Things you would LOVE to say to your nursing instructors...

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If you could have an open, honest conversation with your instructors - classroom or clinical - what would you tell them?

Here are some of my thoughts:

(1) Please make sure that everyone follows the rules & meets the requirements. Don't let some students make their own rules while others work hard to follow every rule! While there are always times exceptions must be made, the same students are often getting away with everything.

(2) When I'm in clinical, please just step back and allow me to do the task I have to do. Don't stand over me asking questions! Your running commentary makes me a nervous wreck. As long as I'm doing my task correctly, observe & keep quiet! If I do something wrong, please explain it to me and give my another opportunity to prove I can do it.

(3) Please ensure your expectations are clear and consistant. If you want our weekly patient write-ups a certain way, tell us. Don't change your expectations without letting us know!! The bottom line: most of us are working so hard to do our best! Tell us what you want from us and we'll always do what we can to get a good grade!

Staff note: Also, don't miss the Things you would love to say to your fellow nursing students! thread

Specializes in Emergency.

1. Thankyou for admitting that its been years since you were in hospital, and that you too are unsure/nervous and need to consult the textbook/policy.

2. Just because you have a PhD in a very specific (and unrelated) area of nursing, does not make you the God of all things nursing.

3. Stop hovering over me, and looking over shoulder with everything I do. It only makes me more nervous, and more likely to screw up.

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Specializes in NICU/L&D, Hospice.

To my 1st semester Fundamentals teachers (had 2), "Thank you for only teaching 1st semester. See ya!"

To my 1st semester Lab & Clinical instructor (had the same teacher for both): "Thank you for believing in me, trusting me, complimenting me and writing me a letter of recommendation for a hospital nurse apprentice position that said that I am one of those students that only comes along every 5-6 years and writing specific things that I accomplished (and you remembered).

I will never forget you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And one last thing, Why do you only teach 1st semester?"

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Specializes in Family.
If you could have an open, honest conversation with your instructors - classroom or clinical - what would you tell them?

Here are some of my thoughts:

(1) Please make sure that everyone follows the rules & meets the requirements. Don't let some students make their own rules while others work hard to follow every rule! While there are always times exceptions must be made, the same students are often getting away with everything.

Amen! I have a classmate who uses her cellphone at clinical in front of the instructor and nothing is ever said! It isn't break time either.

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Specializes in Peds.

To my instructors:

1. To two special instructors, you were awesome! You told me what was going to be on the test and it actually was. You were fair, honest, and still caring. I learned so much.

2. To all other instructors, you lied about the test and what the "real world" of nursing is like. I'm finding most of what you taught me very unhelpful. But thanks.

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Specializes in Onc/Hem, School/Community.

Please quit letting people consistently arrive late to exams. The noise is distracting and they bump everyone with their backbacks while trying to get to their seats. Seriously, about 10 people in our class are wearing ear plugs during exams now.

Please remember that I've only seen this procedure in a book and practiced on a mannequin, so be patient with me when a have a real person trusting me to do it correctly and I proceed slowly and carefully.

Oh, you might want to hang out in the bathrooms after an exam. Some people go in there, whip out their cell phones, and let the next exam group know what is on the test. (I hate cheating.) :nono:

Mrs. P, I want to thank you so much for being so kind and patient with me when I did my first straight cath and spilled urine everywhere. :uhoh3:

Mrs. T, I want to thank you for complimenting me on things I did incorrectly and needed to improve on, but also complimenting things I did right. A compliment goes along way when you're a student. ;)

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Specializes in Home Health.

To my Clincal instructor-

Thanks for not being the evil 3 headed monster that eats 1st semester nursing students for breakfast. Thanks for the cookies you bought our group the first day...it really meant more to us than just satisfying our hunger.

To my Fundamentals instructor-

Please don't take our questions about test items as challenges to your intelligence, we were just trying to learn from our mistakes. It's ok to be wrong sometimes...just learn to admit it.

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to my med-surg instructor:

1. learn to do math

2. i can read notes just fine on my own, if all you are going to do is read from your notes, i'm not wasting my time coming to your lecture

to my clinical instructor:

you are my hero! thank you so much for creating a positive learning environment, encouraging us, always offering help, and admitting when you don't know something. i hope to be half as cool a nurse as you someday!

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.

1. dont read out of the freaking book! i learned how to read in kindergarten, you know. reading 160 pages to me is only going to put me to bed. explain it or tell us to read it at home.

2. dont ask me to come up to the board to show YOU how to calculate a nipride drip! you are the instructor. i am not here to teach. just because i am a medic doesnt mean i want to do your job.

3. if you are going to give extra credit to the whiny girl with 5 kids who stays at home all day and can tell me about who was on dr. phil which i cant watch because im at work, doesnt pay a dime for school but brags about buying steak with her food stamps while i have easy mac every day of the week, then give it to all of us. some people are actually paying for their education and working hard for it, too.

4. dont give me a test you couldnt answer yourself. if you are reading the answers and cant pronounce the words, my guess is you didnt make the test and probably wouldnt have passed it either.

5. dont make us do silly 1st grade projects! singing a song about vitamin absoption is not helping me remember it. its making me think you're dumb and wasting my time.

6. dont ask me to bring in supplies for my job for the freshman skills lab. the school doesnt need to have accrediation if you cant afford a box of gloves.

7. dont tell us dead people dont bleed and then rip off their bandages postmortem and tell me to clean it up when they bleed all over the sheets!

8. just because you have a phD doesnt mean you're not an idiot. book smarts does not make you people smart.

i have not had a very good experience in nursing school thus far. :(

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1. "Diagnoses" is only a 4 syllable word - you don't sound like someone about to get her doctorate when you say, "diagnosuhsees."

2. (different instructor) When you don't have your own stethoscope and borrow someone else's, and then complain that it doesn't work, you might want to first double check that you have the earpieces in facing the right direction!

3. When you "disagree with the textbook," it might be nice if you would mention your own opinion in lecture so those of us who actually read the book wouldn't miss exam questions as a result...

3. Other than that, thank you so much! While I have been challenged, I haven't had anyone yet who was unfair or picked on me, and so far I have all As!!

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

For the love of God, please PROOFREAD whatever you give us! Or at the very least, run a spell-check on it.

I know what you give us is supposed to be in English, but to be honest...with all these misspellings and typos and misplaced words, we're never really sure.

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To my Psych, Gero, and Pharm instructors thank you so much for being so understanding and supportive of us. Without you're support I don't think we would have made it through the semester.

To my Adult Health II instructors: Thanks for making this semester a complete nightmare. If you really don't feel like teaching this class, then maybe you both should quit instead of coming to class and saying "I don't feel like teaching/talking today, why don't you guys tell me what you know". What's the point of coming to class if you're not going to teach us? Thanks for making us spend hours on end working on 10 page study guides that you assure us in class will be what the majority of the test is on, only for it NOT to be. 10% of the test is what's on the study guide and the other 90% is on completely new material. (And you wondered why 90% of the class was failing at midterm) Thanks for personally telling my academic counselor that I didn't have a shot in hell at passing this course, yet I passed with flying colors. I am so thankful to be finished with the 2 of you.

To my clinical instructor: Practice what you preach. Just like you're constantly telling us to be on our Ps and Qs and be professional at all times, you need to do the same. It would have been nice to get through post-conference without constantly being interrupted because you have to take a PERSONAL phone call. We don't want to hear about who's picking up the beer and the kids and what time to meet you at the pool (yes she actually talked on the phone in front us about these things).

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To two of my clinical instructors: Stop mocking or quoting or making me explain my journal entries in front of my clinical groups in post-conference. Nothing in my journal entries is even close to the truth anymore because you don't have the maturity or professionalism to be confidential about what I write. You told us journal entries were confidential and a safe place to write our thoughts, and you lied. I have no respect for you.

To 4 of my 5 theory instructors for semesters 3 and 4: I will be a better nurse because of all of you. Words cannot express how greatful I am for what you've taught me. Thank you very, very much.

To Daytonite: You have no idea how much I learned from your posts. My whole outlook of the nursing process and care plans has changed because of you, and I feel I'm a better nurse because of you, as well. Your knowledge of nursing is impressive, and I thank you for sharing your words of wisdom.

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