The most horrible things instuctor's say...

[CyndieRN2007]

What is the most horrible thing a nursing instructor has said to you as a student???

Here's some of mine...

"After reading your care plans I was wondering if someone had beaten you all with a STUPID stick"

Suck it up and put your "big girl panties" on!!

""From the looks of your exam scores I see that the nursing profession might be in danger!!"

[focker-male nurse]

that is horrible!

[focker-male nurse]

I have another on if I may..

A OB clinical instructor told one of our male students that men were stupid and shouldn't be allowed to become nurses. Needless to say, she was fired immediately.

[KJRN79]

I graduated from an ADN program and immediately took a job, working nights on med-surg and going to school part time for my BSN. I fractured a L-5 after working for about 9 months and was in some pain, but still functioning(not working, but ok walking/going to school). My psych instructor said "now that you have broken your back, I hope you don't plan to remain a nurse". That was um.....23 years ago....I always thought it was a stupid thing for her to say. I healed and I'm still nursing. :)

[allthingsbright]

I remember my asking my med/surg clinical instructor what she believes causes the nursing shortage. She just replied "You'll see".

OMG! Too funny...I bet we WILL see. Ugh. :uhoh21:

[nursekatie22, RN]

Good grief! Aren't teachers supposed to be supportive? The only negative things that got said to me were highly deserved:trout:. Once, one of my nursing teachers at my first school (see my "Why Did You Go Into Nursing?" post) said that maybe I'd want to keep doing my music instead of nursing or maybe come back to it later if it was something I wanted to do.

The other time was in my last semester, on a "med day" (something I'd never heard of before transfering to that school!) and I just flipped out. The instructor--an amazing RN!--was there asking me questions about all the drugs, etc and I was so nervous about that part of it that I wasn't doing anything else the way I normally would. He told me to "Cut the crap and pull it together because I wouldn't be helping anyone the way I was going" and things were better for the rest of the day.

The rest of your teachers, though, need to be horsewhipped!! Why the hell are people like that teachers at all??

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

I went to a private Christian University, and we had to wear these hideous uniforms, including dresses for the girls!!(this is '01-'05, mind you) One of the MD's on one of our clinical floors cracked a joke about our uniforms, which we al l laughed off, since we all knew they looked ridiculous. My instructors never could see why we all hated them......so one of my instructors (who I'm convinced was bipolar) told us: "don't worry, that doctor is going to hell, and he'll get what he deserves there for saying that.".......Oh my gosh!! what an juxtaposed view of Christianity! We all were speechless, and still talk about that to this day when we all get together.....

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Our whole class took the tests at the same time. We would get 2 hours, and then go over the test after. We were all waiting for the last student to finish the test when we saw the instructor walk over to her. She leaned over the student, got right in her face, and said, "It's been 2 hours and you're not done-are you retarded or something?"

[NeosynephRN]

Well we have one girl in our clinicals that the teacher constantly picked on...calling her dumb making these slight comments about her...really made me mad!! The worst was that in front of said student..the teacher made a comment about N---- rigging an IV...OK totally uncalled for no matter the circumstances..but she knew that this student has bi-racial children....oh I would have freaked out had i been in the room!!!!!

[Sarah, RNBScN]

Been on both sides of the fence.

Student:

In nursing school, I was fortunate not to have had bad instructors. I witnessed in conference, a classmate in tears when she did not come prepared. I thought the instructor should discuss this with the student later in private, and that did not happen. My nursing care plans which this instructor marked, who look like a Christmas tree with red and green ink all over. On one occassion she documented "Miss _______ since when did you become an MD." When I asked her why she wrote that, she told me "you need a nursing diagnosis, not a medical diagnosis".

Instructor:

It is not an easy role to say the least. I always remember that "I was a student ." There are students that I have taught that have called me to say thanks. I have had 2, that have verbally and disrepectfully talked about me as a professional that I am aware of and that is unjust and unfair. You see, when you have had 2 students come to your group already on probation and thus thin ice so to speak, when they fail clinical due to unsafe practices, below average knowledge base, they should not pass. In the students eyes, they are being picked on and noone will help them. This is not true and every individual needs & case vary. These 2 were dealt with and both are no longer in the program due to no fault but there own. Where I work, you have to have supportive documentation, referrals, meetings, etc...before anyone is removed from a program. They were in 2nd year of nursing when this occurred. You will have great students/instructors/nurses/ and other health disciplines and you will have bad ones. We all should strive to be the best and be helpful with all. We all have something to give and share. That's my view.

[nurse kitkat]

On clinicals at a rehab unit, my clinical instructer asked for a student volunteer to preform an an ECG on. I put up my hand up to volunteer. The instructor looked me up and down several times, marched up to me with narrowed eyes, and poked me in the chest with her finger several times. In front of the whole class she told me that she wouldn't be able to find my intercostal spaces because i was too fat. OMG i was mortified. i can laugh at it now because looking back my size was average for the class - 165bls, but this instructor was a small asian lady so to her i must have seemed huge. I wish i had of thought to ask her at the time if she only performed ECG's on skinny patients.

[SarasotaRN2b]

I would really like to hear more responses from the nurse educators on this forum.

What is to be gained by treating another human being so horribly just because one is in a supervisory position. This is just a general question out to anyone who cares to answer.

[bethin]

Instructor:

It is not an easy role to say the least. I always remember that "I was a student ." There are students that I have taught that have called me to say thanks. I have had 2, that have verbally and disrepectfully talked about me as a professional that I am aware of and that is unjust and unfair. You see, when you have had 2 students come to your group already on probation and thus thin ice so to speak, when they fail clinical due to unsafe practices, below average knowledge base, they should not pass. In the students eyes, they are being picked on and noone will help them. This is not true and every individual needs & case vary. These 2 were dealt with and both are no longer in the program due to no fault but there own. Where I work, you have to have supportive documentation, referrals, meetings, etc...before anyone is removed from a program. They were in 2nd year of nursing when this occurred. You will have great students/instructors/nurses/ and other health disciplines and you will have bad ones. We all should strive to be the best and be helpful with all. We all have something to give and share. That's my view.

I hope I have instructors like you.

The others, you are really scaring me. Is it worth it to be publicly humiliated?