Teacher accusation

[MilieuRN]

So I have a "situation" with my clinical instructor. This happened last week, and I have purposely waited until now to seek help because I was pretty upset by what had happened. I need some advice on how to handle this situation, as it is a very peculiar one.

For clinical we are to do prep work, as per usual med-surg or any other clinical. We were told that our assignments would be posted at a specific time the day before clinical. Knowing this information, I decided to go to the site to check over the paperwork that had been corrected, to have some time to evaluate my mistakes and reference my lab book and pathophys, which was about 90 mins before our assignments were to be posted. When I arrived I asked the instructor if I could get my graded paperwork, and she sent me to the back of the room, where she gestured, to go get it. I looked around for a moment, and found a folder sitting next to her bag. I did not find the graded paperwork inside, but did find the weekly evals. I heard her phone vibrate, and made a note to myself to let her know. I let her know that I only found the evals, but not the paperwork, so she and I return to the back of the room, where she picks up the same folder I had been looking in, and states that she hopes she didn't leave that paperwork at home. I mention to her that I heard her phone go off, and she passively acknowledges it, still looking around for the paperwork. It was on a different shelf, higher up and to the side, not in obvious view. She hands me my work, and I went back to where I was seated to look it over. After a few minutes, she asks if I would like to take room ****, and I say sure! I knew that at a certain time, I would be able to go and read my assignment, I had expected to wait for it patiently, so I was excited to be able to start my research early. The day progresses on, and at one point she has left the room to be with her clinical group. I remain there for a couple of hours, as other students filter in to prep. Finally, I am through with my research about my patient, and I go to find the instructor on the floor to clarify some things about the way I had done my paperwork, and I waited and stayed out of the way until I was sure she wasn't busy. (By the way, she did tell us we would be allowed to ask her questions during prep if she had time) We are having a normal conversation, and she tells me what she would like me to look up and learn. I tell her thank you and that I will go home to figure out what I need to.

This is where it gets bizarre. I am about to turn back to her, to give her a "Thanks, see you tomorrow" and she meets me with this strange look and these words "Ah, I don't appreciate you looking through my bag." Oh course, I am dumbfounded, and just look at her for a moment. I told her that I hadn't, with a questioning inflection. She held her death stare and insisted that I had, because that folder was inside of her bag. I explained that I had found the folder sitting next to her bag. She insisted that this folder was inside the bag and that the bag had been closed. And also that I knew her phone had rung. I was even more dumbfounded, and defended myself "I really did not touch your bag, and that folder was actually sitting next to your bag." Her response was to take a step back, and say "So" in the wierdest way... I said "I can assure you that I wouldn't touch anyone's things without permission" to which she again said "So"

I don't remember what else I said, because I was honestly quite shocked. I have NO idea what to make of this situation. If I were an instructor, I would not trust a student who I knew (for a fact) had been snooping in my bag, touching my things without permission, and looking at my phone. THIS is why I was rather upset.

Is it possible that she is trying to test my resolve? What if she really does believe that I am that kind of person, who snoops, disrespects privacy, and then apparently lies about it? I feel that some kind of intervention might be needed, I don't know, with another teacher or something, or other professional? At a later time, she accused me of smoking a cigarette on campus, because the elevator smelled like cigarettes and I had just helped bringing a discharged patient down to valet (which is pretty crazy, since it would make sense to ask valet whether a student was smoking on campus with a patient in a wheelchair rather than make accusations, AND there is no reason to think I smoke... which I don't...)

I would LOVE to hear from an instructor!! What course of action should I take? What if she really believes I am not a trustworthy and intrusive student? I fear my grade here is in jeopardy! I have already resolved to not be alone on the floor when possible, so that someone can vouch for me. And I'm sure there is probably some sort of permanent file, which I don't need misrepresentations of me residing in...

I would also LOVE to hear from another student that has been in a similar situation. Any and all help is much appreciated.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Kind of skimmed through this. Your instructor sounds a little disturbed... like she needs to create conflict...maybe whoever called upset her. She has no proof of any of this, so I dont see her accusations going anywhere. I would say speak with your advisor about this situation and see what he/she has to say.

[nursel56]

Is it possible that she is trying to test my resolve? What if she really does believe that I am that kind of person, who snoops, disrespects privacy, and then apparently lies about it? I feel that some kind of intervention might be needed, I don't know, with another teacher or something, or other professional?

I believe that setting someone up by accusing them of digging through their personal belongings and lying about it is not normal in the least, so I think you can rule that one out right away. As to the overall experience, I agree that is extremely concerning.

It's difficult to say exactly what course of action you should take, because there are factors that can change your appropriate response, such as how long this person has worked for your nursing program or anywhere as a Clinical Instructor, and what sort of personality she has ie is she paranoid with everyone or just you. Things like that.

I hope some of our nurses working in education will respond, but I wanted to say I am so sorry this has occurred and I don't believe it is something I would just brush off either.

You have a right to an education free of fear based on the suspicions of someone in a position to affect the quality of your learning environment as well as your grades. Hoping the others chime in and wish you the best possible outcome for all of this.

[Jules A, MSN]

I also just skimmed but if it is as you presented it she sounds rather odd. Hopefully she will let this drop. Moving forward I would be very wary of doing anything involving her that also doesn't have a witness.

[MilieuRN]

Thank you all for the feedback. I spoke to a school counselor, who is also a Doc with 25+ years of experience, so I would think his perspective will carry weight. He will be talking with the academic advisor regarding my course of action. I also spoke with the Nursing coach about the situation, and she suggested writing an email to the instructor copy Dean of Nursing so he has some idea of what is happening (which I am petrified to do, seeing as how well communication went the first time around). I will be meeting with the counselor on Friday, after clinical. He said that in the meantime, I should document any additional occurrences, and avoid being alone- as in having other students and hospital staff nearby whenever possible. I will continue to focus on my patients, of course.

I am still happy to receive any insight into this matter. This isn't the only issue I have had with her, but my OP is already painfully long. I am not the only one who notices her strange behavior. She makes odd comments in general, and is constantly nervously laughing.

I think the best thing at this point, since she seems dedicated to just believing what she wants, would be for me to go to a different clinical site, so this is what I'm hoping for. Or I could be in for a lesson in conflict resolution with a party that is unwilling. Time will tell.

[cupcakeluver]

I'm curious to see how this turns out OP. Keep us posted.

I think it's a good idea to avoid being alone with her. Having a witness around might just save your bacon.

Hope things work out.

[MilieuRN]

Update::

This clinical is now over. A few other things did happen that I feel shouldn't have, such as being passively being accused of smoking in the hospital elevator, as well the suggestion that I have ADD, and a statement indicating that she felt I would have problems managing 5-6 patients as an RN (I felt this was quite the assumption, as this statement was made after having only worked with me for 3-4 days, with contact compared to students she spent more time with).

These things had a negative impact on my clinical experience. The worst being that I then was leery of the instructor's judgement, not just regarding assessment of her students, but I feared of the patients as well. So... I would ask hospital staff (mostly RNs) questions that I would normally direct to an instructor. I would only ask questions when they had time (I asked first whether they had a minute, or if I could ask them some questions when they were free, and learned quite a lot without being a nuisance), and I got some excellent feedback and information in this way. When my questions were very basic, and more suited to be asked of an instructor, I refrained from asking them at all. Prior to this, I had asked my questions freely, and she did comment in my weekly feedback form that my questions were excellent and informed, and that she appreciated that I was asking them. (My basic knowledge and prep work were also adequate, as per her feedback). After the accusations and ADD comment, I felt she was unapproachable, therefore asked very minimal questions.

I felt that she also avoided me, or perhaps spent more time assisting her favored students, aside from meds.

Feedback from nurses, CNAs, patients and families were all very positive. I was safe, thorough, professional, knowledgeable, personable etc. I asked nurses for feedback on my performance, and they were happy to provide it. This did help me to be successful in my clinical learning experience. (Of course I did not tell them that I was having a "personality" conflict for lack of a better term, with the instructor)

Since my instructor was hardly ever with me and my patients, other nurses, families, etc, I feel that she was not able to assess my "student learning outcomes". During my review, she gave me several 4/5 scores. (Our scoring is 5/5, 4/5, 2/5 or 0/5, there is no 3/5 and 2/5 is a fail) When I asked her for feedback on what she would have liked to seen, or how she assesses her students for these criteria, she simply said she "Didn't see me meet the full criteria for 5/5"

I did not want to argue with my instructor. I know that as a student, I of course (like any student) need to continuously work at perfecting my practice. As a nurse, I will need to continuously work to be the best I can be. I don't feel that I am remotely close to being perfect, as a season and experienced nurse would be. I feel that this clinical was very successful, though, and that as a student, I did quite well.

However, of course she didn't see me work on my "student learning outcomes" because she spent almost no time with me. Despite this, I got a 90%, which for our school is still an A.

The two students she worked with the most bragged about their 98%. Another student, who I helped quite a bit and struggled more than I, got a 94%. She was and still is very uncomfortable with patients (as she told me), and lacked confidence and well as understanding of labs, pathophys, skills. I do not resent that her grade was higher than mine by any means, and I do think she will make a great nurse eventually. The instructor did spend a good deal of time with her as well, but I didn't have the same struggles she did. I put a ton of time into prepping, into reviewing how to do skills I knew I would need to perform on my patient, understanding the pathophys and the meds, into digging into the patient history, as well as spending a lot of time just talking with and learning from my patients, and really doing thorough and appropriate assessments.

In summary, I feel like this instructor had little faith in me due to her preconceptions. I just wish she had been willing to discuss our misunderstanding, as I feel that it led to her assumption that I would do something such as smoke in an elevator (I'm not even a smoker...), or that I have ADD. She was committed to her belief that I went through her personal belongings, which I feel led to other assumptions about my character and possibly intelligence, ability, mentality, etc., and not spending as much time with me.

After I graduate, I plan to write her a letter explaining how that misunderstanding impacted my learning, because perhaps she needs to make fewer assumptions and work on conflict resolution (I will of course be tactful and non-accusatory about it). I hate to think of this situation happening to another student.

Thank you for your comments and support, all of you who did so. I wish I had something more interesting to report.

[direw0lf, BSN]

I can't comprehend this influx of students here who think they know more than their instructors and constantly are concerned with other students when they should be worried only about themselves.

In the real world when you're an RN you'll need to learn how to get along with other team members whether they like you or not, whether they're better than you or not, and you are still expected to do your job up to standards.

I get asked how do I get A's. I'm not the smartest person in class and I'm not always confident. I tell them: I do my work and don't worry about what other people are doing, I write or draw everything I need to understand, I act as if noone dislikes me, and I smile at everyone.

I'm really not trying to put anyone down but seriously this would be to your benefit to suck it up! I'm the only one who thanked my clinical teacher at the end of this semester. Most people didn't like her. Guess what? When I told her I was looking for a job in the hospital and what shift and location I wanted she took out her phone right there and then and texted someone in HR who called me that day. It pays to be nice to everyone even if they're falsely judging you.

[MilieuRN]

I sincerely do not believe I know more than my instructor, and I'm not entirely sure what part of my post implies that I do? Regarding her judgement of the situation of being committed to the notion that I was rifling through her things and her unwillingness to accept that perhaps I had actually not done this, is where I began to wonder about her judgement, and then when she commented that that she thought that I had perhaps been smoking in the elevator. (These are both very, very odd things to accuse a student of, no?)

The reason I mentioned this student's grade as being significant is only because of how much help I had been giving her. There were many skills she did not know how to initiate, or terminology she wasn't familiar with, etc. She actually has told me that she wishes she could be more like me, in the sense that I sit down and study something until I understand it, and that I have confidence when I walk into a room, etc. I'm -not- saying I'm awesome. I do bust my butt to learn what I need to learn, and I am always open to improving and learning and being corrected when needed.

I was nice to every person I encountered at the hospital. Even the grumpy doctor who is known for being hard on nurses and especially students. Despite the fact that I was frustrated with the misunderstanding I had with my instructor, I did actually thank her at the end. During clinical, we did make small talk, and I was polite and cordial with her. Never once was I rude, abrupt or dismissive. I was however paranoid at all times following the incidences I spoke about, that something similar would happen again (because of what happened, I was on edge because I felt she expected for me to behave inappropriately.) The group of us got her a nice card, in which I wrote "Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us, see you next year" or something to that effect. We chipped in $5 each for a gift card for her. She sent an email to each of us, thanking us for a "great semester of clinical", and that the card and gift meant a lot to her.

I hope that clears up my disposition. In my posting I included only "negative data" because this was my issue. When she did provide help, it was good help. Clean demonstrations and thorough explanations, extremely knowledgeable. But this was only when she made herself available, which was far less for me than for certain other students. I point out other student's grades to illustrate what I feel was favoritism and I only know about their grades because they kept carrying on about it, not because I asked or was even interested before they brought it up.

I do agree, it is important to be nice to everyone, even those who seem to dislike you or seem to misjudge you. (I am, actually) And grade-wise, I do need to suck it up when I receive a grade that I feel is unfair. I think I have. The entire premise for my post is the false accusation issue, which I feel shouldn't even be a thing for a student to have to deal with. I don't think she is a horrible instructor, but it isn't ok to accuse a student of doing things like this, especially without proof or probable cause.

[ixchel]

I can't comprehend this influx of students here who think they know more than their instructors and constantly are concerned with other students when they should be worried only about themselves.

The comments regarding other students' grades may fit what you are commenting to, but otherwise I see no part of OP's story that indicates she feels that she knows more than her instructor. Perhaps rereading her posts in their entirety will change your perspective.

What I gather here is a student concerned for her security in her program. Being accused of anything by an instructor is scary. It's even scarier when the accusations are unfounded, and it's frankly rude and hurtful to accuse someone of having a learning disability/mental illness/neurobiological disorder.

OP, I'm glad this resolved without consequence to you. Looking at others' grades and assessing yourself against them will not serve you well. It's possible their grades and yours are legit, in spite of your conclusions. Remember there are multiple areas of performance rated. And honestly, as much as nursing students forget, an A is an A.

Good luck on your upcoming semesters.

[MilieuRN]

Thank you for the wish of good luck, and indeed I should not concern myself with the grades of others. I was glad for the other student's grades, but it is true that I compared mine to theirs. I (still) have to remind myself that nursing school uses a very different method of grading than any sciences I have taken previously, where the percentage directly correlates to comprehension and competence. An A is an A!! I am starting to get used to this concept :)

[direw0lf, BSN]

I did go back and reread the original post. True that one shows nothing about thinking she knows more than the teacher. Also OP I wasn't just thinking about you with that comment I made, I'm sorry. It was your latest post before I wrote mine, about how you believe your grade should have been higher than another students.

A few things did confuse me though but maybe it's just me and I'm not questioning you. I just think some handling it differently would have worked to your advantage better. Like for example when she said your score didn't meet the 5/5 criteria did you ask "what did I miss?" I don't think I'd see that as arguing at all. You said you didn't want to be around her anymore really so why would she spend more time with you if you weren't asking her help, you know?

You said you didn't have the same struggles that another student had but you weren't with that student when the teacher was so you can't make any judgement about how well she performed imo no matter what she confides in you at another time.

But my feelings might be a little biased. Some students in my class have accused anyone of cheating who gets higher grades than them. At first I was caught up then I saw what was going on, false accusations. You didn't accuse anyone of cheating. It was just influencing how I thought about your own situation though.

I think though when I put my personal experiences aside that maybe jumping to wanting to switch clinical sites over your teacher saying not to go through her bags and asking if you smoked on a smelly elevator was kind of rash and there were better ways to handle that, and definately, comparing yourself with others and their grades should be out. Sorry if I sound mean, that was just my opinion, I feel like we students have to be the ones to concede sometimes even if we're not guilty.