Nursing school double standards?

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Hi! I was just wondering if everyone (anyone) out there has had ridiculous experiences in Nursing school similar to the ones below. I am in an evening program and find it frustrating beyond belief (and I'm NOT referring to the reading, studying or clinical aspects). I am talking about the total lack of organization and the abuse of the students by the instructors!! Myself and most of my classmates are getting to the point of anger. The instructors constantly talk about how you have to put your time in and do extra and come to the help classes. Meanwhile the reality is that about 90% of the class are working full time and making time in their busy work/life schedules to come to school 4 nights a week to earn this degree. Many already hold 2 and 4 year degrees and know what it takes to get the work done. I can't think that any one of us is not dedicated - we're giving up a lot of our own time for this and so far nobody has quit.

Here's why it gets me really angry. I feel that they are looking to see who is checking in at the lab and who is going online to the online course information and using that as a way to judge who is really dedicated. We have had to stay late to "get through the unit content" on more than one occasion - and I don't mean for 15 minutes I mean for over an hour each night, yet if we are 5 minutes late to class because of traffic (on LI there is ALWAYS traffic) we get an attitude from the instructor and marked as "L" on the attendance sheet. We get the "you're adult students" speech, then we're treated as children. The instructors frequently send us into the clinical area after a quick run down of what we're to expect the 30 minutes before we go on the floor and then wonder why we're all anxious and frustrated. On other occasions the class lecture info hasn't been posted until the day of class or even up to a few hours before - and then we get looked at like we're crazy when we don't have it printed out because we were working and then ran directly to class (so as not to be late of course). I love what I'm learning, but I'm hating this experience so far. I feel that the instructors could use a lesson in organization, communication and flexibility. That's what they expect from us, but somehow that whole idea of "practice what you preach" seems not to apply to them.

SO I want to know is it like this everywhere?! :angryfire

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Hi! I was just wondering if everyone (anyone) out there has had ridiculous experiences in Nursing school similar to the ones below. I am in an evening program and find it frustrating beyond belief (and I'm NOT referring to the reading, studying or clinical aspects). I am talking about the total lack of organization and the abuse of the students by the instructors!! Myself and most of my classmates are getting to the point of anger. The instructors constantly talk about how you have to put your time in and do extra and come to the help classes. Meanwhile the reality is that about 90% of the class are working full time and making time in their busy work/life schedules to come to school 4 nights a week to earn this degree. Many already hold 2 and 4 year degrees and know what it takes to get the work done. I can't think that any one of us is not dedicated - we're giving up a lot of our own time for this and so far nobody has quit.

Here's why it gets me really angry. I feel that they are looking to see who is checking in at the lab and who is going online to the online course information and using that as a way to judge who is really dedicated. We have had to stay late to "get through the unit content" on more than one occasion - and I don't mean for 15 minutes I mean for over an hour each night, yet if we are 5 minutes late to class because of traffic (on LI there is ALWAYS traffic) we get an attitude from the instructor and marked as "L" on the attendance sheet. We get the "you're adult students" speech, then we're treated as children. The instructors frequently send us into the clinical area after a quick run down of what we're to expect the 30 minutes before we go on the floor and then wonder why we're all anxious and frustrated. On other occasions the class lecture info hasn't been posted until the day of class or even up to a few hours before - and then we get looked at like we're crazy when we don't have it printed out because we were working and then ran directly to class (so as not to be late of course). I love what I'm learning, but I'm hating this experience so far. I feel that the instructors could use a lesson in organization, communication and flexibility. That's what they expect from us, but somehow that whole idea of "practice what you preach" seems not to apply to them.

SO I want to know is it like this everywhere?! :angryfire

Although I can understand your frustration I don't agree with some of your points. First to say that you all are "taking time out of YOUR busy schedules to come to class 4 nights a week" well no one forced you to go to nursing school and their are hundreds of students down in the Pre Nursing section that would almost kill to be in your situation. My nursing school is M-F full time. You pursued nursing school, they didn't beg you to come and accommodate them.

Is it fair that class can run late but they want you to be on time? No, but that is the way the ball rolls, is it fair that if I am late to an appointment they will cancel and reschedule yet I can sit and wait for my appointment because the office is running late? No, but again, that's the way it is. Them having to hold off for late students isn't fair for those that get their on time. If their is always traffic you leave earlier to compensate for the longer commute. By my school their is some road construction that just started, I now leave earlier to make sure I am not late due to that.

They have every right to expect you to be in your labs. You going to labs does show your dedication. Again, you chose to be a student and work full time along with the other students in your class. That is not your teachers problem. Our nursing advisers won't even let students work full time and go to our program and they will NOT accommodate or be flexible. We have our policy's if they aren't followed then it's on us. If they start being flexible and accommodate then when does it stop? How is that fair to the students that manage to not need all the extra accommodations?

I was fully prepared for what I was getting myself into when I started nursing school, I made sure I have back up plans and so on. I am so happy I finally got into my nursing program after a 3.5 year waiting list that I was going to be darned if I did anything to mess it up.

I am sorry if my post is harsh, I am not trying to be.

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It is pretty much a given that the school instructors and administration will make their priority the students who meet expectations, including attending help sessions, instead of catering to the exceptions who can't 'shine'. I felt direct discrimination the entire time I was in school because I did not fit the favored demographic, but I realized there was nothing I could do about it.

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1. Take everything in nursing school as an opportunity to learn. Every situation may it be negative or positive is an opportunity to better yourself and learn!

2. If you spend less time worrying about double standards you will learn more! More about nursing, more about life, and most importantly more about yourself!!!

This is life no more no less it is not fair neither will work be fair. Check my post on pinning. It's all about you (what knowledge you attain) not about you (has it been fair) have you been hurt? Or is somthing you just don't like. Well I don't like sunny weather but nobody is going to change that are they? I'm not complaining either I just change and accept there will be sun.

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Everthing negative in my program has made me smarter and a better student. More automous! Hopefully aore skilled and better nurse in the future!

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Specializes in IMCU.

Our is a bit similar. Our instructor rabbits on and on and on until there is only 30 minutes (from a 4 hr skills lab) to actually do skills. She is highly disorganized and blah blah blah. Sometime she just doesn't have class.

I will say that I am lucky that I have flexibility and can come into the skills lab at other times. Others can't or won't.

I figure that part of what you learn in nursing school is how to deal with adversity and not clean someone's clock or lose your mind.

A bunch of us whine but I also just get on with it.

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Specializes in Adult Oncology.

I had an instructor who called anything not nursing school related an "interferring phenomenon". They told us to kiss our familes, put pictures of our pets on our desks, and focus on our schoolwork.

Reality if that we still have to pay our bills, take care of our children, and sometimes our cars won't start at 5:45 in the morning to make it to a 6:30 clinical. But that is OUR problem. Not the school's. They are there to teach us what we paid to have them teach us, but we can't learn if we aren't there to learn.

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Specializes in Gyn/STD clinic tech.

all nursing schools i have looked into, including night schools, strongly, and i mean strongly, advise students not to work more than 20 hours a week.

i am a f/t nursing student, and i work about 16 hours a week, and i live off savings that i saved just for the sole purpose of going to nursing school. my husband is also very very supportive, which helps.

i certainly would not be able to expect to work ft and go to nursing school...

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Attending a college-level program full time should involve the same level of time/committment/attention/etc. as a full time job. It is unrealistic to expect to work full time, go to school full time, and also have enough time left over to be a full time family member.Most people can't handle those 3 full time committments simultaneously. That's why most good nursing programs do not promote the notion the idea that it can be done -- and don't bend over backwards to accommodate students who want to try that. Most students discover that they can't do a good job of fullfilling all 3 full-time committments. They learn that they have to make some sacrifices somewhere to get that college degree. Either they become part-time students ... part time employees ... or find other resources to help meet their families' needs.

Your school sounds like one that is making lots of money by offering students a chance to go to school in the evening while they continue to work a "day job." Many of those programs are "thrown together" with the idea of making a profit. They may have trouble getting good faculty because of the evening and/or weekend hours.

If your school really is that bad ... I hope you and the other students educate your community about the problems there ... and that prospective students will stop choosing to go there. Without the students' compliance (and money), the school will have to improve or close. But until prospective students stop signing up for such programs, they will continue to exist.

Your school may be horrible -- but you chose to go to that particular school. I assume you investigated their schedules and expectations before you made that choice. Now you need to decide to either remain in that school and make the sacrifices necessary to graduate or choose another school and make the sacrifices required by that switch and by your new school. Investigate your options and make your choice.

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Nursing school is hell. Nurses teach when they are burnt out! Take it from there. Get your degree and put it behind you

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Thanks to all of those who posted about their experiences and for trying to put a positive "spin" on things! That's why I posted on here, not to be judged by those who know nothing about my situation.

To give a little more background to those who decided to comment on my dedication rather than the question at hand, here it is. I have worked in the corporate sector for the last 15 years and I am not a first time student. I already hold a 4 year degree in another discipline. I took all my other pre-reqs before applying so I would be able to work and go to school at night PART TIME. I do not take my place in the program for granted as I WORKED FOR IT - so I take exception to comments like "no one forced you to go to nursing school and their are hundreds of students down in the Pre Nursing section that would almost kill to be in your situation". Many of my classmates are in the same boat, we all worked hard for our spots in the program and do not have the luxury of working part time or not at all because of money issues or need for health benefits, etc.

Yes, I know the world is not all bubblegum, butterflies and rainbows. I will check my frustration at the door and go on learning because this is what I want to do. I simply wanted to know if what I had been experiencing was the norm and if others were in the same boat!

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OK then, short answer is: yes. It's common (and I'd say in most places expected) for nursing instructors to operate as if nursing school was your first and foremost priority. Everything else is considered secondary.

Where I got tripped up in your first post is that I don't consider that to be "unorganized" or "abuse of the students" I consider it nursing school.

And yes, I've also worked in the corporate world for 10+ years before starting nursing school. School's not like the corporate world though....work just happens at work (for a big project there might be an expectation of working late, or bringing home work) but most of the expectations of school, are expected to happen in outside of class. So yes, there are a lot more expectations of your time....and I'd be shocked if any nursing instructor said to themelves before giving an assignment (hmmmm, there's a good number of students who work more than part time, I guess I won't give this assignment)...just doesn't work that way. Your program is responsible for getting through X amount of material in Y amount of time.....best I can say is hold on for the ride!

I wish you the best as you work to juggle your responsibilities.

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