Should I be upset? Or am I making a big deal out of nothing?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Mental Health, OB, Geriatric clinicals.

I'm sorry if I sound like a complainer but I'm so fed up!

Why is it that so many nursing instructors treat their students as if they are children? I will be graduating in spring 09 and I'm almost done with school but I am just so fed up. Here's why:

Today in class we broke up into groups and the teacher individually asked us questions. (This is a college class) When someone would answer a question incorrectly, the teacher would actually LAUGH at them and make snide comments that indicated that they were stupid! I was so mad at her by the end of the class. (She didn't direct the laughter at me, but I'm mad out of principle.) Does that really promote learning?? I don't think so. I want to write her a letter telling her how unprofessional her actions were but we have a test coming up so I may wait till after the test.

It is a second year nursing class so its obvious that no one made it that far by being stupid. In college for teaching, do they teach them to be dictators? Or to treat their students like children, regardless of their age?

Am I just making a big deal out of nothing? I'm just so fed up with the way the 2nd year staff has done things and this I think was the last straw.

Should I just shut up and suck it up and go on?:banghead:

I really do try not to have a bad attitude because I really do like nursing and I am having a great time in clinical. But this is just bugging me....

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

Sad to say, but there is a teacher like that in every nursing school. I recently worked with a WONDERFUL stna who was in ns. She had a problem with a professor and complained. Next thing you know she was called to the dean's office for unprofessional behavior. She asked me what she should do and I will tell you the same thing I told her:

Keep your head down, shut up and don't rock the boat. This witch can and will flunk you. Just remember how you felt and never do that to another person.

Now, when you actually have your degree and deal with people like this my advice is completely different.:rolleyes:

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Specializes in Mental Health, OB, Geriatric clinicals.

thats kind of what I figured what I would have to do... :( I'd rather stand up and rock the boat...heck, flip the boat over!

but how can she flunk me? Especially if i keep my grades up?

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.
but how can she flunk me? Especially if i keep my grades up?

They can find ways. When I was in nursing school they let one guy all the way through to the last semester when an instructor took a disliking to him. He flunked his clinical with her. (Don't know the reason given.) Last I heard, they hadn't readmitted him.

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Specializes in Mental Health, OB, Geriatric clinicals.

oohhh that burns me up! I just have a really strong sense of justice...I can't stand it when people get away with things like that just because they have a degree that says they are allowed to teach (doesnt mean they are good teachers). I just hate not being able to do anything about it. Fortunately I have an adjunct faculty member as my clinical instructor so she can't flunk me there!

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It's hard to actually understand what motivated your teacher's actions, but I think if I were in your place, I'd be upset, too. Your instructor may be inexperienced in dealing with students, and may not know how to deal with students who don't know the answers. The skills that make one a good nurse don't always translate to the classroom. I suggest that you not write the instructor a letter at this time. Save it for the course evaluation and then try to state your concerns objectively, but with restraint. Course evaluations are read by administrators as well as faculty.

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Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.
Should I just shut up and suck it up and go on?

Yes you should. You will likely have the opportunity to evaluate this instructor at some point, and you can cite your complaints then. Telling your instructor that she doesnt teach correctly will probably not effect any change other than to possibly make your path a little more difficult. Good luck...:)

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Specializes in ER.

I was 31 years old when I attended LPN school. I HATED my instructor. She would humiliate us on a daily basis. She would laugh at questions we asked and sneer when when we answered her questions wrong. She would belittle us in front of patients and our peers. We had to strip down to our undies and give each other bed baths while she watched and made comments about our physical flaws. If she asked you a question and you answered, she would berate you and make you question every cell in your body even if you knew your answer was right. I had daily panic attacks on the way to clinicals. I was FURIOUS that I was actually PAYING to take this abuse.

Fast forward to 5 years later: I LOVE this woman and owe her so much!! I'm an ER nurse and I can hang with the best of the RNs. When I need to advocate for my patient, I can stand toe to toe with the meanest, nastiest surgeon and stick up for my patient. I LEARNED in nursing school. I had to learn to be able to stand up to Mrs. Allen and be confident in my answers. If I could tell her what adverse reactions a drug has or demonstrate a skill in front of her, I could do it in front of the Surgeon General with confidence and accuracy!!

And the daily humiliation does more than make you mad. It teaches you empathy. It teaches you to put yourself in the patient's shoes. It taught me to respect my patients and preserve as much dignity as possible when doing procedures. And trust me, when another nurse goes in to do something and has a naked patient layed out for all the world to see, I do understand why she did the things to us she did.

Were her methods extreme? Heck yes! Were they effective? Beyond the shadow of a doubt! I owe this woman SO very much for turning me into an empathetic, compassionate, competent professional, I will never forget her. She was amazing. Would I choose to go to a school where this kind of behavior was prohibited if I had to do it again? No way! I wouldn't be the nurse I am, if Mrs. Allen hadn't put me in the patients' place day after day.

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Specializes in Mental Health, OB, Geriatric clinicals.

I suppose the best justice is being determined to never be like them. I appreciate how you turned a bad situation into a learning experience. Whether your teacher knew she was helping you or not, who knows. But at least you didn't let it make you bitter.

I want to be resolved to treat others (especially my patients) as I would like to be treated.

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Specializes in Mental Health, OB, Geriatric clinicals.

when do we get to evaluate them? We never got the chance to evaluate our 1st year instructors...

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Hmmm.... It seems to me that end of semester course evaluation is pretty standard in any college course. Does anyone else have experience to the contrary?

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Specializes in Mental Health, OB, Geriatric clinicals.

Thats how its been with every other class except for one other one. Is it the forgetfulness of the teacher or do they not require it if the teacher has been teaching there many years?

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