Instructors deciding our fate??

anon695 · Mar 7, 2011

You decide your own fate, not the instructors. You decide your fate by reading the material, studying, coming to clinical prepared, going to the skills lab and practicing, always attending lecture & clinical, handing your assignments in on time, etc.

Moogie · Mar 7, 2011

No. I sat on an admissions and progression committee when I taught in a BSN program and the decision to flunk out a student was often difficult and painful. While there are some faculty who seem to thrive on "weeding out" students they view to be unable to deal with the rigors of nursing, most instructors hate to see students fail.

Sometimes nursing education, at any level, seems more akin to hazing than to education. There's so much to do and a great deal of stress. Still, you do get out of it what you put into it. Anon695 is absolutely right. Be prepared. Practice. Hand in your assignments on time. And I will add one more: ask for clarification and help if you need it. If you aren't grasping the material or don't understand an assignment, ask the instructor. Don't try to read his/her mind. Ask.

Mandychelle79, ASN, RN · Mar 7, 2011

You decide your own fate, not the instructors. You decide your fate by reading the material, studying, coming to clinical prepared, going to the skills lab and practicing, always attending lecture & clinical, handing your assignments in on time, etc.

But you could have an instructor who does decided your fate, knows it and enjoys failing people. Our clinical is pass/fail. No tests given other then the math test, solely the instructors perception of you. If said instructor does not like you for whatever reason, said instructor will "pick" on you, looking for a reason to fail you. And yes it does at times involve lying, because it turns into a he said/she said thing. Said instructor preys on those who do not suck up or have issues with confidence. Luckily I do not have this instructor. It is so bad this semester that some students have been so harassed that they are lawyering up because of the situation.

Moogie · Mar 7, 2011

Mandychelle79, you are right. There are some instructors who should never be permitted to set foot in a classroom or a clinical setting because they don't understand how to assess student learning. I haven't run into many in my education or career but those who were like that made life miserable for everyone.

I'm sorry some of your classmates are suffering at the hands of this bully.

Seas · Mar 7, 2011

We had an instructor who enjoyed failing students and pulling their leg, but she got fired.

To your question, no. We students decide our fate. There maybe some exceptions like she instructor I mentioned, but they don't survive too long either.

Mandychelle79, ASN, RN · Mar 7, 2011

We had an instructor who enjoyed failing students and pulling their leg, but she got fired.
To your question, no. We students decide our fate. There maybe some exceptions like she instructor I mentioned, but they don't survive too long either.

Unless instructor has tenure and has been teaching for over 20 years and complaints fall on deaf ears, because no one is willing to take it to the next level. That instructor is a bully and even other instructors admit that they are intimidated.

amybear · Mar 7, 2011

I dunno... I am currently being bullied by an instructor. She has me so tied up in knots from her verbal abuse that it is impossible for me to remember anything or learn anything new : (

PinkNBlue, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2011

Hands down; absolutely.

katebean04 · Mar 8, 2011

You decide your own fate. There are much harder things out there in the world than nursing school. There are some that "deserve" to make it because they have put all of their heart and soul into graduating and becoming a nurse. Communicate with your teacher, tell him/her why you feel the way you do. Keep your nose in the books, and your chin up. This is not up to the teacher, and if you have a problem with them do not be afraid to communicate.

gina1982 · Mar 8, 2011

When I used to be at this nursing school I had this one clinical instructor who told me "I will do whatever it takes to make sure you dont pass this class" and got her wish. Absolutely, but Im tryin to go back to nursing school at a different school, and my saying is "I will do whatever it takes to make sure history doesnt repeat itself!"

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2011

Do you ever feel like your instructors spend a lot of their time deciding which of us *deserves* to complete the nursing program and giving the rest a hard time until they quit?
How do they decide who deserves it?? How do I prove that I am eager to learn and I can take all the challenges they throw my way, but I'm not a mind reader?!
Can't we all just get along? :)

Yes, some do. I blame the schools for allowing these egotistical individuals in the educational system to start with in addition to keeping them there.

Nursing school is not about a popularity contest, it is about hard work. If you do the work, you should get the grade.