What should I do - Abusive Instructor

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 31, 2017

Is that really how you think academia works? Say something, no one listens, now I'm the enemy for speaking up?
My answer was based on life experience not just of me, but of many others. Many nursing schools have bad instructors and it's effectively handled via the chain of command

And what, exactly, made you believe that there was a bad instructor in the situation?

Yep, Me · Mar 31, 2017

Abusive, intolerant nursing instructors were the norm when I went to school years ago. Yes, a long time, since I'm nearly ready to retire. A few of the instructors were openly hostile to us. Some would scream, throw things, call us names, etc. Guess what?!: that is illegal now. Hostile work environment will get your program fined or your employer fined in a New York Minute. You know what I think?: good thing & a long time coming!!! Yes, nursing school is hard!!! It's tough to do because we have people's lives in our hands as we care for our patients. Guess whose other lives we have in our hands: our coworkers! CNAs, LPNs, other RNs, other professionals from EMTs, doctors, labs, radiology, social services, the loving families of our patients. Also the unloving families of our patients. We are all in this together. There is no place for abuse anymore! & it's about time!!! You are paying a lot of money to become a nurse. You deserve your money's worth. One can be taught without being abused by anyone. IMHO: anyone who says differently should reexamine why the want to take care of people, because you will be taking care of everyone & if you can't take care of your coworkers in a professional manner, maybe another job will be a better fit. An abusive person is not looking for a career. They are looking for more victims & hostages.

tcvnurse, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2017

When you say 'harass' what do you mean by that? Like, "What does metoprolol do when you give it to a patient?" or, "Why would I want to know the potassium before I give the lasix?" or "Have you washed your hands?"

From what I've read you haven't given any specific complains of what makes your CI 'evil'. (Sorry- that is so over the top I can't even.)

If you spent more time on doing what your instructor wants you to do, and less on 'woe is me' you'd probably have less of a problem.

PANYNP · Apr 1, 2017

Dinosaur here.

Many (or most) of us have war stories from nursing school about difficult or mean or perfectionist instructors.

Mine was a pediatrics instructor who selected a different student each week to be on her #%$@ list. It was inevitable; we heard about it from the upper year students, and knew we had only to wait our turn.

My Waterloo came one dismal afternoon when I received a 6-year old patient who was post-op appy and the unit secretary refused to let me see the post-op orders because she wanted to take them off before my instructor and I disappeared with the chart.

Needless to say, I had *no* idea of what IV should be running at what rate, IVAB, VS, dressing changes, nothing. I only knew, from class and lab, to get VS and peripheral pulses, do a GCS, check the dressing, and implement safety measures.

When my instructor noticed that this patient had returned from the OR and discovered that I didn't have the order sheet, she became so enraged that she grabbed my stethoscope from around my neck and slammed it on a counter, causing it to disintegrate into about 5 pieces. While she screeched at me, in front of the family, I was busy picking up pieces of my stethoscope and trying to put it back together while paying attention to what she was saying.

Mind you, I was a little bit "older" (age 25) than the typical student at that time and already had a college degree in another discipline. I was relatively confident in both my student skills and my clinical prep, so her hissy fit did not have the same effect on me as it did on some of my student peers.

It occurred to me that this instructor, though high-strung, demanded that we students provide top-notch care for these patients because that was the care to which they were entitled.

As other posters have noted, although it can be difficult not to personalize or internalize what we perceive to be hurtful words or actions from an instructor, nursing school *is* tough; the first couple years in practice can be rough, and that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

With all love and respect, when a question such as yours is posed to a group of seasoned nurses, it's not terribly likely that you will come away with 100% fuzzy kittens and warm cuddles. That doesn't mean that your question lacks value or that we don't understand. We've been there too, and we've survived. You can, too.

Best of luck!

Barmherzigkeit · Apr 1, 2017

OP, I understand how you feel, but try not to take the instructor's criticism personally. They are not directing it at you, but rather at a behavior. Still, respect needs to come from both sides and neither a student or an instructor should be rude.

With regard to going to the dean, I've worked for three college deans and have seen many unhappy students. If you plan to take your concern to the dean, they will expect you to have tried to work it out with the instructor first. You'd be surprised how many instructors will listen to you if you just make an appointment and talk to them about how you feel in a professional and respectful manner. Don't get emotional, and take notes with you so you can provide one or two specific examples: you don't want the instructor to feel you are beating them up, but rather are just bringing something to their attention.

Start out with something nice to say about them: I'm enjoying your class and really liked it when you taught us about (blank), and then say "but I need to talk with you about a concern" (refer to the specific example in your notes) because it made me feel (embarrassed). I know correction is important, but I'd appreciate having it addressed privately next time." Maybe she will agree with you and will appreciate you bringing it to her rather than going over her head.

If that doesn't work, consult the Ombudsman's office at your university. They have trained people who will objectively help you arbitrate this problem. If you have documentation (notes or email with specific behaviors or actions on specific dates/times/locations) of trying to work this out with the instructor, the Ombudsman's office can arrange for you, the instructor, and an Ombudsman's representative to sit down together and discuss both sides of the issue: yours and your instructors, and help each person see the others point of view as well as offer advice on how to resolve the problem.

If that doesn't work, and you've carefully documented everything, then it is time to ask for an appointment with the department chair, and if that still doesn't resolve the issue, ask for an appointment with dean and bring all your careful documentation of everything. Good luck to you.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Apr 2, 2017

Op not sure how to help other than, just deal with it. It's their rules. Going to the dean won't help because you need solid evidence. If the only evidence is you don't like how you being treated, welcome to nursing. In fact the Dean probably had a hand in hiring this instructor, they could be friends, who knows. Think about it , what nursing school would want a reputation of being easy? None! they all want to be tough to boost enrollment, to ensure success etc. In the real world their will be patients and doctors treating you 10 times worse than your instructor. Hey I've had an instructor who was about to fail me for being 1 minute late. We had another instructor who was constantly failing half the class. The class sent in complaints to the Dean, even had the nursing coordinator for the campus help us, nothing came of it.. But we all got together and pulled through it. I can say years later I appreciate the toughness of nursing school cause out here its a lot worse to deal with. Withdrawing wont help because then you will have to explain why you quit that school and the new one will conclude that you just not ready to be a nurse.. Just do what they want to the T, relax and study hard, keep low to avoid being a target and pass nursing school.

AmantesDelSol · Apr 3, 2017

Complaining about an instructor will make the rest of your time at that school even worse. The instructors and admins all talk to each other. You will be labeled as a trouble maker and every professor and clinical instructor after this one will put a target on you. If your chief complaint is that she gets mad when you don't do things her way, you are in for a rude awakening. All of your instructors want things done their way. After school, your employer will want things done things their way. You do not have enough experience to see the big picture of why things are done a certain way. Chances are there is a reason for it.

lnd4me · Apr 3, 2017

OP, I want you to know that you are not alone, and that many of us have been in your shoes and had clinical instructors that have had unreasonable expectations. However, many conflicts can be resolved by trying to understand the other person's point of view. I had a preceptor who would ask questions on material that we hadn't yet covered and I would feel stupid for not knowing the answer. However, I just made sure that I took notes and had the answer on the next clinical day so that hopefully she would see that I was making the effort to learn. Later, she mentions that what she looks for are students who don't just say "I don't know" but rather, "I do not have the answer right now, but I will look it up." Once I understood her perspective, things became a lot easier. There may be a method to her madness. You have not yet provided enough details for me to advise you on your current situation. If your instructor is screaming at you, calling you names, physically smacking or pushing you, or throwing things in anger, yes, I would advise going up the chain of command. If, however, she is simply strictly enforcing the rules or there is the possibility of a personality conflict, or you just don't know how to do what she wants, I would suggest talking with your instructor. The way in which you address it is extremely important. Instead of attacking your instructor, getting defensive, or saying anything at all about favoritism, I have found that acknowledging that you are struggling and asking for help, advice, or clarification as well as clearly stating your desire to learn and willingness to put in the effort to do so is usually very effective. Rather than saying "you were mean for yelling at me for having my hair down last Thursday" instead say "I really feel like I am struggling in this clinical, and I really want to learn and be the best nurse I can be. Can you explain why there is a rule that my hair must be up at all times? I would like to understand why this is so important." This will give the opportunity for open conversation, and instead of your instructor feeling criticized and becoming defensive (remember, this is her livelihood and she also wants positive reviews and to feel like she is doing a good job), she will have the opportunity to teach you and share her experience (like how she has seen long hair dragging across a MRSA-infected wound during a dressing change or gotten all sterile to put in a foley only to have her hair fall down in her face). She may be strict because she wants to help produce successful nurses, and may welcome the opportunity to help you learn and appreciate your maturity in asking for help.

Flowerg777 · Apr 7, 2017

Just do your,best , go by the book