how to report a teacher to the BRN?

[scibruin]

On a clinical day my instructor patted me down and searched me looking for my cell phone, which she found, yelled at me for a while then sent me home. I feel violated and humiliated. I want to know my rights as a student and her rights as an instructor (whether or not she can touch or search me). I would like to bring this to the attention of the BRN but don't know how. Any ideas how to handle this?? i've been so distraught over this here i am at 1 am thinking about it when i should be sleeping!!

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

Once the student was caught, the instructor simply could have asked the student to surrender her phone ( even though she was patted down to find it ) or face getting removed from clinicals for the day and receive a zero for that day or something. There are several other ways to handle this then what was presented......ASSUMING what the OP is saying is the whole story, which it generally isnt in cases like this.

Exactly. I don't understand why this concept is hard to understand. Their were other (non physical) ways this should have been handled. If it did happen as the poster said it did.

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

Actually no, I didn't say that. I said they treat people like children BECAUSE people insist on acting like children. That doesn't justify it at all. It simply answered a question asked by another member.

The relevance of you saying you'd like to hear the other side is that even you doubt that the story is entirely accurate. So, white knighting for the OP isn't really high on most members' priority list. Keeping her from making a bigger behind of herself is.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

Actually no, I didn't say that. I said they treat people like children BECAUSE people insist on acting like children. That doesn't justify it at all. It simply answered a question asked by another member.

The relevance of you saying you'd like to hear the other side is that even you doubt that the story is entirely accurate. So, white knighting for the OP isn't really high on most members' priority list. Keeping her from making a bigger behind of herself is.

"And some STUDENTS act like they are still IN high school, violating very simple rules that have been laid out for them. And we expect them to follow much more complicated rules in just a few months as nurses. So, do I blame teachers for treating students who act like children as children? Not really. Does it make it legal? Maybe not."

To me this reads as trying to justify the actions of the instructor if that happend.

As far as your last part, maybe you shouldn't speak for most posters unless they asked you to. Whether I believe the story is fully true or not is irrelevant. The ONLY point I have made numerous times is that the physicality of it IF it happened was NOT ok. It's that simple. I am sorry you are having such a hard time understanding that.

I am not someone to let myself get personally violated because I am to fearful of what might happen if I speak out. Been there, done that and learned from it. But hey, that's just me.

We can agree to disagree or you can continue arguing amongst yourself. I have been very clear on my points and opinions. I did not give the poster advice on what to do or who to go to. If she felt personally violated and physically violated she might not feel ok going to the instructor, her next step could be her adviser maybe. I don't know her schools chain of command. Only she can decide to handle this in whatever way she feels comfortable.

[Jolie, BSN]

I shake my head when I read posts where students or employees are all gung-hu to report an instructor, supervisor or co-worker to the BON without having exhausted every other mean of resolution first.

If we believe the OP's story to be completely accurate, what we have is a situation where an instructor, utterly exasperated with the OP's repeated violation of school policy and insubordination, used poor judgement and made physical contact with said student.

If the OP truly believes that to be grounds for reporting to the BON, then s/he should welcome a similar response the first time she makes an error in judgement as a student or professional nurse. Of course, that has already happened, as evidenced by the repeated carrying of a cell phone on the clinical unit.

Note to students and employees: The Golden Rule applies. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Don't repeatedly ingore your instructor/supervisor. Don't report someone to the BON (and potentially mess with their license and livelihood) over trivial matters that should be resolved with a sincere apology in a private office. It's not how you want to be treated.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I shake my head when I read posts where students or employees are all gung-hu to report an instructor, supervisor or co-worker to the BON without having exhausted every other mean of resolution first.

If we believe the OP's story to be completely accurate, what we have is a situation where an instructor, utterly exasperated with the OP's repeated violation of school policy and insubordination, used poor judgement and made physical contact with said student.

If the OP truly believes that to be grounds for reporting to the BON, then s/he should welcome a similar response the first time she makes an error in judgement as a student or professional nurse. Of course, that has already happened, as evidenced by the repeated carrying of a cell phone on the clinical unit.

Note to students and employees: The Golden Rule applies. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Don't repeatedly ingore your instructor/supervisor. Don't report someone to the BON (and potentially mess with their license and livelihood) over trivial matters that should be resolved with a sincere apology in a private office. It's not how you want to be treated.

I agree with this, proper channels should be followed. If I ever have any problems I first bring them up with the person at hand, if that doesn't go anywhere then I go from there.

Students in my class wanted to petition to have a teacher removed, wanted to go straight to the head up person that oversaw the entire nursing program. I was very appalled by this (and told them this) and gave the teacher a heads up that there were problems people were having, he asked me if I knew some of the problems the students had and I told him what I had heard, I never gave student names but I didn't think this was a bad teacher or an unreasonable teacher and felt the problem more so laid with the students. But I let him no the issues the students were having. HE HAD NO IDEA, he tweaked a few things in the way he lectured and problem solved.

The students should have approached him first instead of being so gung ho to petition to have him removed from the program. This was an instructor that had been working for our program almost as long as it had been running.

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

"And some STUDENTS act like they are still IN high school, violating very simple rules that have been laid out for them. And we expect them to follow much more complicated rules in just a few months as nurses. So, do I blame teachers for treating students who act like children as children? Not really. Does it make it legal? Maybe not."

To me this reads as trying to justify the actions of the instructor if that happens.

As far as your last part, maybe you shouldn't speak for most posters unless they asked you to. Whether I believe the story is fully true or not is irrelevant. The ONLY point I have made numerous times is that the physicality of it IF it happened was NOT ok. It's that simple. I am sorry you are having such a hard time understanding that.

We can agree to disagree or you can continue arguing amongst yourself. I have been very clear on my points and opinions. I did not give the poster advice on what to do. Only they can decide to handle this in whatever way they feel comfortable.

You are the one who is arguing a non-issue, so if you wish to continue, no one is stopping you. And I am speaking for no one, merely interpreting 4 pages of comments that actually answer the question that was asked and don't go off on an irrelevant tangent where in some imaginary world, someone here believes that a student should have hands put on them in order to enforce a rule.

[Sendana]

You are the one who is arguing a non-issue, so if you wish to continue, no one is stopping you. And I am speaking for no one, merely interpreting 4 pages of comments that actually answer the question that was asked and don't go off on an irrelevant tangent where in some imaginary world, someone here believes that a student should have hands put on them in order to enforce a rule.

Except that the first couple of pages of the thread are full of "You totally deserved it" posts, as well as "When will these kids bow down and surrender to the AUTHORITAH of nursing instructors" posts.

I've read every comment of yours in this thread and not once have you made a substantive point. You are engaging in an eristic because, I don't know, you think it's cool to argue on the Internet.

The issues that have been discussed are germane to original issue. If you'd like, you can go back and read my first post, which says nothing about the BRN and focuses on how inappropriate it is for a clinical instructor to pat down a student. I'm sorry if you don't think that's topical. You'll also notice that I said that a clinical instructor can dismiss a student for the day for cause, without even bothering to engage in a search.

But, anyway, if you actually have an argument of some sort, feel free to make it. It'd be better than the screeching you've been doing.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

One point I'd like to make -- it doesn't sound like the CI actually lifted the student's top, exposing her body underneath (at least, that's not the way I read it).

If you "pat someone down" you can feel and find objects that are "under" the clothes without actually putting your hands underneath the clothes. (Do you put your hands INSIDE a patient's abdomen when you palpate? Or can you feel things in there through their skin?) Just because the CI found the phone in a hip holster "under the lab coat and scrubs" doesn't mean that the CI's hands were underneath the lab coat and scrubs.

And I personally find the discussion of "battery" inane and insane -- but that's just me and my fed-up-ness of dealing with everyone thinking that they can sue someone for getting their feelings hurt. Which would the OP have preferred -- the phone being found via pat-down and life going on, or getting dismissed from the program for BLATANT disregard for the rules???

[greenfiremajick]

If we believe the OP's story to be completely accurate, what we have is a situation where an instructor, utterly exasperated with the OP's repeated violation of school policy and insubordination, used poor judgement and made physical contact with said student..

And if you (subjectively, not JUST you) think about it, the OP somewhere made the comment that the instructor did it while laughing, etc. This means she most likely felt intimate (no, not in a sexual way) enough with the student to be allowed to do so. This immediately sent up flags to me, in regards to whether or not the student has allowed/encouraged this level of intimacy and why she felt she could get away with bringing her phone on the 2nd day after she had been caught the first day....Because she thought she could get away with it and was all butt hurt when she found she couldn't because she was shown that she couldn't use her relationship with the CI as a way to do what she wanted? Do you follow my thoughts here?

[labrador4122, RN]

Let me write this from a different perspective. I'm a licensing board member that receives a complaint from a nursing student. The student is upset because her RN instructor patted her down during clinicals. The purpose of the patting down was to locate an object that the student shouldn't have, that the student knows she shouldn't have - an object capable of violating patient confidentiality.

The student is apparently incapable of following a very simple rule. This student wishes to have patient lives entrusted to her in a mere matter of years, or even months.

I'd be more interested to know the student's name, not the teacher.

Wait.... I understand if the cell phone was ringing, or she was taking a picture--- that violates the patient confidentiality.

But touching-- patting down-- a person, a nursing student, is not something that a teacher should do, that is battery by an authority figure that obviously makes the OP uncomfortable.

I would definitely report that teacher, and also get statements from witnesses if there were any. Go to your board of nursing website, and search from there. because by telling it to the dean, won't do anything, they protect their own...

[labrador4122, RN]

In my nursing school we were not allowed to have cellphones as well, therefore I always left mine in my car, or in my bag that was left in the lounge, and of course it was off.

If a teacher suspected there was a cell phone in hand they would ask for it, and it was returned at the end of clinical.

No one was body searched, or patted down. That is so uncomfortable! I would never want my teacher, the one that gives me grades, and I see in lecture and in clinicals touching my scrubs.

[labrador4122, RN]

tread carefully, the school will back the instructor and you will be the villain.

my wife experienced this first hand and it almost cost her degree. she was assaulted (had a book thrown at her) by one instructor while being screamed at, then later was entrapped in a bathroom with the doorway blocked and experienced round two of the beratement.

in the end my wife had to apologize to the instructor in order to stay in the program. this all happened 1 month before graduation, we learned that the school will protect their own.

unless you have witnesses (that are not students) and perhaps a police report you are going to be the bad guy.

very true, very true, the program will protect their own nursing instructors but never advocate for the students. that is messed up. nursing school is a jungle. i would not encourage my daughter to become a nurse.