My clinical instructor infuriates me!!

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I'm currently in med-surg I and my clinical instructor is driving me crazy. She just doesn't like me. Every week at clinical nothing I do is good enough for her. The other day I made a mistake with documentation and I admitted my mistake and asked her what to do in order to correct it and because of that I got a 30 minute talk. During this talk she went as far as accusing me of having an attitude problem along with a personality disorder.

When my other classmates make a mistake with something she just tells them don't let it happen again. She basically treats me different than the other students in the group. I am fed up with it, so I called her this morning and told her I will not be returning to clinical with her because of the issues we have been having. I also called our lead instructor for the class to see if I would be able to make up the 5 days of clinical we have left with the group that has clinical in Jan. If not then I will have to drop the class because I shouldn't have to subject myself to being mistreated.

Also if I go back and get into an altercation with her, I run the risk of failing the course and getting kicked out of the program. I am able to take constructive criticism, but when I am being attacked on a personal level like that I am not going to stand by and just let that happen. I want any nursing student, or anyone in general, reading this to know I am not just complaining or whining, I have shown that instructor nothing but respect and I think I deserved the same.

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Specializes in DOU.

I hate to break it to you, and it's not that I don't sympathize, but nursing school is a lot like boot camp. You need to learn to suck it up and just get through it.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

I have no idea whether the conflict between you and your instructor can be attributed to your attitude/behavior, hers or a combination of both.

But I do know that you are the one who is going to have to find a way to work around it if you plan to complete your schooling. It is no concern to your instructor that you have chosen not to return to clinical. The only one hurt by that action is you. The program is under no obligation to allow you to make up 5 clinical days, and I don't know of any program that would do so for a student who left voluntarily.

I commend you for attempting to find a way to avoid a scene with your instructor, but suggest that you rethink how to do that if you wish to complete your program on time.

Best of luck.

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.

honestly, i would go back to clinical. you are only punishing yourself in the long run by not finishing. nursing professors are tough and picky, but they are a reason to be. they sometimes pick the brightest in the class to pick on and see how far they can make you push yourself. you will be, after all, be caring for the most precious thing of all---human life.

i wish you the very best in your studies and hope you reconsider your decision. perhaps have a meeting with her and the DON or dean present to work out your concerns. if you can't work things out, continue to go to clinical and finish..... nursing professors sometimes think that by riding your butt they will a) either crack you and weed you out of the program or b) work harder.... you are not there to be friends with her.... you are there to just get her to pass you and to learn how to be a nurse.

i had a CI in nursing school that rode my butt like white on rice. she was sooo lax on everyone else and gave me the worst assignments and the most paperwork. she yelled at me once and said she was dissappointed in me and i didnt even know what i did! i didnt ever think of giving up.... i just worked harder. one time she made me so upset and i asked her if i could speak with her privately to ask her what i ever did to make her hate me so much.

i was so shocked when she said that i was her ace in the class and that she pushed me to excel because she knew i was at a higher level of clinical skill and critical thinking. she said when she looked at me, she saw herself in nursing school 25 years ago... at my graduation, i picked her to pin me, and she said "congratulations, mini-me".

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I think many of us feel like we're being picked on. Several in our class felt this way. I too just remind myself that I'm only with them (the clincical instructor) for a short time and to just get through it. They won't be with me throughout my career. It's only temporary. We are pretty much at their mercy and what they say goes but once we graduate we're our own professional. They break us down and build us up to be strong, confident nurses and that's why I think they are hard on many of us. It's not easy but just hang in there and tell yourself it's only temporary!

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Specializes in Tele, Cardiac Post Op, ER.

Yes it was uncalled for her to tell you, you may have a personality disorder. But, with that said, if she really didn't care about you or didn't like you, she wouldn't spend so much time being hard on you. Maybe this is her way of trying to push you harder.

I would be worried if you teacher didn't give you any feedback at all. Then that would mean she really didn't care. I would just finish off the semester and get this class over with!

Good luck!

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I would like to thank everyone for the advice. I can't go back to clinical now and risk receiving a clinical failure because of the instructors personal feelings toward me. It's sort of wishful thinking for me to assume that the school will let me make up the rest of the hours with the other class. I'm so fustrated at this point I don't have a problem dropping the class and taking it again. This is a set back, but it's not making me give up my dreams of being a nurse.

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With time to reflect, I am certain that you are well aware of where you went wrong. You essentially signed your ticket out of the program with your actions. I would get very humble in writing and in person and beg, literally beg, the program director to allow you to return. Chances are very high that it is over for you. But you can hope for a miracle. For goodness sake, realize, if they allow you back, that you have used up all of your free tickets. They would probably make you sign a contract stating that any more of that behavior will result in immediate dismissal. That is if heaven moves and you are lucky enough to be allowed back. Say your prayers and the rest of us will pray for you.

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Specializes in HCA, Physch, WC, Management.

I have seen this problem with girls that are in my class who have different instructors than I do for clinical. All I could tell them was that now would be a good time to grow a backbone and stand up for yourself. It was big of you to admit your mistake and ask for assistance and your instructor shouldn't have chosen this as an opportunity to single you out to be reprimanded but to teach you the right way to correct your mistakes. I meet this kind of criticism with a firm and unwavering, "Thanks for your input. That will be very helpful to me in the future." I encounter all kinds of different people and attitudes and an unemotional response is the only way for me to deal with people who **** me off.

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Although I don't doubt you were being picked on, I agree with the others that you should have just stuck it out. Unless you though she was going to write you up or fail you, it would have been easier to just ride it out. Of course at this point the advice is too little too late. But remember this next time. There is no guarantee that the next one will be any better. I find I'm running 50/50 with instructors that are nice vs border line crazy. ;) Look at the goal you are trying to achieve and keep your eye on that.

Good luck in getting back in. I wish the best for you!

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I am not out of the program yet. The way my school is I can withdraw from the course which means I'll receive an incomplete. I would still be taking Patho/pharmacology which is a nursing course so I will remain in the program. I would just have to take med-surg again next fall (after submitting a written statement about what I plan to do in order to be successful in the course). That might not be a bad idea, maybe it will give me time to prepare myself to take whatever the instructors dish out.

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After having time to think about my situation, and venting my frustrations here, I have decided to swallow my pride and return back to clinical. I am willing to put aside my differences with the instructor to finish the course and pass. I realized if I drop out now, It would make me look weak. That's not me at all. In a few days I meet with the lead instructor of the class to discuss the issue, and I am going to tell her that I am returning to the clinical. I'm not sure if the clinical instuctor will be present, but I want her to understand that I am a reasonable person and a good student. I am going to work on some of the things she suggests I need to change in order to pass clinical. The CI also should understand that if I make a mistake it's better to teach me the right way than criticize me on a personal level like that. But I want her to understand that if we have a similar problem in the remainder of the clinical rotation, I'm not going to quit, I'm not going to argue with her about it, but I will say this in a nice manner " I apologize, what should I do differently to prevent these problems in the future". The bottom line is she's already an RN, that's what I want to be so I need her help to do that. This experience made me grow up a little because in the past I would have just quit in a situation like this.

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