to meet to look at their test after that.

Thank you! We have a day next week after class for people who want to go over their exams. I talked to a friend from class yesterday and she said that she had talked to another instructor and she told her they started a new curriculum this semester so I was thinking maybe the instructor is getting used to the new way? It kind of make sense with how she says "she's too lazy" to do anything extra but now after listening to you guys I feel relieved that it's a common thing. I had friends in other nursing programs look at me like I was crazy that my instructor didn't provide any PPs or any type of guides. So maybe they just lucked out with their instructors!

I've taken a few quizzes online to find out what kind of learner I am and it says I'm auditory which I've never explored before so that's going to be something totally new for me. But it's good to know because now I can apply that. I was mostly reading the chapters and writing my own notes as I read, kind of made my own outlines with each chapter. A week before an exam I would go back over my notes and rewrite them and if I had any problems with understanding something I would go back to the chapter and read that section over again. Everyday I would do the same thing up until exam day. I also used our supplemental resources from our chapters but they only gave 15 questions each chapter so that's when I started doing practice tests on quizlet. I also record our lectures in case I miss something but most of the time she just reads from the book.

I would love if my instructor put anatomy on my exams. I got 4.0s in my A&P classes. Someone suggested to me yesterday to teach the material to someone else. I tried that last night on my mom and it really did help! She got involved and asked me questions and it really made my brain turn. I just learned I was an auditory learner so that makes sense that it helped!

I really like how you do the groups and then exams. Is that something I could bring up to my instructor? I don't want to offend her way of teaching if I want to make a suggestion to her.

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I suggest purchasing a study guide ...that would go along with your text book ... also study in groups! .. tbh some instructors hinder learning...

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I haven't tried looking into journals yet but that's a great idea! Thanks again! [emoji4]

http://reference.medscape.com/

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
I could read the sarcasm from her "until you started complaining about everything" unless I took it the wrong way but that's what it sounds like and why are you commenting? To also add to some rude jabs? I asked to not comment on my post if you feel the need to be rude. I really don't think that's much to ask for or if that's really dictating.. I did come to a public forum asking for help not to ask for sarcastic smirky comments. I was asking for encouragement and study tips from people who know good study techniques with books. Or maybe hoping to come across someone who went through a similar situation and seeing how they handled it. I never had to self learn from just a book. I don't have many options in this situation. People have talked to her. She's been an instructor there for awhile and the last thing I want is to say something to a higher and then make the instructor mad because she obviously no longer cares. But I don't need a lecture! Again, if you don't want to offer encouragement or study tips move along. Nobody's making you post. Again, thank you have a good day!

I'm going to post again because I can. I'm also going to post to make it clear that nothing I, or the person before me, posted was rude, however, you telling people what to post and telling people to "move along" if they aren't posting what you want to read IS rude. Stop reading into things (i.e., reading sarcasm and rudeness). That's my advice. It will actually get you a long way in life, especially where nursing school is concerned.

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Hello, I am in my first semester of nursing school and have several friends who were unfortunately registered for an instructor that doesn't have the best track record. In fact just last semester out of the 25 students in her class 22 of them failed. So those who have this instructor are nervous wrecks and doing all that they can to stay on top of studying. Upon studying with them I made the suggestion for me to take their recorders and record the lectures from my instructor to see if it helps. Sometimes listening to another perspective of a topic from different instructors can make a huge difference. Nursing school is completely different then pre-reqs and requires consistent studying habits. I wish you the best, but hope when meeting with your instructor you plan on laying out all of the resources you have used to study and ask for direction instead of attacking her with her faults.

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