Inconsistency is making me question my CI

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Oct 26, 2019

55 minutes ago, studentnrs said:
In the theory class, we were told not to pass without the presence of our clinical instructor (CI). I adhere and comply to this nursing school policy.

This is your school policy and it there for a reason. The school is liable for your actions during clinical. The CI is there to ensure you are following school policies and teach you the skills. I don't understand your animosity toward your CI for not allowing you to pass meds with the floor nurse.

NONOO · Oct 27, 2019

51 minutes ago, NICU Guy said:
This is your school policy and it there for a reason. The school is liable for your actions during clinical. The CI is there to ensure you are following school policies and teach you the skills. "I don't understand your animosity toward your CI for not allowing you to pass meds with the floor nurse."

Did you reply with emotion or logic?

The instructor has been hostile to students and some nurses. I'm minding my own business and focus on me unless I'm subpoena to witness. The CI needs help or support. I don't care I'm not allowed to pass medication until I pass NCLEX. I passed medications and hung IVs several times with the CI presence. This person knows that I'm one of his or her good students. I'm just saying that I didn't wrong this CI and still trying to get my attention. My logical brain I should put where the person belongs to. My emotion says, "Cut your CI some slacks. Show some humility and compassion." Mind you, this person is intelligent. I can see my CI is going through a difficult time and is trying to fake it and be there. Don't think that I'm inconsiderate and cruel. Don't think that he or she is bad in my eyes. This person, I've seen his or her best days.

I'm asking how to better assist him or her not to make things bad since you're all more experience in nursing. In my experience, he or she won't get away for poor behavior.

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Oct 27, 2019

9 hours ago, studentnrs said:
Did you reply with emotion or logic?

I am trying to understand your post.

10 hours ago, studentnrs said:
In the theory class, we were told not to pass without the presence of our clinical instructor (CI). I adhere and comply to this nursing school policy. I was told by another nurse that s/he wanted the other group because the CI permitted them to pass medications without his/her gawking around. I don't remember having patients and nurses to complain about me.

In your first paragraph, you talk about your policy of only allowing med pass with your CI and how another CI allows students to pass meds with a nurse. I interpret the last sentence as "Patients and nurses don't complain about me so I should be able to pass meds without the CI".

10 hours ago, studentnrs said:
For your side note, I'm not an envious or jealous person. I just want to understand this person better. Sometimes I speculate that I'm being tested. I hate to think that I have to manage him/her in my own world. I genuinely respect this person even though he or she is being inconsistent and making me wonder about this person's integrity and work ethics on some days.

Is this on the same topic of not allowing you to do med passes with the nurses because you have not stated any other problems with your CI?

10 hours ago, studentnrs said:
I have demonstrated a few skills safely and effectively in front of another floor RNs. They even asked me to assist them to pass medications after a few times they witnessed my skills in which I declined. I reiterated that without my CI, my cohort and I weren't allowed to do it.

Now we are back to "I can perform skills safely and effectively, but my CI wont allow me to do them without her".

10 hours ago, studentnrs said:
I don't want to take her to her boss. I'm here contemplating how I deal with this problem without making him/her feel threatened. I just want to make peace, be civil, and move on and keep the drama behind and finish nursing school.

You want to complain about your CI to the school administration for what? The only thing you talk about is performing skills without her.

10 hours ago, studentnrs said:
S/he does irritate me ?because I've never learned something good about this CI, but him/her being there and humiliated me privately then publicly because I paid him or her no attention. The floor nurses are the ones educating and training me the procedures and have me do them.

Do you think that your CI is incompetent, so you ignore her because the nurses are the ones teaching you skills?

Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM · Oct 27, 2019

You don't need gloves for every flush or administration. It's not a standard of practice unless under certain conditions. I always washed my hands very well before I handled anything IV related. You aren't going to be touching the port anyway after you clean it.

It appears that your school has inconsistent guidelines among your clinical instructors. That shouldn't happen.

I don't know what you mean by "they have records".

Your goal is to steer clear and get through the program. Do anything different and you'll be a target.

NONOO · Oct 28, 2019

14 hours ago, NICU Guy said:
I am trying to understand your post.
In your first paragraph, you talk about your policy of only allowing med pass with your CI and how another CI allows students to pass meds with a nurse. I interpret the last sentence as "Patients and nurses don't complain about me so I should be able to pass meds without the CI".
Is this on the same topic of not allowing you to do med passes with the nurses because you have not stated any other problems with your CI?
Now we are back to "I can perform skills safely and effectively, but my CI wont allow me to do them without her".
You want to complain about your CI to the school administration for what? The only thing you talk about is performing skills without her.
Do you think that your CI is incompetent, so you ignore her because the nurses are the ones teaching you skills?

I apologize. I just summarized everything. No, I'm not upset that I wasn't allowed to pass medications. I just realized I didn't add any information about the CI's disappointment in me.

I didn't ask for my CI that day because he or she was tied with another student otherwise I would've seen him or her at the triage. He or she should be at the triage when he or she was available. I wasn't allowed to do procedures on the critical pts but shadowing or assisting the RN.

I didn't think of him/her as incompetent CI because I've been told that the nursing discipline is broad. He or she is still learning too.

"You want to complain about your CI to the school administration for what? The only thing you talk about is performing skills without her."

Bullying students is never acceptable. Being educators don't give them the privileges and rights to be hostile or abuse others. The ANA outlines his/her responsibility and duty as a CI unless this person is experimenting with nurse students which is I'm not aware of. I don't expect compliments from him/her but be a good role model for future good nurses.

The procedures that I didn't need him/her for such as passing water to family members or visitors, getting nutrition, water, juice, and blanket.

I wouldn't solicit an opinion if I wanted to make a report to the admin. I should've done that over a month ago. It won't be me going to report him/her. If he/she loses a job, it's because someone didn't tolerate him/her.

My solution: I will keep going and don't care what he or she does or say.

NONOO · Oct 28, 2019

14 hours ago, Jory said:
You don't need gloves for every flush or administration. It's not a standard of practice unless under certain conditions. I always washed my hands very well before I handled anything IV related. You aren't going to be touching the port anyway after you clean it.
It appears that your school has inconsistent guidelines among your clinical instructors. That shouldn't happen.
I don't know what you mean by "they have records".
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Please ignore that part.
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Your goal is to steer clear and get through the program. Do anything different and you'll be a target.
Thank you. I really do appreciate your input. It's really frustrating that I'm dealing with a person I respected.
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I did try to stay away from him or her due to the past history. He/she insulted me privately when I asked for his/her for feedback. I attempted to ask him/her in which area I needed to practice and improve on because I didn't get a good review from him/her.

A few weeks ago, he or she attempted to embarrass me in front of my colleagues then in front of nurses. I looked at her and walked away and followed my nurse.

Professor X, MSN, RN · Nov 12, 2019

Actually, the ANA has nothing to say about CI duties.

JKL33 · Nov 13, 2019

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Actually, the ANA has nothing to say about CI duties.

Ethical duties it most certainly does. And one of the bigger disappointments of this profession is the number of nurses who seemingly believe that our CoE is mostly referring to some other nurse in some other (lower) role.

I am not defending the OP; I can't make complete sense of what's going on in that situation and therefore have nothing to say about it except that the OP's comment relating to the ANA appears to have to do with the OP believing that s/he is experiencing bullying. Whether we agree with that or not (which is something we can't know), s/he is not wrong in saying that the ANA (presumably referring to our CoE) addresses this.

chocoholic999 · Nov 13, 2019

I meant that the ANA doesn’t differentiate between CIs and other nurses.