I have been placed at a hospital with ANOTHER tough clinical instructor - I haven't met her yet, but apparently she does it military style. My previous instructor was quite hard too, and although i learned a lot and worked my butt off to impress & please her, I found the semester VERY stressful. Grrr... i'm on an acute surgical ward this time.
Right now, i'm in my 2nd year, 5th semester out of 10.
Can anyone offer me advice on how to deal with this? I get stressed out really easily and seem to work less well when someone is YELLING at me.
I had a nursing instructor (for lecture class only) who was, I think, mentally ill. Fortunately, for me, I was luck enough to have another instructor for hospital rotation and only had to deal with this nut in class. She would make fun of people in class and make all kinds of wierd statements. She also would put questions on the tests that she had not discussed and when approached about it, stated that she definitely had presented this material in class. I listened to her and was polite and did pretty good on her tests and she seemed to leave me alone. But, my dear friend and several others in this class were threatened with failing, called names, and often made to look foolish in class--and a couple of them did better than I did on the tests. We had heard from previous classmates that they had complained about her for years and no one would do anything about her.
I think my advice would be to learn your material well, be prompt to class, particpate in class, and be nice. Good Luck to you.
:angryfire so sorry to hear. While I am truly not trying to discourage you usually a reputation of a nursing instructor has a good basis, coming from other students who have been thru the experience of "serving" under this instructor. Yet again, so many people are in the instructor's psotion for the power and control trips they get of it. what a shame what a shame.... yes you can read between the lines I am still bitter about what I have been through, and is sounds similar to what has happened to you.
Please don't show fear, that is the worst you can do... poeple like that prey on your fear rather than teach, instruct, support and guide. Get whatever support from your classmates, friends anybody else and show you are in control, don't get intimidated. Yes you can do it, no it is not fair nurses with serious personallity issues are hired as nursing instructors and are given the daily opportunities to terorrize students. If it was a job you have a choice of quitting, as a student you don't. You are greater than this, you have done this before and faced a bad, controlling instructor - you will do it again :redbeathe Best of luck, think positively and you will make it!
I feel your pain. One of my clinical instructors WAS a Captain in the Army yuks...she didn't have any kind of bedside manners, whatsoever....My advise:
1). Dress exactly like your dress code states for you too. Including pulling your hair back or just making sure your hair does not swing in your face. (she actually took old fashioned bobby pins and pinned mine back...so embarrassed..but...
2. Jump in and ask questions...anything...even if it sounds stupid..it probably is...they think we are stupid any way, but will let her know your interest.
3. Let her win...if you do something wrong, ask her to explain to you because "you are really really interested" (which we are anyway, but you know a little extra attention to your situation and concern for your situation...would help)
4. I could go on and on and on....but the best best thing I can tell you..is NEVER Let THEM SEE YOU SWEAT IT...Review your procedure if you have to perform in front of her, if you mess up, be interested enough to ask HER for help..but try try try try, to play the stress part off...be confident..if you need to cry...wait until she is out of your presence....not everyone is kind...good luck grl...
Specializes in Critical Care, Management, Education.
Relax. I AM a clinical instructor. I do set the bar high, and start off being "tougher" than I expect to have to be. That way, when a student proves that they are PREPARED and COMMUNICATE with me, the staff and the patient, I, too, can relax and back off. I am always available to help through whatever comes up.....p.s. we hear stuff about students, too, and I LOVE to prove them wrong!
"I'm not sure of the right answer for your question. Give me a moment to do some checking and I'll be right back with the answer!"
then check it out with staff, charge, textbooks, policies, etc. and come back to the patient with the answers!
Haze
(old nurse)
Given the situation that is the correct thing to do, but shouldn't you have done that before going into the room? How do you know if there are contraindications, incompatabilities, or special instructions?
My point was that there is a reason clinical instructors throw up barriers and ask questions. My first night working as an extern I got the third degree from a patient for every med and every thing I did. I did find out in the morning she was an old nurse, and I passed her test. But she wasn't the only one to question what I was giving them or doing to them, it happens daily ... and should happen more often IMO.
Too often we get too busy, too distracted, and/or comfortable and we go on to autopilot becoming task oriented and not looking for or seeing the big picture.
Specializes in ICU, L&D, ER, Urgent Care, ICP, OP.
You are probably not going to like my response. One day you will look back and thank her. Nursing is not for wimps. You will have people yelling at you all your career. Doctors, patients and patient's families. You must learn to tune out the uproar and concentrate on what you know and what you need to do. You are there for the patient. You will make the difference between life and death.
I can say that because I use to be you. I had a very hard time with confrontation, being assertive, not getting my feelings hurt if someone yelled. I won't say I am "cured", but I have been a Nurse for 40 years. I was an Army Nurse in VietNam working in Casualty Recieving. I have worked ER, ICU and L&D. I am now working Nursing Infomatics helping doctors convert their practices to Electronic Health Records. I get yelled at almost daily. I constantly hear "how can you be so calm?" I just recognize that they are the ones with the problem and I am just doing what I need to do to insure good patient care. Like I have for the last 40 years. My team and I get together later and discuss what children they are with their temper tantrums. That helps.
Good luck. We need good nurses to carry the torch. Remind yourself that she is trying, in the only way she knows, to make sure you learn what you need to know to take care of the patient. That is an awesome responsibility, for both of you.
Specializes in Emergency Dept., Critical Care Transport.
Dear Backhill360,
Reading your thread brought me back many years to when I first started my nursing education --- 1981 to be exact. I was 33 years old --- married since I was 19 years old --- and in the process of raising two children (in other words -- I wasn't a kid anymore) However, the clinical instructors were so rough on all the students there were many days I felt like I was still in elementary school and I was being scolded by my mother. Also, like you, I never responded well to being yelled at. There were a lot of students that failed "clinical" that first semester because they were not able to function under that increased pressure. Although at the time I couldn't see the reason why the instructors were so rough on the students --- it became apparent when I started to work as an RN. The instructors are trying to prepare students to be able think and act quickly in a crisis and also to be able to do this in the midst of chaos, which many times is the case. Nurses don't work in a vacumn --- there are many things going on at the same time (phones are ringing, Monitors are alarming, IV Pumps are beeping, patients and family members are yelling, physicians are becoming impatient, other staff members are calling for help ---- and many times this is all happening before you've even finished taking report at the beginning of your shift).
You are well past your first semester ---- so, you've obviously shown your instructors that you have the commitment and the skills to carry you through to the successful completion of your Nursing Education. All the different personalities and teaching styles of your instructors are all part of your education. Use these experiences to your benefit and realize that none of it is a personal attack against you. I wish you much happiness and success in your career --- in a way I kind of envy you --- just starting out ---- 1981 was 28 years ago. I Love Nursing today just as much as I did back then and that is my hope for you.
The clinical instructors described so far have too many antisocial qualities and personal needs. Yelling and intolerance have no place in learning. Stress inhibits understanding and retention.
I'm so sorry that so many of you had to put up with this. I know that there is a need for instructors, but martinets don't fill the bill. Please write the administrators of your program about this behavior, and mark it "confidential". Do feel sorry for them, and realize that they are more uncomfortable than you are.
It can be helpful when you start with an instructor, to ask what specific things they expect from you. Then try to fulfil their wishes, unless they're too far out. You do have to meet them more than half way, if they're reasonable, by researching the diseases of the patients you've been assigned, and know the desirable and adverse effects of their meds.
Even though you'd like the patient to know what you're about, find out what their concerns are, first. Instill confidence in you when you can, and for heavens sake get your instructor to help you with tasks the first time you do them. When assisting with ADLs, please don't toss a towel at the patient and leave them to it. Ask what else they need/want. Like a shower cap.....
When you're about to leave, do say good-bye. You said hello, didn't you? Can you tell that I was recently hospitalized and had a student nurse care for me?
I just finished a year with a clinical instructor that was very biased with her students. She liked the very young female students and didn't get along with anyone her age, or older (which I was). She even requested that several students about her age, not be in her classes before classes started. I guess she didn't know I was older than her. On my final evaluation, she made up lies, trying to fail me. I was shocked that she would be so unprofessional. Does she really think that only young female students have a right to be RNs? It's sad that clinical instructors like this exist.
Can you prove any of her comments on your eval were lies? If so, go for it, and get that instructor out of everybody's hair! All she's teaching, is that the world isn't appropriate, fair, or honest!
Were you able to get a passing grade? If not, you'll need to get others who were maligned by her, to write up their experiences and prove them, too.
This is not directed at the OP, but I have to say, I am always amazed at student perceptions of what is fair and what is not, and what makes an instructor "tough". I lay out all my expectations in black and white in the syllabus, and every year, at least one student is angry that I enforce a policy that is in black and white. For example, I don't allow people to come late into exams, as it disrupts the others who were on time. Students who choose to come late have points deducted and must take the test in another room under direct instructor supervision. Yet, a student just this year came late, with a Starbucks cup and Burger King bag (!), then was angry when I wouldn't allow her in, and even agrier to receive the deduction. NO you can't show up 15 minutes late, then walk in to the testing room, dig around, sigh loudly, and bother everyone else slurping your drink and eating your food! Just like you won't be able to show up 15 minutes late to your job on a regular basis and expect to still have a job.
The huge majority of my students are wonderful, professional, and motivated. They work hard in my course and in my clinical. I am proud of them. However, to the few who think I am there to be their pal and not their professor: respect is earned. I show up on time, ready to teach and answer questions, with a professional attitude. I expect the same. I meet and do my best to exceed expectations, and I am not satisfied with mediocrity. I want the best performance from my students. NCLEX is a minimum standards exam. I don't want the nurse who just gets by and just meets standards. I want the nurse who performs to his or her best ability. Does everyone have a bad day? Of course! I am sensitive to this. But overall, I want to inspire and motivate my students to excel, to find out what they are truly capable of, and to keep pushing them to be their best.
I find that some take readily to being challenged, others are scared, and still others resist it. I try to repeatedly tell the students that I am not trying to fail them, and that I ask so many questions to get them to deepen their knowledge. If we don't know, as instructors, the limits of a student's knowledge, how can we ever hope to increase it? Some students need more help and clarification, others are ready to move beyond basics. Students are individuals and need individualized instruction. I don't think it's appropriate at all to EVER yell at a student in front of peers. All feedback should be done in private. This isn't just a good idea, it's the law. Just like HIPAA limits disclosure of identifiable health information, FERPA regulates the disclosure of a student's educational information.
If that makes me tough, I can live with that. It's funny, every year on evals you tend to get some that say you are evil incarnate and others that say you are the best thing since sliced bread. The truth, I find, is somewhere in between.
BoomerRN
63 Posts
I had a nursing instructor (for lecture class only) who was, I think, mentally ill. Fortunately, for me, I was luck enough to have another instructor for hospital rotation and only had to deal with this nut in class. She would make fun of people in class and make all kinds of wierd statements. She also would put questions on the tests that she had not discussed and when approached about it, stated that she definitely had presented this material in class. I listened to her and was polite and did pretty good on her tests and she seemed to leave me alone. But, my dear friend and several others in this class were threatened with failing, called names, and often made to look foolish in class--and a couple of them did better than I did on the tests. We had heard from previous classmates that they had complained about her for years and no one would do anything about her.
I think my advice would be to learn your material well, be prompt to class, particpate in class, and be nice. Good Luck to you.