i am so furious right now that i can scream. :banghead:
ok, so i'm taking my exam and i'm on question 97 out of 100. thus far this has been my hardest nursing exam and i'm just try to hang in there for the next three questions before breaking down. so on question 97 i'm having difficulites, i can't chose between two of the four answers. so i pick my answer and put it on the scan tron, so now i'm ready to move on. i also put a question mark next to it so that i can track how many questions i think i got wrong. so next thing i know my instructor is standing beside me... i was petrified, i wasn't sure what was going on. she looks at me and then looks at my the question i was stuck on and tells me " remember what i told you in class" so right after that i immediately changed my answer. so come to find out during the test review, the answer that i changed to was actually wrong !:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
i was so angry. initially, i chose the right answer... it wasn't until my instructor came over to me trying to help made me switch my answer. why couldn't she just leave me alone and let me be. she shouldn't be trying to give me cues anyway. isn't that a form of cheating ???? isn't that wrong ? i didn't even ask for help and when she voluntered info. i got anxious and just knew i chose the wrong answer. i should of stuck to my guts and ignored her.
but seriously, what would you have done... imagine you are between two answers, then you finally chose your answer, and then the instructor comes over and looks at the answer you chose and makes a comment.
i wanted to express my feelings to her, but i pick and choose my battles wisely, and besides of what my thread is titled i know that i was still responsible for the answer i chose. however, i just can' help to feel sick that i was influenced by her. :zzzzz
now I have some advice for you. I know this probably never happened to you before and I pray it never does, but it is so dangerous to fill in your scan tron after marking the answers in your test book. I know of a students who always did that and one day she skip a line on her scan tron and got like 70 questions wrong on her exam. Hey, I'm sure you're careful as she was too, but mistakes happen ( as I know all too well). Hope you take my advice and don't do this again.:)
No matter how I answer my questions and put them on the scantron, my final check is a line by line check of the scantron to make sure I didn't leave out any questions or skip and start putting the wrong letter on each line. I have caught myself in major blunders at least twice by doing this and wouldn't think of turning a scantron in without this final check.
I get your point, but if a student is going to be so unnerved by a brief, general comment made by an instructor during a test, how in the world is she going to concentrate on preparing meds at the Pyxis in a busy nurses' station, carry out a conversation with a physician or family member in the midst of other commotion and noise, etc.?
I had one clinical instructor who made a point of trying to distract a student by chit-chatting, asking pesky questions, etc. while the student was doing something that required concentration. She wanted the student to tell her to stop acting as a distraction. In fact, students who didn't tell her to shut up were reprimanded. It taught us an important lesson: not to tolerate distraction when doing critical work.
I don't think that is what the OP's teacher was doing, but this thread provides that same lesson. Students need to grow a pair and advocate for themselves when quiet is needed for concentration.
I get your point, but if a student is going to be so unnerved by a brief, general comment made by an instructor during a test, how in the world is she going to concentrate on preparing meds at the Pyxis in a busy nurses' station, carry out a conversation with a physician or family member in the midst of other commotion and noise, etc.?
I had one clinical instructor who made a point of trying to distract a student by chit-chatting, asking pesky questions, etc. while the student was doing something that required concentration. She wanted the student to tell her to stop acting as a distraction. In fact, students who didn't tell her to shut up were reprimanded. It taught us an important lesson: not to tolerate distraction when doing critical work.
I don't think that is what the OP's teacher was doing, but this thread provides that same lesson. Students need to grow a pair and advocate for themselves when quiet is needed for concentration.
Thanks. Just so you know. I do currently have a job that requires me to prepare and pass meds daily including giving insulin. Some days its quite so that I can " concentrate" and other days its busy where there are quite a few distractions. Needless to say I've been doing this job for the pass 3 years and distractions or no distractions I've never made a med error ( thank God! ) I work in the real world now, maybe not as a nurse but as a CNA who do give medications ( yes I'm certified my the BON). I don't think your analogy applies to me. I also don't agree with the CI. Why would she want to distract a student who is preparing meds on purpose ? We are students ? When ever I pass meds at clinical especially clinicals my Instructor asks me to recite the five rights and we take it very seriously. For I am working under her license.
No matter how I answer my questions and put them on the scantron, my final check is a line by line check of the scantron to make sure I didn't leave out any questions or skip and start putting the wrong letter on each line. I have caught myself in major blunders at least twice by doing this and wouldn't think of turning a scantron in without this final check.
ok ? What ever floats your boat ! Good luck with NS
I've never heard of a instructor purposefully trying to distract a student during an exam.
I notice here that some people are wanting to defend the instructor at all costs, especially those who are themselves instructors. It's almost a circling the wagons and pointing fingers type thing, as if an instructor could never do wrong and students are children who need to be purposefully distracted to test their character or else given hints during tests like first graders.
Nursing exams are meant to prepare the students for the real NCLEX. They are not designed to simulate passing meds during clinicals. Now, when I took NCLEX we were in a huge room with a lot of large wooden tables, and proctors sternly watching us and maintaining total silence and orderliness. Nobody could talk and certainly nobody could comment on the test.
I imagine that with computer testing it's also a very controlled environment.
I think the instructor should NOT be trying to prompt students during the tests. It's distracting to SOME students. It, in fact, did prompt the OP to doubt her answer and change the correct one to a wrong one. I'm sure the OP will learn from this, but it sounds like the instructors here, and others, want to justify poor teaching methods by berating the student.
I clearly stated that I did not think the OP's instructor was trying to test her concentration by speaking to her during the exam.
I brought up my clinical instructor's tactic of attempting to distract us during critical tasks to point out that it is imperative that nursing students learn not to allow themselves to be distracted. It is a form of assertiveness that an effective and safely practicing nurse must have, and the time to develop it is during school.
To the OP, of course our instructor did not allow us to commit an error by becoming distracted. She was supervising us at the time, observing our actions, and immediately stopped anyone who made a mistake and corrected it. The point of her lesson was to teach us not to become distracted. It was a highly effective, if unconventional measure, that left us with a much greater impression than a simple statement to "be careful" or "remember the 5 rights" would have. In fact, I vividly remember it 25 years later. Thanks, Karen Huber. You taught me a lot about safe nursing practice.
I get your point, but if a student is going to be so unnerved by a brief, general comment made by an instructor during a test, how in the world is she going to concentrate on preparing meds at the Pyxis in a busy nurses' station, carry out a conversation with a physician or family member in the midst of other commotion and noise, etc.?
I had one clinical instructor who made a point of trying to distract a student by chit-chatting, asking pesky questions, etc. while the student was doing something that required concentration. She wanted the student to tell her to stop acting as a distraction. In fact, students who didn't tell her to shut up were reprimanded. It taught us an important lesson: not to tolerate distraction when doing critical work.
I don't think that is what the OP's teacher was doing, but this thread provides that same lesson. Students need to grow a pair and advocate for themselves when quiet is needed for concentration.
Here is your post, Jolie. What I read is that, if someone (such as the OP) is going to be unnerved during a test, she could also make med errors because she's easily distracted.
That, my friend, is apples and oranges. Some of the most awesome nurses on the planet have test anxiety. Test anxiety is a different animal than clinical performance.
The instructor had no business talking to the student during the test. She actually caused the student to second guess herself. The student came here to vent about it, and half the people have attacked her for it. She knows it was only one point, but she was annoyed, and I don't blame her.
here is your post, jolie. what i read is that, if someone (such as the op) is going to be unnerved during a test, she could also make med errors because she's easily distracted.
perhaps you didn't understand my final paragraph: "i don't think that is what the op's teacher was doing, but this thread provides that same lesson. students need to grow a pair and advocate for themselves when quiet is needed for concentration."
that, my friend, is apples and oranges. some of the most awesome nurses on the planet have test anxiety. test anxiety is a different animal than clinical performance.
i don't know how it is apples and oranges to point out that when someone requires quiet for concentration, regardless of the situation or setting, she needs to speak up and ask for it.
the instructor had no business talking to the student during the test. she actually caused the student to second guess herself. the student came here to vent about it, and half the people have attacked her for it. she knows it was only one point, but she was annoyed, and i don't blame her.
i understand the op's frustration, but strongly disagree with your statement that the instructor "caused" her to do anything. unless the instructor took the pencil from the op's hand, erased her first answer, and changed it, she didn't "cause" anything. the op has accepted responsibility for changing her answer. whether or not she chooses to accept the constructive suggestions made by other posters (at her request) is up to her.
Yes, when the instructor paused and commented on the question, it did CAUSE the OP to question her already correct answer. Because of the imbalance of power, the instructor won't likely get honest feedback and take responsibility for her actions.
And yes, I read your final paragraph, you didn't think she did it on purpose. So what? She's a lousy instructor who does things without thinking and is intrusive during tests. I wouldn't like her, I'll tell you that.
There are plenty of things in real life that we don't like: instructors who teach in a manner we dislike, patients and visitors who are constantly on the call light for trivial requests, charge nurses who give us heavy assignments, slacker co-workers, meds and supplies that are missing, physicians who ignore our calls, etc.
How we deal with these frustrations makes or breaks us in our profession. Those who learn to perform well despite the actions of others will succeed. Those who don't, will spend their unhappy professional lives blaming others.
There are plenty of things in real life that we don't like: instructors who teach in a manner we dislike, patients and visitors who are constantly on the call light for trivial requests, charge nurses who give us heavy assignments, slacker co-workers, meds and supplies that are missing, physicians who ignore our calls, etc.
How we deal with these frustrations makes or breaks us in our profession. Those who learn to perform well despite the actions of others will succeed. Those who don't, will spend their unhappy professional lives blaming others.
Amen to that!
We can ALL find excuses for our performance. Test anxiety, mental illness, this person is being to loud...
In the end all the responsibility for our performance falls on us.
:banghead:
i was petrified, i wasn't sure what was going on. she looks at me and then looks at my the question i was stuck on and tells me " remember what i told you in class" so right after that i immediately changed my answer. so come to find out during the test review, the answer that i changed to was actually wrong !
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
No matter how I answer my questions and put them on the scantron, my final check is a line by line check of the scantron to make sure I didn't leave out any questions or skip and start putting the wrong letter on each line. I have caught myself in major blunders at least twice by doing this and wouldn't think of turning a scantron in without this final check.