For the last two weeks, as I was walking to my office in the hospital, I've passed by a clinical instructor and her students from a local university nursing program. She gathers them in a hallway that serves as a seating area for visitors.
this woman has, every time I've seen her, been literally ranting and raving at her gaggle of students. I've heard her call them stupid, lazy, slow-witted. Heard her practically yelling that they will never survive as a nurse. Seen her literally rip their care plans to shreds and toss it on the floor.
it is all I can do to not stop and put her in her place, but I'm pretty new at this hospital and am not sure how that'd go over.
Should I confront her about this behavior? Would there be a contact at the hospital that would deal with the college staff? Should I just mind my business? ****** me off to see this reprobate treating students like this.
Specializes in Peds, School Nurse, clinical instructor.
This definitely needs to be reported but I would not confront this instructor. I would however call the nursing school directly. As a clinical instructor myself, I would never tolerate this behavior.
Specializes in Med-Surg, , Home health, Education.
Maybe you should check with the nurse manager of the unit. Mention your observations and maybe she should do some investigating or sit in an inconspituous area to overhear some of the info you have heard?
I've been there. Nursing school wasn't a good experience for me. I have always think that these kind of instructors are just miserable people. They do not have a life outside the clinical site.
Let's not blame this instructor's behavior on "mental problems". Some people are just *******s.
I would "like" this a million times if I could. Inappropriate behavior and poor expression of thoughts and feelings is more than likely a result of personality and previously permitted behaviors. She has done this to other people before, I almost guarantee it. Dare I say, bully? Although it's really vertical violence because these are defenseless students at a lesser title than she.
Bortaz, thank goodness you have witnessed this and are willing to act. Hostile communication is a patient safety risk and JCAHO strongly frowns on it. This instructor is setting a horrible example. I would document factually, along with your coworker, and submit to the clinical liaison. There is a decent chance that the head of the school may already be receiving conplaints from students, and outside witnesses make it that much easier to get rid of "bad apple" instructors. Most schools will fire an evil instructor before they risk losing a very hard to obtain clinical site.
As others have said, if there is not a liaison, then contact the school directly. I would fire a faculty member for this, without hesitation or regret. Typed statements from two witnesses to abuse would seal that deal.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Were I to observe this behavior I would have NO PROBLEM stpping in. How she treats her students may not be my business. However her unprofessional behavior in a public area of my hospital certainly is.
I would pull her aside ONE time and explain that her behavior will not be tolerated in a public area of the hospital. If I observed the same behavior I would likely ask her to leave immediatly then head strait for the VP for patient care's office to explain. I have the kind of relationship with her that me walking in with a problem would not be unusual.
As an MSN student, I also practice at the bedside in a hospital, I would report this person immediately. The instructor is committing horizontal violence and should not be tolerated . Bullying is wrong no matter what the setting. I have been bullied in school (Associate program) to the point where my fellow students had been asking me "what have you done to p*** her off today?"
I have done a number of papers on horizontal violence, lateral violence, and bullying. This needs to stop and needs to stop now. It is no wonder why so many nurses leave the profession. Enough of developing a thick skin already! Constructive criticism is always welcome or should be when done with fairness and awareness of the other person but verbal dressing down and ripping up papers in hallways? Wow!
If we want our profession to be respected, we need to be respectful of each other.
I taught in 7 different nursing programs in my career -- from California, Oregon, Tennessee, and Georgia -- as we moved around the country. In none of those programs would the behavior described be acceptable. I would suggest that you and any other willing staff members document specific behaviors of this instructor in "nurses note" fashion -- date, time, setting, what was said, what was done, volume level indicators (clearly audible through an open door to a public hallway at a distance of approximately 20 feet type info), and who was present at the time. Do several observations/notes on different days. Consider recording an interaction or two from outside the room so that the information can be shared with the instructor's employer if necessary. I THINK, but am NOT sure, that because this is occurring in a public area of the hospital no privacy concerns exist in a legal sense. I may be totally wrong, however, and depending on the situation you might want to get advice from the hospital's risk management department before recording or before sharing the recording with the school involved.
Thank you for caring enough to consider trying to protect these future nurses from this creature that happens to look like a clinical instructor. She is either terribly incompetent (both as a nurse and as an instructor) or she endured that kind of abuse herself in her nursing program and thinks that it is the proper way to teach. In any case, she needs to be gone.
Ummm, yes absolutely tell someone. I am currently in RN school and I can only say please tell someone and if you look on the schools website in the nursing dept. you will find out who is in charge and send the complaint anonymously, so that way you tackle it without any repercussions. You would be doing those students a tremendous favor. School is difficult enough without a raving lunatic making life hell.
I agree with the above comments. This type of behavior should never be tolerated regardless of who is perpetrating it (instructor, co-worker, etc.). This is a prime example of bullying and this type of demeaning behavior should not be tolearted in the nursing profession. We are professionals and it sad when one who is hired to portray professionalism and teach professionalism to the next generation of nurses cannot be a professional herself. I would not only make the clinical liason or education departement aware of the situation but also inform the school of nursing (dean, director, clinical faculy chair, whomever) of this behavior. Be prepared to provide examples of the behavior. Keep us posted on what turns out!
. Bullying is wrong no matter what the setting. I have been bullied in school (Associate program) to the point where my fellow students had been asking me "what have you done to p*** her off today?"
bsyrn, ASN, RN
810 Posts
This definitely needs to be reported but I would not confront this instructor. I would however call the nursing school directly. As a clinical instructor myself, I would never tolerate this behavior.