My clinical instructor could be a psych case study

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I'm an A student, and I used to love clinical. I really like patient care, and the girls I work with are great. These days I dread going to clinic. My clinical instructor is inconsistent, unprofessional, grabby, and emotionally labile. My cohorts are getting sick, and one girl developed an ulcer. All of us are having sleep disturbance because of our instructor. I wish I could say that our instructor is difficult because her standards are high, but there is very little consistency or rationale for a lot of the things she has us do.

For instance, she reprimanded me for toileting a patient that was not mine. Also, for putting a wrapped piece of candy on a med cart because a patient (not in a precaution room) gave it to me, and I didn't want to eat it or throw it away in front of him. She also told me not to put normal saline flushes in my pocket. The following day, she grabbed some flushes, and put them in her pocket. She made me get a clean basin for the commode because the basin in the room was resting on the floor. She made me throw away an entire roll of new tape because I laid it on a counter in the patient bathroom. It was not wet or dirty. When anyone asks questions, she reprimands them for not already knowing the answer. Hours later, she'll remove you from the patient room and ask again why you asked the question. I am the only student who asks her questions. When people need to know something, they ask me to ask her. We have the night shift, and we are supposed to leave by 10. She's had me stay until 11 to clean vomit off the floor. I am not the only girl that doesn't leave on time.

Her worst trait is that she goes around the unit telling the other nurses that they aren't doing things correctly. She regularly gets into conflicts with them, and she will take me out of a patient's room to discuss the conflict she created. She swears me to secrecy, and I feel sorry for her because she is obviously very lonely and insecure. I never tell anyone the long meandering stories about her childhood, or the constant consults we have over the conflicts that I am forever smoothing out. She is the perfect combination of needy and insensitive. She can't seem to get along with floor nurses, school faculty, or students. She puts colleagues on high alert by hovering and criticizing, then becomes paranoid that they will try to get her fired. No one can figure out her priorities. What's good one day is bad the next.

The other girls resent her for being hypercritical, taking things out of their hands, barking orders, punishing people for asking questions, not allowing patients to refuse care, and embarrassing them in front of people. Sometimes, my instructor will irritate me because she has neither the social savvy to get things done, nor does she have the emotional fortitude to stand by her judgments. I've tried to use my personal relationship with her to discuss (very delicately) how she treats people, but I think she needs professional help. I just want to be a student, and I'm exhausted from dealing with her.

Are there any nursing instructors with advice on how to handle this? I'm not afraid of failing. I'm doing very well. I'm just concerned about my patients, my friends, and the relationship that our school has with our facility.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

I'm curious to read others responses. I had clinical instructors who had similar traits, but I stayed away from them. I did have classmates who became close with these types of instructors, though.

I empathize with you due to the stress you're under. If it were me, I'd write down dates and times of incidents and I'd limit my contact with the instructor ie limit my conversations to those related to class and also limit them to public conversations.

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And all of you should share these detailed notes with your dean. This instructor is jeopardizing the clinical placement in the facility by antagonizing staff, at very least, and that will get the dean's attention.

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Specializes in Psychiatric/ Mental Health.
I'm an A student, and I used to love clinical. I really like patient care, and the girls I work with are great. These days I dread going to clinic. My clinical instructor is inconsistent, unprofessional, grabby, and emotionally labile. My cohorts are getting sick, and one girl developed an ulcer. All of us are having sleep disturbance because of our instructor. I wish I could say that our instructor is difficult because her standards are high, but there is very little consistency or rationale for a lot of the things she has us do.

For instance, she reprimanded me for toileting a patient that was not mine. Also, for putting a wrapped piece of candy on a med cart because a patient (not in a precaution room) gave it to me, and I didn't want to eat it or throw it away in front of him. She also told me not to put normal saline flushes in my pocket. The following day, she grabbed some flushes, and put them in her pocket. She made me get a clean basin for the commode because the basin in the room was resting on the floor. She made me throw away an entire roll of new tape because I laid it on a counter in the patient bathroom. It was not wet or dirty. When anyone asks questions, she reprimands them for not already knowing the answer. Hours later, she'll remove you from the patient room and ask again why you asked the question. I am the only student who asks her questions. When people need to know something, they ask me to ask her. We have the night shift, and we are supposed to leave by 10. She's had me stay until 11 to clean vomit off the floor. I am not the only girl that doesn't leave on time.

Her worst trait is that she goes around the unit telling the other nurses that they aren't doing things correctly. She regularly gets into conflicts with them, and she will take me out of a patient's room to discuss the conflict she created. She swears me to secrecy, and I feel sorry for her because she is obviously very lonely and insecure. I never tell anyone the long meandering stories about her childhood, or the constant consults we have over the conflicts that I am forever smoothing out. She is the perfect combination of needy and insensitive. She can't seem to get along with floor nurses, school faculty, or students. She puts colleagues on high alert by hovering and criticizing, then becomes paranoid that they will try to get her fired. No one can figure out her priorities. What's good one day is bad the next.

The other girls resent her for being hypercritical, taking things out of their hands, barking orders, punishing people for asking questions, not allowing patients to refuse care, and embarrassing them in front of people. Sometimes, my instructor will irritate me because she has neither the social savvy to get things done, nor does she have the emotional fortitude to stand by her judgments. I've tried to use my personal relationship with her to discuss (very delicately) how she treats people, but I think she needs professional help. I just want to be a student, and I'm exhausted from dealing with her.

Are there any nursing instructors with advice on how to handle this? I'm not afraid of failing. I'm doing very well. I'm just concerned about my patients, my friends, and the relationship that our school has with our facility.

That's one difficult situation for sure. I would think that documenting your encounters with this instructor and bringing it to the attention of the dean would be the route to go. Other students should do this as well. During clinicals, keep you head down, stay busy, and attempt to avoid her if possible. Soynds like she has some personal issues.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

I can relate! Luckily, the term is almost over.

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These are all good ideas. I'll let the others know to document their experiences too.

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OMG!! I started avoided my instructor with some success, and the girls have reported her behaviors to the dean. Now, she's calling me at home to rip into me. I got a 94 on a cardiac test, and she called me to tell me why I got a question wrong. "You're too black and white." "You don't read carefully enough." "I wouldn't have chosen that answer. " "It's obvious, and you are way off. " It took over 20 minutes for me to get a word in, so I could thank her for her useful criticism and get off the phone. I tried saying things like, "I'm doing really well, and I'm not concerned about the points." It didn't matter. She kept interrupting me and finding new ways to try to feel superior. She tells me that she thinks I'm brilliant. I guess that's why she spends so much time trying to point out my flaws.I can't even avoid her calls because the number that I'm screening is the generic school number.

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Specializes in Nursing Management.
OMG!! I started avoided my instructor with some success and the girls have reported her behaviors to the dean. Now, she's calling me at home to rip into me. I got a 94 on a cardiac test, and she called me to tell me why I got a question wrong. "You're too black and white." "You don't read carefully enough." "I wouldn't have chosen that answer. " "It's obvious, and you are way off. " It took over 20 minutes for me to get a word in, so I could thank her for her useful criticism and get off the phone. I tried saying things like, "I'm doing really well, and I'm not concerned about the points." It didn't matter. She kept interrupting me and finding new ways to try to feel superior. She tells me that she thinks I'm brilliant. I guess that's why she spends so much time trying to point out my flaws.I can't even avoid her calls because the number that I'm screening is the generic school number.[/quote']

Wow she seems really unstable. I've never heard of a clinical instructor calling a student to reprimand them for a lecture course.

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I asked the other girls if they got calls, and a couple are legitimately not passing. She never called them.

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Specializes in Nursing Management.
I asked the other girls if they got calls and a couple are legitimately not passing. She never called them.[/quote']

It could be her strange way of showing you that she cares about you and believes in you.

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.

My advice re: the calls at home- from now on, let them leave a message before picking up. I can't think of any reason that a call from the school would be so urgent that you couldn't listen to a voice mail first, and then call her back.

Is this clinical instructor also your theory instructor? Just wondering why she even saw your test if she is just your clinical instructor.

It's nice that she has taken an interest, but she is trying to have an inappropriate relationship with you. You sound compassionate, but I think you must treat her like you would a patient on a behavioral health unit where you are working. Keep your interactions professional. Don't allow her to become any more dependent on you.

If you are comfortable, ask her not to call you at home, or tell her you would be more comfortable discussing test results at school, in the classroom or in her office (preferably with another student present.) Document all interactions with her in case it gets any weirder.

Please protect yourself!

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OMG!! I started avoided my instructor with some success, and the girls have reported her behaviors to the dean. Now, she's calling me at home to rip into me. I got a 94 on a cardiac test, and she called me to tell me why I got a question wrong. "You're too black and white." "You don't read carefully enough." "I wouldn't have chosen that answer. " "It's obvious, and you are way off. " It took over 20 minutes for me to get a word in, so I could thank her for her useful criticism and get off the phone. I tried saying things like, "I'm doing really well, and I'm not concerned about the points." It didn't matter. She kept interrupting me and finding new ways to try to feel superior. She tells me that she thinks I'm brilliant. I guess that's why she spends so much time trying to point out my flaws.I can't even avoid her calls because the number that I'm screening is the generic school number.

I'm sorry, this person is waaaay overstepping her bounds and (though I am not a psych nurse and don't play one on TV) sounds like she has some pathology going on here if she can't hold herself in check. Document, document, document, and have witnesses.

Do you remember that scene in "The Caine Mutiny" when the captain, played by Humphrey Bogart, starts out professional and in control and then completely falls apart and reveals his pathology in the witness stand? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUp3vhMSfZE) I'm thinking you could ask this instructor to meet you in the dean's office and help you understand where she's coming from while the dean listens. I'm thinking strawberries all over again.

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