Nursing Instructors Would Rather see You Fail than Succeed

ladedah1, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2015

I think that it is a matter of perception. During nursing school, yes, I believe there were certainly times when I thought "This B* wants to see us all fail!"... but in retrospective, I don't believe it is that simple. My description, throughout nursing school, when trying to form an analogy for others was always: "Nursing school is like mental boot camp." It is the Army (or marines or navy or air force or coast guard) for your mind. We are pushed and filled with knowledge to the furthermost capacity of our brain... often to the point of breaking. Yes, if you are on time, you are late; you must be super early to be earlier than on time... that answer may be right, but it is not the best answer... you are great at this but this other thing is what really matters... etc. You never feel good enough, question yourself at every turn, and wonder - by the time you reach your mental health rotation - if you are better off as a patient than the person assessing everyone else. But it all has a reason, I assure you.

What these instructors are preparing you for is the mental strain which will come with real life situations in your profession. They are preparing you for the very real consequences which will occur if you happen to be off your game for a single second - be it the patient's demise or your own.

The amount of time that I spent despising my instructors for their "unrealistic" expectations is absolutely nothing in comparison to the time that I've spent mentally thanking them at the conclusion of my education. I find myself endlessly grateful for who they have made me into with their crazy antics and the self doubt they've imposed. Those test questions that you deem unfair because you thought your answer was equally right? Try taking the NCLEX and you will wish the questions were so easy. I literally thought that I failed for two whole days when my test shut off at 75 questions... I could think of nothing other than the fact that I must have royally bombed it and that all of those stupid select all that apply questions didn't even compare to what I found on the official test... I thought, at that moment, that my instructors were actually too easy on us... until I realized that I passed with flying colors because of what I went through.

In clinic, when I received comment cards for seemingly stupid errors, I wished that they would have just talked to me; in the end, it was the harsh punishment that ensured I would never make the same mistake twice.... which then made me think in depth about every action I was performing... and in the end, I feel so much more competent for it.

You see, your instructors are not tough for the sake of being evil or vengeful or the fact that "those who cant do teach" - they are tough because that is what it takes to change a person's instincts from the inside out (remember operational conditioning? Remember the basic instinct to avoid pain (mental pain, in this case)?) They are reshaping your response mechanism; and this is something that you will highly value when you find yourself in a career. A patient cannot unexperience your mistakes. A doctor or coworker WILL make you feel stupid if you are not up to par. The legal process and your employer WILL hold you responsible for poor judgment. In this sense, when you have graduated and become responsible for your own actions, you will be grateful for the pain you are now experiencing and (likely unknowingly) referring onto your instructors. Give it time, my dear, for when you have completed this awful challenge, you will inevitably be proud of how strong you have become :)

LoveER01 · Sep 11, 2015

I have had tough instructors and I have seen a few who clearly didn't like particular students... However, I have never felt like any of them wanted to see anyone fail. In my experience I have had a few go the extra mile to help me succeed when I was struggling. It actually made me cry to know they cared that much.

futurenaijaRN, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2015

I am blessed to be in my school. I'm privileged to be taught by DNPS and most importantly people that wants you to succeed. They will sacrifice their time just to make sure you understood the material. I am so blessed and lucky to have chosen Lynchburg college of Nursing to pursuit my education. I really appreciate all my nursing faculties, you all rock! I love the fact that we work hard for our grades.

jclark76 · Sep 12, 2015

Personally I think most instructors went through hell in school, so they just feel the need to perpetuate that atmosphere. Plus, if it were easy, everyone would do it

PositivelyPink · Sep 12, 2015

I have read this sort of thread many times. I can honestly say that I haven't seen any evidence of any instructors wanting me or anyone in my class not to succeed. The support in my school is outstanding and I'm really, really enjoying myself. Just my 0.02.

TriciaJ, RN · Sep 12, 2015

After I'd worked as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse for 3 years (separate qualification in western Canada at the time) I went back to my alma mater to pick up my RN. My first 2 clinical instructors were HORRIBLE. Not just to me, but to an older student who'd been a CNA for many years. Were they threatened because we'd already had some experience? I wondered if my personality rubbed them the wrong way, but the CNA-to-RN student was the nicest lady, really sharp, with a positive attitude and there was no reason anyone would take a dislike to her.

Their M.O. was to refuse to be available to offer any instruction or guidance, but lie in wait and hope to catch a mistake. When doing my end-of-rotation eval, one instructor carefully listed every mistake I'd made as evidence that my performance was poor. Then she'd verbally tell me "Of course you've since learned how to do it correctly, but there's no room to write everything". Well shouldn't the end of rotation eval reflect the end of rotation? Especially since my classmates made the same mistakes, and just as many.

I somehow toughed out those two horrible rotations. My subsequent instructors didn't seem to have a need to make me feel stupid. Some of them were very tough and exacting, and had no qualms calling anyone out. But they were fair. They gave the impression that they'd been competent nurses themselves and relished the teaching role. I had the normal anxiety of being a learner without the added anxiety that someone was lying in wait.

The second half of that year was much better, but the damage had been done. When I got through, I went back to psych for several years before I mustered the confidence to change specialties. Even with 3 decades of hindsight, those 2 instructors were rotten b****es. No excuse for their behaviour. But they were in the MINORITY. I also had some absolutely WONDERFUL instructors. I wish I had a way to thank them all these years later.

cmj806 · Sep 14, 2015

Isn't it their job to weed out the students that are just not cut out to be a nurse? Nursing and hospitals isn't for everyone.

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Sep 14, 2015

Isn't it their job to weed out the students that are just not cut out to be a nurse? Nursing and hospitals isn't for everyone.

Yes, it specifically says in their job description to target the entitled, unsuspecting young 'uns and eat them up.

Just kidding. I think the weeding out process happens when they are unable to pass the skills test or think critically for the exams. But I've never felt like any of my professors targeted anyone and tried to push them out of the program. I would think that falls under bullying.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Sep 14, 2015

I think poor students weed themselves out. Many will blame instructors for their failures, but unless 100% of a class fails the coursework, I think it comes back onto the student.

Isn't it their job to weed out the students that are just not cut out to be a nurse? Nursing and hospitals isn't for everyone.

cmj806 · Sep 14, 2015

Thats where I was going with that reply. Just didn't use the right words. If it was easy everyone would be nurses! :)

RedInScrubs, ASN, RN · Sep 14, 2015

I have experienced this with almost EVERY nursing instructor I had.
I can honestly say they would rather see you fail than succeed.
Has anyone else experienced this ?

When I was in school, I thought this.

Then when I started working as a nurse, I realized just what exactly they'd spent two years pounding into my brain, and why they did care.

It's a lot more clear when you gain their perspective.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Sep 24, 2015

I think poor students weed themselves out. Many will blame instructors for their failures, but unless 100% of a class fails the coursework, I think it comes back onto the student.

This is true only if the course work is graded subjectively...in my school lecture exams are by computer and unbiased.

Clinicals on the other hand....very subjective.

#ihadaverybadday