insecure about instructor

[l.a.m.b, ADN, RN]

hi everyone,

i just need to vent! the first part of my semester (medsurg) is coming to an end, and i am feeling insecure about passing clinical. heres the deal: due to the huge amount of stress i have been in, i have not done an impressive job with my sterile technique when it comes to catheters because the instructor tends to correct me in front of the pt and while i am doing the procedure. can she fail me for this? any senior nurse here have an opinion about this? obviously i got signed off on this the first semester and have done them before many times. i just dont know why this is happening now. im terrified that all my hard work has been for nothing. im a grown adult but i am very intimidated by her, and havent told her how i feel. please help me.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

I would recommend that you go to this instructor, get your concern out in the open and discuss it with her. That's how professionals and future leaders deal with problems. They don't let them fester. If you think this instructor has problems with your clinical performance that she should be talking to you about and you believe she's holding back doing that, then tactfully force a discussion with her about it. And rather than start off by telling her that you're worried about failing, tell her your concern is that you want to do this procedure as perfectly as possible for the sake of the patients and that you want to improve if you are not performing up to par. Ask what you can do to be better.