"Instructor" rant

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Specializes in Completed CNA/HHA/PCT course.

Hello everyone! I am currently in a CNA, HHA & PCT course. The first month we had a lovely instructor, however she is on a temporary leave to assist her family. We are now under the watch of a brand new instructor who has never taught before. In fact, she is still in orientation at the college I am taking this course. With that being said, I am understanding to her finding her place and I am grateful for the experiences that she has to share with us since she has been a RN for quite some time.

My ISSUE, is that she has some of the absolute WORST people skills I have ever seen! Several students have had altercations with her already. Today was my turn. After her arriving to the facility 15 minutes late (which is the norm so far in clinicals) she then babbled about herself for an hour, taking valuable time away from our clinical experience. After I was finally assigned a resident and a CNA to work with, I bathed my resident and got him dressed so he would be ready for his therapy. The man who was to bring him to therapy had stopped by while I was dressing the resident and said he would be right back and he would need me to help with the OOB transfer. After he was dressed, I waited in the room for the man to come back. The instructor stopped in and asked what was going on and I said we were just waiting for the therapy man to come back. She LOUDLY said, "we don't call him the therapy man, that is very unprofessional, you would call him the therapy transport" Ok, point taken, that does sound like a much better term. Side note that this is only my third day in a SNF and there is a much nicer way to speak to your students. I really did not appreciate her scolding me in front of the resident as if he weren't even there. Well, I let that roll of my back, not a huge deal.

After that, my CNA informed me that there was nothing else to do with that resident so she was going to have me work with the one I was with last week. We were to be assigned one resident and I was reassigned to one that would need more assistance. So I worked with resident #2 for the rest of the day and assisted him in eating breakfast and lunch, made his bed while he also went to therapy, etc. After feeding at 1200, all of the students were to report to the conference room at 1230 for our lunch/daily post-conference. I finished with my resident and as I was walking down the hall on my way, another resident asked for my help, she just needed her bedside table/lunch tray moved because it was pinning her to the bed. I figured ok, I can do that. Then she wanted to get up and into her wheelchair. I told her that I would have to go get someone because I do not want her to fall and I would need a staff member to assist in transfering her. Students are not allowed to transfer anyone alone, and I don't know this patient or her conditions, etc. All the nurses and CNAs were at lunch so it took a few minutes for me to find someone. I didn't want to just leave her hanging off the bed and she would not let me put the table/lunch tray back where it was. So, I find someone and he puts her in the wc while I hold it. Then he runs off, I turn her around and fix the tray so she can continue watching tv and eat her lunch. Then i proceed down the hallway to get to the conference room, and resident #1 who is a fall risk, asks me if i can find someone to transfer him to the chair. I go to the nurses station again and request that, I go back to res and let him know they are sending someone over. He thanks me and I get to the conferernce room at 1245.

When I walk in the rest of the class is there and the instructor barks at me "Where have you been?! What took you so long?! Why are you so late?! I'll deal with you later, just sit down. ... What happend!??!!?!" I begin telling her, I get 3 words in and she continues yelling at me in front of everyone "You don't listen, the whole time in lectures, and the whole time in class and the whole time today, you havent listened to a single word!! You never EVER transfer a pt with out help!" I try to keep talking and explained that she jumped to conclusions and didn't let me finish what I was saying, and she wont let me speak!! She just won't stop yelling over me. I keep trying and finally got the point across that I went to find someone and I snapped and said "I'll just ignore the pt next time!" so big giant argument in front of everyone..... I also told her that i felt attacked and she wont let me finish. How dare she assume and start yelling and tell me I don't listen.... She doesn't even know me and I happen to have an A in the course... So I just shut up and don't look at her and listen to everyone else talking about their pts. She did have the decency to apologize for being so aggressive and this was in the group discussion so I did appreciate that and stopped seeing so much red at that point. Then it was my turn to talk about my pt. I started by saying that I had two pts to be interrupted AGAIN by her yelling at me "why did you have two?! You are only supposed to have one! Why can't you listen to anything?! Alright, go ahead, tell us about it.... " I said I had nothing else to say and ran to the bathroom and just bawled.

Has anyone ever had an instructor so ruthless? And when I say yelling that is not an exaggeration...

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Seriously no one should be treated like that. I would find her supervisor and speak to him/her and ask for a meeting just the three of you and hash it out. Perhaps you can stop her from bullying someone else. Good Luck.

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Specializes in Completed CNA/HHA/PCT course.

Thank you, I am thinking of doing just that, many others have mentioned they may complain for their situations with her. I'm just not sure if I want to be on her sh*tlist or not. She actually told the class that her mouth has gotten her fired 3 times already... Something isn't right with her.

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Specializes in LTC.

Wow. I'm guessing this woman may have had nursing instructors that treated students the same way, and she's repeating the cycle.

My instructors were nice, but I can't say the same for my supervisors. Chances are, you'll end up working for someone like that too at some point.

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Specializes in Completed CNA/HHA/PCT course.

I am sure I will. I think that is what she is trying to prepare us for, and while I appreciate the realistic approach... I'd rather not pay her to disrespect me or the other students. I think in general she means well, I just don't think she realizes that we are not only students but customers. There are a million places to take this class for a lot less money.

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Specializes in CVICU, CCU, MICU.

I had an instructor who was strict but never spoke to me like that. Unfortunately you will probably experience a nurse like that in your career. Most likely that nurse is having a bad day and will take it out on you the CNA. I try to not take anything to heart it is easy said than done but in my experience a crabby nurse will be fine the next day and I know what to watch out for in the future to stay clear of that nurse. If it continues to happen I would speak to whoever her boss is and explain the situation.

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Specializes in Orthopaedic Nursing; Geriatrics.

I think I used to teach with her! Honestly, as a CNA instructor, you should not have to learn under those conditions! I am strict but fair and if I have something to say to you, it is done in private. And quietly. Even if I have to wait until the next day because if I say it NOW it will come out as a scream! You are not a child and not (from the sounds of your post) an idiot. And if she did have a nursing instructor like that, she should know how hard it is to learn from someone who makes you nervous every time they walk into the room. I had one like that and I never learned a thing from her because I was too scared to breathe.

Report her. She is miserable and does not deserve to be teaching and turning away potentially great CNA's!

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Specializes in Completed CNA/HHA/PCT course.
I think I used to teach with her! Honestly, as a CNA instructor, you should not have to learn under those conditions! I am strict but fair and if I have something to say to you, it is done in private. And quietly. Even if I have to wait until the next day because if I say it NOW it will come out as a scream! You are not a child and not (from the sounds of your post) an idiot. And if she did have a nursing instructor like that, she should know how hard it is to learn from someone who makes you nervous every time they walk into the room. I had one like that and I never learned a thing from her because I was too scared to breathe.

Report her. She is miserable and does not deserve to be teaching and turning away potentially great CNA's!

Thank you everyone for your posts, it really has helped to lower my BP! Lol! Yes aside from her not being tactful, she has scolded the other ADULT students like children in front of the entire class. I have been in management for years i agree that is one of the most unprofessional things you can do. I have thought it through and decided that I will report her. It was so discouraging and distracting to the rest of the class. I was absolutely humiliated just for doing what I was supposed to do. I would hate for someone to drop out because of her, and teaching is definitely not her forte.

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Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.

New instructors are usually the worst. They think they have to be tough. My first med surg rotation we had a MSN student instructor and she was nuts.

Toughen up. When she goes off, don't give her anything to fuel her fire just "Yes, maam, No maam." It will be over soon enough.

Good luck!

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Specializes in CNA.

I had a Clinical Instructor like that at my local Community College. For some reason she constantly, and I mean constantly picked, berated, belittled and criticized every-single-thing-I-did. Her "Favorites" would do the exact same thing and receive praise.

The very first time feeding Resident's she complained that it took me too long. My Resident was total care and fell asleep while feeding her.

She told me I "Needed to use common sense" when I gave an Alzheimer Resident water who had asked for it, (not fluid restricted) as they don't know if they are thirsty or not??? :confused: Then proceeded to go into the room and ask the Resident if she was thirsty. Of course, Resident said "no". Then she looked at me smugly and said some crap. If they do not know if they are thirsty or not - WHY did the Instructor ask her?? Oh, to make an ass out of me.

Her Favorites even used to sit behind the Nurses Station going through the charts!!!

Invasion of privacy??? HIPAA violation? And she never said a darn word! We were told in classroom that students only should read their resident's Care Plan.

I finally had enough and went to the Health Coordinator at the College and asked to change my Clinical site, as there were three different places to choose from. I had all my documentation in hand and told her I simply cannot learn with someone berating me constantly. Mind you, when I first inquired, she said I had to meet with her first. Then she took the Instructor's side and told me I couldn't. I even went to a higher up and still no luck. They just stuck together.

Knowing she was not going to pass me, I dismissed myself from the program and took it with the American Red Cross and could not have been happier!!! It was the best course I ever took. :yeah:

And this so-called Instuctor was a long timer..

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Specializes in CNA.
she should know how hard it is to learn from someone who makes you nervous every time they walk into the room. I had one like that and I never learned a thing from her because I was too scared to breathe.

Report her. She is miserable and does not deserve to be teaching and turning away potentially great CNA's!

Exactly!!!! Sounds just like one I had...

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