Really rough instructor

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Specializes in Skilled Rehab.

Hello,

So I have clinical next week with a instructor who has a reputation for being your worst nightmare, I was told she has no problem with ripping you apart in front of anyone on the floor. I don't handle this type of environment very well and I'm super nervous. Has anyone had experience with a teacher like this? Do you bite your tongue and suck it up or is there a line that if crossed it should be brought to someone's attention? Has anyone ever had to go to the dean of the school over a teacher and if so did it make things worse for you?

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Yes, i have gone through it in the past. Try to go in without expectations. Just try to figure out exactly what the instructor wants and do your best to give it to them. I have never gone over my instructors head to complain about them. I have classmates thAt complained to the department head and things did not end well for my classmates. If it were me, I would just bite my tongue and do my best to get through it.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

First of all don't believe everything you hear. Secondly a tough instructor can be great.Setting the bar high will help you to excel as a student.Would you rather have an instructor that gushed about wonderful you were at everything, even though you completely botched something? I had one of each of those kind.The tough instructor may make you want to cry but when you get a positive comment from her you will know it is deserved.I also was able to withstand some fairly blunt criticism from this instructor and one of my evaluations commented that I showed maturity by accepting constructive criticism.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

There's a few differences between the rough instructor and the tough instructor. While both may give you a rough time in your clinical time, and both may bring you to tears at times, the tough instructor is the one that wants you to succeed and works very hard and set the bar very high so that you know what the expectations are and guides you to meet and exceed those expectations. The rough instructor is the one that sets the bar so exceptionally high that no student could possibly ever reach that goal. That the instructor enjoys ripping into their students because they consistently fail to reach the standard that is set impossibly high.

Give me a choice between a tough instructor, a rough instructor, and a gushing instructor, I would rather choose the tough instructor for the reasons above. A gushing instructor is one that will tell you that you will make a fantastic nurse even though you are making mistakes.

If you happen to get the rough instructor, do your best to find out what he or she wants, try to meet that as much as possible, and do what ever you need to do to continue moving forward and just get on with it.

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Specializes in Oncology.

My advice is to wait and form your own opinion. I had a clinical instructor once with a terrible reputation of kicking people out and being really mean but guess what? I am a super sensitive person and I never saw it. I learned more from her than any if my other clinical instructors combined and she is by far my favorite. Don't get distracted by reputations; just do what you need to do and don't stress until you've formed your own opinion.

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Specializes in critical care.

Go in as fully prepared as you possibly can, take your time before responding to questions that are on the spot, and don't ever believe the opinions of others. I find the instructors that everyone in my program dislikes the most are the ones I actually enjoy the most. And honestly, if this person really is that tough, they probably know it and after they have put you on the spot, they've moved on completely to the next thing. Your resulting panic attack will only be felt by you - not them - and it will affect your day - not theirs. So just breathe. Go into it with an open, and fully prepared, mind and you will be just fine. Breathe when your heart starts beating hard. Deeply.

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Specializes in critical care.

P.S. Also- don't "call out" a person who is in charge of your grade. If, after the situation has passed, you feel you were treated unfairly, go talk to the head of the department. But if you find yourself reflecting on the situation and you realize that all of the students were treated in the same way, there is no sense in throwing fuel on the fire. At the end of the semester, when you have your opportunity to send in your anonymous evaluation of the instructor, you can be honest and detailed.

Totally just my own opinion and how I would handle it, though. If the situation does escalate to an extreme level, then that would be different.

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Yep! Multiple teachers like that! My only advice is to kill them with kindness... and it is okay to cry/ball on the way home. You'll get through it. : )

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
P.S. Also- don't "call out" a person who is in charge of your grade. If, after the situation has passed, you feel you were treated unfairly, go talk to the head of the department. But if you find yourself reflecting on the situation and you realize that all of the students were treated in the same way, there is no sense in throwing fuel on the fire. At the end of the semester, when you have your opportunity to send in your anonymous evaluation of the instructor, you can be honest and detailed.

Totally just my own opinion and how I would handle it, though. If the situation does escalate to an extreme level, then that would be different.

This is definitely good advice. If someone is in charge of your grade and you call them out for something that they didn't do right, and you do it especially where others can hear/observe it, chances are pretty good that you'll be #1 on their list... So there's no sense in making things worse for yourself.

And like I said earlier, there's a big difference between a rough instructor and a tough one. Tough ones want you to succeed and look to pass you and won't pass you if you're not doing it. Rough ones look to fail you and pass you because they can't find a reason to fail you. That's a very important, but at times subtle, difference between the two. In either case, you want to make sure that you know your stuff, think before you act, and just do your best to get through the experience.

Sometimes the instructor doesn't realize they're a rough instructor when they think they're just being a tough one. Calling them out on it isn't all that good of an idea because you'll embarrass the instructor in a way that can be deeply personal, and best to do it anonymously so that they can reflect on their feedback and hopefully improve their own ways of instructing.

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A tough instructor can be a blessing in disguise. I just finished my peds clincal and my instructor was the same way. If it taught me anything it was how to have thick skin and how to work under pressure. Someone said earlier not believe everything you read and that's very true- go by what you think of the instructor. Be prepared with your assessments and meds.

I am sure you'll do great! Just relax :)

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