Please don't just assume I am not taking responsibility...

[Granuaile, ASN, RN]

I am going through a rough time. I have recently been, I whole-heartedly believe, sabotaged by one of my nursing instructors. I received good grades the first quarter, and so far had been getting good grades this (second) quarter. Then I had instructor "X" for clinicals. I believe she was unduly hard on me, and graded me much lower than my peers for comparable performance. As well, I had notified the school and my instructors that I have learning deficits (which I was tested a couple years ago and found that I have deficits in processing which affects reading, visual processing, word retrieval, and organization) and ADHD. I am taking medication for the ADHD, which helps tremendously, but is not a cure. My instructor immediately put me on contract for first-time mistakes (that were made day 1 and 2 of clinicals, second quarter of an LPN program in Washington state) that my classmates had made but not been marked down for, made me re-write an assignment and turn it in the same day that another huge paper was due (plus we had two exams in two days that everyone was stressed out studying for), and gave me an extremely low grade on my paper for what she called "formatting errors..." Well, I tried to talk to her, then talked to the dean, then we had a meeting with her, the dean, and the disability services coordinator at my school, and lots of other communication occurred. She ultimately failed me from clinicals for things that occurred in the first three days (that, again, my classmates did some of the same types of things but did not get marked down or certainly put on contract or failed for). Because this class, clinicals, is linked to two other classes, I had no choice but to withdraw from the theory and skills classes, even though I was doing very well in both.

It has been two weeks since I asked her to provide me in writing the reasons she failed me and she has yet to do so, though somehow she was able to make a case to the dean and the director (who is her friend, according to my classmates and other instructors) as to why she thought I deserved to be failed. Emotionally I have been so strained by this school situation that it makes everything seem so much more bleak. I am in the process of making a formal complaint and will probably file a lawsuit. I was even on scholarship in addition to financial aid, and I am completely broke and have no way to pay back that money, let alone pay for tuition at another school. The school claims to be supportive of it's students, but I know without a doubt that if this instructor were human, she would not have gone to such lengths to fail me. I'm hoping to transfer to another school soon - I have two appointments this week with two different nursing programs, but something has to be done about this woman. I miss my classmates, my other instructors, and I know I am not the only one who has gone through this type of thing. I wish I could know what other people have done when they have been in a similar situation. I'm going to fight this, not just for myself, but for past, current, and future students whom I know she has or will do this to again. Instructor "X" is a bully, and cares more about power and control than she does teaching or being any kind of role model. It saddens my heart but I do remember that there is still so much to be thankful for.

The above was a blog I posted elsewhere. It is so difficult to have perspective because I only have the experience of this nursing school, as do the other students I've spoken with. The mistakes I made were: not reporting wheezing breath sounds or a distended abdomen to my instructor (which were first time errors, and both symptoms were well documented in the patient's chart), and not seeing for myself how many mL's fluid the pt. drank at lunch, so that I had to ask the pt., which I did, and the pt. was able to tell me what he drank. The mistakes I made on my clinical daily sheets were that I arranged my assessment information by body region, rather than system, and in the "MD to nurse orders," I put the pt's. actual BP instead of the order for when to take it, and the actual I&O's instead of the order for when to monitor the pt's. I&O's. My instructor gave me a 1.5 for this paper, though she said the information in it was well done. My classmate got a 3.5 from this same instructor for the same paper, though she left out the entire section of "Lab values and explanations of abnormal lab values." I am not usually one to blame others for negative consequences that I incur. While my classmates had many negative things to say about this instructor before this all happened, I told them that I really did not want to focus on the negative, that sure, she was tough but I didn't like to talk badly about others. I still don't have anything "against" her...but I can't excuse what has occurred.

I am wondering if anyone, instructors and students alike, can give me some feedback. I know that you only know part of the story; it would take pages to include it all. I suppose if you have any questions feel free to ask.

I would be very appreciative of any thoughtful, objective feedback anyone may have.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Well, I tried to talk to her, then talked to the dean, then we had a meeting with her, the dean, and the disability services coordinator at my school, and lots of other communication occurred.

The school claims to be supportive of it's students, but I know without a doubt that if this instructor were human, she would not have gone to such lengths to fail me.

I still don't have anything "against" her...but I can't excuse what has occurred.

It sounds to me as if you really DO have something against this instructor. You really DO think that this instructor is "not human" and has been out to get you since Day 1. You think that she is such a menace that you want to save future students from her. If your case actually does go to court, you are going to have to acknowledge and address those feelings of yours.

It also sounds as if it it NOT just this one instructor who supports the decision to give you a failing grade. You said that a lot of communication has occurred that has included not only the Dean, but also the Disability Coordinator. So I suspect that it will be difficult for you to make a case that would stand up in court that it was just this 1 instructor who was out to get you for no good reason. If I were on the jury of a trial, I would notice that other people have been involved and not just the one instructor you are accusing. Are you saying that both the Dean and also the Disability Coordinator have also been unfair and out to get rid of you?

Note that I am a nurse who has been on both sides of fence and NOT a lawyer. For legal advice, you'll need to go to attorney with expertise in cases such as yours. I am a nurse who, as a student, was treated very badly by an instructor. So, I can empathize with your feelings. As a graduate student, I served as a student representative on a school's Student Appeals Committee -- a committee that heard and decided cases in which students appealed grades that they thought were unfair. However, I have also been an instructor who has failed students.

Almost no students who fail a course believes at first that they deserved the failing grade. Almost all failing students believe the instructor was unfair. The best course of action for most students is to accept responsibility for their short-comings and negotiate with the school to get a second chance to be re-evaluated by another instructor. Sometimes you can negotiate to be re-evaluated without having to re-take the entire course. At other times, you must take the entire course again. But such a negotiated settlement is usually the most workable solution. Rather than asking for your grade to be simply changed based on your own assessment of your performance ... ask for an opportunity to demonstrate your abilities for another instructor who can provide an additional assessment of your abilities.

I wish you the best of like in whatever course of action you decide to take.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Almost no students who fail a course believes at first that they deserved the failing grade. Almost all failing students believe the instructor was unfair. ....... and some of us are correct.....it seems it is not a total fete accompli,....the instructor has been asked to provide to the student the reasons why, and has yet deigned to do so....it would seem all the "communication" has yet to occur....only the OP knows what she has done or not done to come to this place, i wish her luck

[Granuaile, ASN, RN]

I appreciate your response...But, I disagree on a few points. I do NOT think that this instructor has been out to get me since day one - I had her for the first quarter, and had no issues with her. As I said in my post, most of my classmates had very negative things to say about her and I chose not to participate in that. The main reason I brought up the first day of clinicals from this (second) quarter, is because I was told by another, tenured instructor that the policy is such that we students are not to be graded at a mastery level at this point of the program, and, I was not given any warnings, nor even any feedback until a week after the fact...my interactions with this instructor on the days in question were positive and I left with a feeling that the day was successful. It also states in the policies that clinical instructors are to give us feedback the day something occurs, which, as I stated, did not happen. You mention that it sounds like I do have something against this instructor. I disagree on this point - while by now I do feel extremely unsupported by her, and think her actions were unfair, I have many specific reasons for thinking this. So, if most students, as you stated, think that it was because of the instructor's unfairness that they were failed, when they should "accept responsibility for their short-comings" then does that mean that most instructors are infallible? Or, could there be an occasional instructor who perhaps does take things to far? And, I don't think there is enough information to say that the other instructors support the decision that I should have received a failing grade...the Disability Services Coordinator's role is to determine whether or not an effort was made to provide accommodations - she was not a part of the final decision. In the conference on Jan. 31st with the Dean, my instructor, the Disability Services Coordinator, and myself, the Disability Svcs. Coord. asked my instructor if she was willing to work with me regarding implementing accommodations - to this, my instructor said, "no, I am not willing to come in at 6:00am, and I have many students to look after, and don't have time." Nobody asked my instructor to come in 45 min. earlier than usual, and I stated in my letter that I read at the meeting that I did not think that unreasonable measures needed to be taken to provide accommodations for me. In fact just providing "cueing" as the program policies state the instructors are to do for us at this stage of clinicals would have been practically enough. The Dean, on the other hand, only has the information that I and the instructor have provided him, and granted, I thought of that before, it does not help my case that he supported her decision. The other nursing instructors had no idea what was going on - the one that did find out said I should complain to the state. Also, when I asked the dean why I was failed from clinicals, he was not able to answer me.

Regarding taking responsibility, I have done this from the beginning but my instructor truly has not given me any information as to why she failed me (which she told me in an email on Feb. 3rd), so I do not even know what shortcomings, specifically, I am being failed for. I have not received papers back that I wrote (the one I initially received a 1.5, she had me re-write, but I have not received the re-write back), have not received the grading sheets for the 3 clinical days I participated in. I participated in clinicals on Jan. 14th, 15th, and 22nd, so it has been almost a month and I am in limbo in that regard. If she was able to convince the Dean and the Director why I deserved to be failed, on Feb. 3rd, why is she not able to provide me with this information?

[jennamurski]

I have recently been in your shoes, not an instructor, with the Dirctor of my program. I was astonished and hurt that someone who knoew little about me could judge me so harshly and call herelf a nurse?? When she did what she did to me, my family flipped a gasket and went on the hunt for an attorney. I tried to keep the peace and went to the schools attorney, giving them the first chance to clean up the Directors mess. 2 days later I met with the Dean and stated my rights to have an education regarding disabilty ( ihave MS) The school, by law has to provide the education within your disability according to the ADA law! Ironically I was not asking for any accommodations; I just asked to not be judged by that woman. She stated I did not have the mental capacity to with stand the program. I laughed, I am a 4.0 student, working on 2 majors! After talking to the attorney and Dean, the entire case against me was dropped and I thanked God. I have been fortunate to have a wonderful Professor, but I still feel I am being watched closely, while others are making huge mistakes that they do not see cause their focus is on the wrong person. I WILL SURVIVE!

[jennamurski]

Hey, look online at ratemyprofessor.com, to see if anyone has reported problems. With my situation, there were about 28 complaints against this person. I thought it could have helped my case!

[Jules A, MSN]

In my experience with 2 different nursing schools I would say that I have not seen an instructor, no matter how strict, actively try to fail a particular student without reason. There is no doubt however that once someone gets "noticed" their performance is scrutinized to a standard that very few could live up to. In all cases I have seen with failing based on clinical performance it has been documented all along very thoroughly and rarely do they offer any additional documentation after the student has been dismissed. I would never attempt to speak for your case but in the ones I've had clinicals with that failed for clinical issues it was justified, imo.

Good luck and I hope that it works out for you.

[Granuaile, ASN, RN]

Thank you for your response. It's crazy, so many things in life are filled with so many shades of grey...I am very intelligent, left a successful career to attend nursing school, and put myself through 4 years of college, attending part-time while working full-time (nearly all at community colleges, though, so no Bachelor's, sadly!). Yet I feel that there is a misunderstanding about learning disabilities and ADHD, that some people think it means that a person is "less capable," when that couldn't be further from the truth. Often people like us have unique and valuable ways of looking at things, that bring a fresh perspective to challenging problems. For me, once I learn a skill, I become very adept at it. As with any other health condition, I have to do certain things to manage my symptoms, but I still need a little extra help learning, especially putting theory into practice. My instructor refused to work with me toward that end, and instead stepped up the pressure such that I felt her expectations became impossible for me to meet. Naturally, I stumbled, which led to more marks against me. She even said, "I don't think you need accommodations." That is not her call to make!

I am the last person to talk about filing a lawsuit, and I don't know whether or not I'll go that route. So the fact that I am considering it for me means that I have thought about it extensively, done a fair amount of research, and talked to several people such that I think that it may end up being the appropriate route to take. I just truly believe in my heart that there is something wrong with how this instructor treats her students. I have heard so many stories from other students of things she has done, that I didn't really believe until this happened to me. Before this whole thing happened, a group of students were already talking about going to the Dean collectively to discuss concerns about her teaching inconsistencies. I know I'm probably "preaching to the choir," so to speak, but I think that everyone should be open to learning and growing, and sometimes people don't realize the ramifications of their actions until it is brought to their attention. I feel that my desire to file a formal complaint is a loving action, because I wish this instructor no harm. I truly hope and pray that it can be a valuable learning experience that everyone can benefit from. I know it is an extremely valuable learning experience for me.

[llg, PhD, RN]

In your original post, you said, "... if this instructor were human ..." which lead me to be confused by your statements that you have no ill will against her, etc.

Did you mean towrite "humane" instead of human?

[Granuaile, ASN, RN]

Good point, llg...maybe it would've been better to use the word "fair," for the way I worded it was a bit dramatic...

[llg, PhD, RN]

Good point, llg...maybe it would've been better to use the word "fair," for the way I worded it was a bit dramatic...

Ah... yes. I was thinking, "If this person can't even acknowledge that her instructor is a person, then how can she possibly say she harbors no ill will?" "How can we believe that her opinions and accounts of the event are not over-the-top biased by a deep anger and/or unrealistic perception of the situation?"

All that said ... My experience in these matters is that you have a much better chance of being successful if you try to negotiate a compromise with your school. Schools almost never simply change a grade or undermine the authority of a teacher unless there is very clear-cut evidence. However, they are often willing to give a student another chance to demonstrate their competence and be evaluated by another instructor. Such a solution gives you a chance to get what you want and the school can feel comfortable that it has not just granted you a passing grade that it is not sure you deserve. .... And everyone learns a few lessons in the process.

Good luck to you.

[Granuaile, ASN, RN]

Thank you! That is one thing that I have learned, feeling hurt by something someone has done does not equal disliking them or at the very least not viewing them as human like every one else.

I don't want my grade to be changed, I had to miss too much of the quarter, and was mandated to withdraw from my other classes because they are linked to clinicals, so it's a moot point. I don't want anyone to be undermined. I never thought that having greater accountability and more consistent communication was equivalent to undermining.

Thanks, everybody for your thoughtful responses. Best of luck to you all! It's a sunny day here where I live which is kinda rare, and that always brightens my spirits. :tinkbll: