Student nurse issues

nophun · Feb 9, 2007

I totally agree with you! Too many nursing instructors emotionally abuse their students because they can and because they love the power. I actually believe it makes them feel good to feel superior by making others feel bad. I've gotten mostly As in nursing school, am prepared for clinicals, work hard, and I have mostly just seen, but have experienced also exactly what you are describing.

I have never experienced this with other academic instructors in any educational program anywhere else. It is astounding and horrible. Why do so many instructors enjoy being bullies, intimidating students, and lowering confidence levels? Interesting behavior isn't it. Makes me understand the personality disorders we learned about in Mental Health. Sure doesn't help the nursing shortage does it?

Unfortunately, here there is no treatment for it other than end-of-semester instructor reviews which has not changed the situation evidently. Too hard to find instructors who are emotionally balanced? It makes me wonder what the work experience will be like? Is this how abused nurses (from doctors, patients, and other nurses) get their payback?

Now, I have also experienced a few excellent instructors, but they seem to be the minority.

Thanks for being a brave (minority) who is speaking out on a very common problem rarely addressed. I've spoken to other students in other colleges and they tell me of similar mistreatment of students. I'm actually rethinking my career path.

GardenDove · Feb 9, 2007

Thanks for being a brave (minority) who is speaking out on a very common problem rarely addressed.

Actually it's discussed frequently here. This site is so affirming. It makes people feel that they are not alone. There have been some hair curling stories I've read here that make my former wicked witch nursing instructors seem like a walk in the park.:Melody:

nophun · Feb 9, 2007

melody,

thanks for giving me that insight. as you can tell by my post, i have not taken the time (who has any) to read indepth other postings on this site. i needed the solace that i have found here before after a horrid experience last night. i believe all things happen for a reason and yes, i made a very stupid mistake as a new student nurse in a new experience but the teacher's response was horribly abusive and unprofessional. she has already been criticized by staff nurses for not preparing us. she has refused to demonstrate, to teach us, but rather just expects us to learn solely by reading. we read, of course, hundreds of pages each week... much time is wasted in class that could be used to mold us into great nurses of confidence.

she seems to need the adrenaline rush of hateful anger using her power with demonic rath. i don't use that phrasing lightly, i do it as an intelligent observer. personally, i believe she is insane... i also believe she has been emotionally abused (parents, doctors, other nurses, patients?) therefore is now teaching and has that need to hurt and destroy others ingrained with a resulting severe personality disorder. she has received countless bad reviews by past students. i was warned that she was crazy. the reviews to the administrators have had no impact. they don't care, it's just about the shortage of teachers and finances.

she should not be an instructor as i doubt at this point that i will actually ever work as a nurse. i will complete the years ahead of me, but i have no desire to ever be subjected to abuse. i don't need it, i'm young, and i'm not money driven (luckily).

therefore, i have rechanneled my future goals into areas with known higher levels of behavior among personnel and the world of nursing is losing one incredible person (top student even on previous clinicals) who has proven herself in other arenas and gone to the top in every employment situation.

but first, i will be taking political action because i am an action person and do not believe that because nursing students are abused by instructors that this behavior should continue or that it should just be ignored to "survive" or continue to allow it. thanks for your response and clueing me in!

LaceyRN · Feb 9, 2007

So far in my program I have been blessed with great instructors.. 5 of them to be exact and I am only in my first semester! I have 2 theory teachers, 2 lab instructors, and a therapeutic communication teacher that are fabulous! My clinical instructor is also one of my theory teachers. I have noticed though that in the lab during validations it is just the luck of the draw on who you get and there is a real stickler in there who likes to fail students... I saw her fail a student on hand washing!

JaxiaKiley · Feb 9, 2007

I don't understand why any teacher feels the need to exert their authority over their students. I wish there was some way to filter out people who misused their authority.

leesespieces · Feb 9, 2007

i thought my classmates and i were the only ones....now i know different!!! i think this is a horrible thing that is happening. the school i go to has the reputation in the area of being "brutal" compared to other nursing prgrams in the area. at first i liked that idea, i thought i'd come out better prepared and more knowledgeable as a new grad. but i hardly think that negative reinforcement and intimidation are effective teaching/learning tools to foster growth and a desire to succeed. there are some very good instructors at my school, don't get me wrong; and all of them are extremely intelligent, and i'm sure excellent nurses. but some are just lousy teachers. i have seen that just about each and every one of them usually picks out 1 or 2 students each clinical rotation and rides them harder than anyone else. now, yes, sometimes these are the students who come unprepared or just aren't catching on. but i have seen many a time where they pick on someone who is a good student, and it is just like nothing is ever good enough when it comes from that student. it seems like they do whatever they can to get that person to quit....and i've seen a lot of students drop because the intimidation and emotional abuse are too much. i agree that some are on some kind of power trip and they have to prove how smart they are and how dumb and inexpereinced we are. one teacher we had made an announcement at the beginning of the semester that personal stories and experiences during lecture were unwelcomed, yet she wasted a great portion of lecture stroking herself, telling us how many lives she saved, how many times she knew better than the physician, and how she had 20 yrs tele expereience and 25 in peds and 15 in ob, and 10 in the burn unit....which would make her how old????!!!!!!

now i find this apalling. nursing instructors of all people should know better. haven't we all been taught to always treat the psychosocial aspect of the patient..to use a holisitc approach. i would think that would carry over into they way we treat all people, i know it does for me. and i remember being taught in psych about anxiety. anyone who has surpassed mild anxiety is in an unteachable state. you would not attempt to do patient teaching with a pt who is anxious and scared....why would you with a student??

my school accepts 50 new nursing students each semester. on average 25 graduate. now the acceptance requirements are quite high so no one gets accepted who isn't smart. doesn't that say a little something???

now we all talk about this phenomenon...but what to do about it? i am as clueless as the next person. i know that most of us are afraid to open our mouths while we are still in the course....afraid that our chances of passing will take a sharp turn. i have a fellow student right now in my clinical group who wants to know if any of us will give statements that we saw her being treated unfairly...and as terrible as it sounds none of us want to risk being put in her position...we want to do whatever it takes to get out alive!!! see, our chain of command is to go to the clinical instructor first, then the lead teacher for the course, then the dept. chair.

all of you who are going through the same thing are in my prayers!!! keep at it....don't let anyone make you feel like you're not good enough!

i am so glad i have only 13 weeks left...........:smilecoffeecup:

bozkurt · Feb 10, 2007

Thank you so much taking you time and giving insight. Unfotunately many students accept intimidation by instructors as a normal act and say nothing about it. I have started this thread but I do not know what steps I should take. In my clinical group almost all of us so miserable. One student keeps crying and other spend weekend in bed sick from anxiety. Not because we are not prepared for clinical or lazy or stupid. These students are good, their test scores exellent, and their efforts during clinical deserve applause but no one is never good enough No matter what our instructor always finds something to make you fell like an idiot. So many things in nursing have been changed over the years. Nursing becoming a respected profession and nurses makes decent money but some things never changed that is the intimidation by instructors. Of course there are good ones but they are just a few. There should be some protocol or something preventing them bullying the tsudents. We are too scared because we think they will fail us.

rdop5388 · Feb 10, 2007

I am a former LVN student also. The money that I lost being in the program almost ruined me. At this point I don't know if I will ever go back. My grades were good also. But I have one of those instructors that abused everyone. I was dismissed at the end for not passing a skill checkoff. Stupid me kept listening to the other instructors say do it my way. Well she checked me off and didn't like the method. I was kicked out right before graduation. She also threatened to slap me. The sad thing there is not a thing to do about it. If you complained you will never get into another school. The dean isn't about to do anything about or the school itself. So sad. I think it is just a way to make money for the school. Let in fifty and graduate 20. WRONG SO WRONG.