Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
This thing about "mean" instructors/professors in nursing school always gets me!
Those of us who attended a NP say up until about the 1980's or so more likely than not had members of the department that were ex-military and may have saw action (WWII, Korean, Vietnam) and often didn't suffer fools gladly. Even those not from the services may have had a tendency to run on the (female dog) nurse side of things, but there was a good method to their maddness.
Life is tough, nursing is tough and the one thing first and foremost is patient safety. If one was a chucklehead or seemed not to be giving 100% of herself, then perhaps they ( and future patients) are better off if cut out of nursing school, rather than go on and perhaps harm someone.
Nursing school wasn't exactly a cake walk back in the day, and the board exams certianly weren't. Two days of pencil and paper exams, no caculator, no computers, and one had to be on point.
It is funny that aside from the clique, beautiful and a few other common questions, the main bulk are about inability of a student or new nurse to complete required tasks.
Again, not picking on anyone, and the thread was meant to be light hearted but, if one has struggled with math all through school, and couldn't divide or multiply fractions, much less do long division if one's life depended upon it, just what is going to make nursing math any easier? Also if one does not follow through, like people, able to get on, change courses in mid-stream and so on, just where do these students think they are going to practice as nurses?
I'm all for reassuring and giving comfort to student or new nurse in need,but as one former instructor put it, one has to see that there is something "there".
I don't know about anyone else, but if the best someone could do in med dose calc was an average grade of 75% (which translates into a one in four error rate), or had to repeat a course or two more than once, and still couldn't do better than the said grade, I'm not sure I'd want you coming at me or mine.
I am not of the "Silent Generation" but I had instructors that were MILITARY from that generation and they didn't suffer fools gladly. And honestly, because they were so hard on me--and I learned so much-- I have adopted their way.
If you read my posts, I do not suffer fools gladly. I try not to be so blunt, but the whining and annoying ,"wah wah wah" gets to me.
If you cannot handle the most important tasks of being a nurse, and can't do math, DO NOT COME AROUND--your self-esteem will be in the trash.
I do not expect everyone to be like me, but I sure as heck expect you to be tough and THINK.
That's the problem with nursing schools, they are only looking at it from the $$$ point of view, but are not realizing that their "churning" out students--well, hospitals are a lot more discerning about their new nurses--so new pre-nursing students need to realize, you have to be ON YOUR GAME from here on....
i suspect that mean nursing instructors are like mean preceptors and bosses -- if you're always screwing up, they're everywhere. but if you're basically doing a good job (as defined by the bosses, preceptors and instructors and not by you and your peers who may not recognize a good job if it bit you on the nether regions) mean instructors, preceptors and bosses are not so prevalent.
wow, could i relate to this!
in nsg school, i had a senior instructor throughout the program.
she and i always got along, and was thankful i wasn't one of her victims.
well.
one day in an icu rotation, i had a pt that had a ton of drains, lines, tubes.
my face must have turned 10 shades of white, because my instructor caught this look and pounced on my out of nowhere.
from that day on, she continued to razz me, question me, intimidate me, bully me.
from that day on, i got nothing but the most complicated, sick pts and boy, would she hover and grill me.
this went on for around 6 months, and one day while nearing a breakdown, i got an inch from her face and whispered, "back off lady".
she dragged me in a private area, and shared with me, that one time that i showed fear on my face, she had to teach me a "lesson"...
which was, no matter what/who you encounter for a pt....
do not let them see you sweat.
...to always act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't.
after that, she cut me slack and resumed treating me like her pet again.
but those 6 months were hell.
and from that day, up til this day...i never let them see me sweat.
I'm in school (hence the name), I am taking "baby steps" but am looking ahead to Bridge to RN. I should add ACTIVELY looking ahead at bridge programs...keeping my average at a solid 94%...I hear some of these same questions from my classmates. Either you are dedicated or your NOT! I recvd a text this morning from a classmate asking what days are clinicals! clinicals was spelled clineckles....ummmm huh? Read your schedule! I've been approached with requests to "take a look at your homework", which I always say NO to. One of them said to me "I dont have time to study bcuz I have to work and I have to take care of my baby." Is that MY responsibility? I am a mom as well, I was a mom PRIOR to school as well, I have to pay bills and take care of my son as well.....BUT I MAKE TIME TO DO MY WORK. I don't understand why people start something then fault others when problems arise.
I'm in school (hence the name), I am taking "baby steps" but am looking ahead to Bridge to RN. I should add ACTIVELY looking ahead at bridge programs...keeping my average at a solid 94%...I hear some of these same questions from my classmates. Either you are dedicated or your NOT! I recvd a text this morning from a classmate asking what days are clinicals! clinicals was spelled clineckles....ummmm huh? Read your schedule! I've been approached with requests to "take a look at your homework", which I always say NO to. One of them said to me "I dont have time to study bcuz I have to work and I have to take care of my baby." Is that MY responsibility? I am a mom as well, I was a mom PRIOR to school as well, I have to pay bills and take care of my son as well.....BUT I MAKE TIME TO DO MY WORK. I don't understand why people start something then fault others when problems arise.
I'm an allied health field student, not a nursing student, but I couldn't agree more! Funny how I'm a mother of a preschooler, have a spouse who works wacky and long hours, and I'm severely physically disabled to boot (studying or testing while I'm in the middle of a wildly painful flareup just plain s****), but I manage to be at the top of my class anyway. You don't have to be a perfect student, but for heaven's sake, don't waste my time, the prof's time, and everyone else's time by messing around and not being dedicated! If you don't have time to do the work well, then go away until you do. If you don't have the willpower to do the work well, then please just go away, period.
However, I'm still a bit of a softhearted schmuck, so I will help with homework from time to time. If the person doesn't bother to thank me afterward, I don't ever help him/her again. Ditto for someone who tries to get me to do the assignment rather than just help with it a bit.
Funny thread I can remember being a student nurse and having to clean up a pt who was 'soiled' from head to toe! I worked with my preceptor cleaning the pt up I must have pulled my face I hadnt really noticed but later I was taken into the office and told off! I never pulled my face again LOL
my biggest pet peeve of all tho, when they don't like the answers they are getting so the go to another board and duplicate post with the addendum of "the other board was just so mean to me" it's the same site, do they really think we won't notice?
Wait...there are other nursing boards other than AN?
Thank you so much for the very humourous and inspiring post!
I am am currently working full time and going to school full time and will be starting my nursing program in January. I will be quitting my long time IT career to go back to nursing school at 41. I have definately wondered on more than one occasion why some folks are going to school because they seem to come up with many excuses not to be there or don't care to study. I find it curious why someone would pay good money to go to school and put forth little or no effort to receive mediocre grades.
Well-where shall I start. I would looove to be a nurse-but unfortunately where I live there are slim opportunities for graduate nurses. I have been out of school for a year now and am getting a little tired of hearing that i don't have enough experience. okay what exactly did I go to school for and how can someone gain experience as a nurse without someone giving them a opportunity to prove themselves. I sacrificed a lot to finish nursing school.I worked 32hr a week on night shifts, went to school all day, while taking care of two kids, a husband and household on 2-3 hrs sleep most days. And now that i have my license-i even tried to get tech positions even though it's like going backwards and of course i'm over qualified. thankfully, i never quit my part time job at a grocery store when i graduated. Sorry to vent it's just very frustrating. A few of my fellow graduates have even moved to other states just to secure employment. Unfortunately i can't afford that option right now. Any suggestions?
My alltime fav, I hear it at work, not so often on here... I am a 1st semester ADN student, why should I have to follow the LPN at the nursing home- after all, she is only a LPN!!!!! (the 1st semester ADN students here are learning CNA duties!!!)
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i noticed a rash of those "i'm sooooo pretty and the other nurses are soooo mean to me *hair flip* they are just jealous and it's not fair *pout*"
care plans are useless, why do i have to do a long form when the computer charts do it for me?
my biggest pet peeve of all tho, when they don't like the answers they are getting so the go to another board and duplicate post with the addendum of "the other board was just so mean to me" it's the same site, do they really think we won't notice?
personally, i think that anyone who complains that others are 'mean' to them has a lot of growing up to do!
PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN
2,211 Posts
I am not of the "Silent Generation" but I had instructors that were MILITARY from that generation and they didn't suffer fools gladly. And honestly, because they were so hard on me--and I learned so much-- I have adopted their way.
If you read my posts, I do not suffer fools gladly. I try not to be so blunt, but the whining and annoying ,"wah wah wah" gets to me.
If you cannot handle the most important tasks of being a nurse, and can't do math, DO NOT COME AROUND--your self-esteem will be in the trash.
I do not expect everyone to be like me, but I sure as heck expect you to be tough and THINK.
That's the problem with nursing schools, they are only looking at it from the $$$ point of view, but are not realizing that their "churning" out students--well, hospitals are a lot more discerning about their new nurses--so new pre-nursing students need to realize, you have to be ON YOUR GAME from here on....