Tips for really strict clinical instructor?

[Kiki<3]

Hi all, so today has been a particularly awful day. I am a second-semester nursing student in an accelerated program so I am in school all this summer.

This semester I have my Medsurge clinical at the veterans hospital and for some reason, it seems that all the instructors there are particularly strict. My CI is new, we are are her first group however, she trained under another VA clinical instructor who is also known for being tough.

Coming from a different hospital with a particularly nice CI for foundations who was not as strict on paperwork, I am shocked by the high expectations of my CI and what little time she expects me to have it all together and be proficient. I'm only now really understanding what she expects of us, and how nothing is going to be the same or similar to my previous clinical experience. However, I have only just learned all of this because she pulled me aside and with another instructor before clinical went over what was wrong with my paperwork. Then, she sent me home saying she didn't think my care plan was efficient enough to take care of my patient today.

I was so livid, this is only 2nd clinical day, but 1st clinical with medications. In my prior semester I'd never done preplanning the night before, just 45 min before the tradeoff. I'd never done med cards either. I honestly feel like it was a very harsh judgement to place on me considering my prior experience, but it's very hard to explain that since everyone in my group comes from different instructors (some of whom, also had higher expectations thus making those student's transition to our current instructor's expectations a lot easier). I feel like I have been placed at a disadvantage due to my school not having a set standard of expecations for each clinical group so we all end up with different baselines.

In the meeting I tried to explain myself, but it really seemed pointless because I still didn't have what was needed for that clincal day. I also felt intimidated by the other CI that my CI brought in with her. She was very stern with me, and I felt like she maybe had the impression that I was just lazy rather than misguided. It was so bad. I feel like such an idiot because I haven't grasped things as quickly as the others in my group.

Any tips for dealing with really strict instructors?

[AngelKissed857, BSN, RN]

I appreciate hearing this, because we are told it constantly.

[SweetPotatoes]

I just finished med surg and my instructor was like this. We actually had a student file a complaint, then leave the group, because she couldn't take it.

We had to go to the hospital the night before and spend time prepping. I hated it because other groups weren't worked as hard as we were. However, I wouldn't have traded it for the world. My instructor made me so upset sometimes and copped an attitude at times--but it was because she took her job seriously and wanted us to know as much as possible. doesn't mean she should have been so bristly at times but I understood why she was that way. And I did well with her in the end so I know I'll do well in my future clinicals. Good on you for vowing to step it up--you won't regret it!

[emmjayy, BSN, RN]

Is it not normal to go to the hospital the night before clinicals and prep? I was told that this is standard procedure for the program I'm starting in the fall

[Kuriin, BSN, RN]

Some schools don't do prelab the day before while others do it the day of. When you're in your capstone preceptorship, you don't hours to prelab...just the 30 or so minutes before the shift.

And as far as I am aware, accountability is held on the student / nurse supervising the student. This is not the clinical instructor.

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

I had an instructor like that. It was third semester and I left clinicals crying after the first day because she was so strict. I was scared of her at first but I learned more from her than any other clinical instructor. I actually requested to be put in her group the next semester.

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Is it not normal to go to the hospital the night before clinicals and prep? I was told that this is standard procedure for the program I'm starting in the fall

I believe this varies by school. There's a private school in our geographic area that utilizes this practice. In the RN program I'm attending, we don't find out about our patient(s) until just a few moments (moments to minutes) after clinicals start.

I prefer the method used by our school because clinicals are pass/fail, and this way we have more time to study for our classes. While that does put more pressure on us for clinical day, it also teaches us to be on our toes. After all, once you are a RN, it's not like you will go in the night before your shift to find out about what patient(s) you might have on your shift.

[dorkypanda]

If you're allowed to go the day before, do really good research. Take down important information about your patient and don't skimp out on their meds and there may be a lot. I had a clinical instructor who loved to ask about meds, if they had any procedures done, why was it done. did that help resolve the problem, etc. and she would routinely do like a check up during our time on clinical day. Step up your game and do extra research to connect the different pieces together. Even if you feel like you don't have it all together,show that you're confident and can put some parts together. As students we will be exposed to so many different clinical instructors who have their own style of doing clinicals, and you will get better at this.

[Barmherzigkeit]

I hope things are going much better now. Thank you for posting this comment. Hopefully many others who may be feeling the same way will realize they are not alone and will see the wisdom of the tough clinical instructors. I'll remember this thread when I start a BSN program next year! 🙂

[mdub1988]

I haven't started nursing school yet, but I do have a tip for dealing with very strict instructors.... when they pull you aside and give you a dressing down, listen respectfully. Do not make excuses or blame-shift. Accept responsibility. Ask, 'What can I do to be better/more effective in the future?' Listen carefully to their advice and implement it, which will prove you listened and that you care about improving. Anyone can be forgiven for a mistake or two at the beginning as long as it does not become a pattern of irresponsibility, laziness, etc. Willingness to learn and to put your learning into practice is what will get you places. Don't discount feedback just because it is strict/harsh or because someone else did it differently :)

Great advice. Especially if you don't want to be that nurse that the patient cannot stand.

[AliNajaCat]

I hope that later in the academic year the students who complain about how mean their instructors are and then complain about the COB's being mean too search out this thread and read the later comments from the OP and other students about how they learned the most when their professors had high expectations. That, ladies and gentlemen, is maturity.