What should I do about this Instructor?

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Ok, I really need advice. To keep this kinda short, I will give you the short version. One of my instructors was told by another student that I was making fun of her stuttering over words on the power points, and that I made comments about how I don't learn anything from her. I never did this, and I can prove it.

The last time this person started telling lies about me I started recording everything at school, even breaks. So my instructor told the DON of our program that she heard it herself. When I was called into the office the DON told me that that was unacceptable. I asked her if she would listen to my recording to prove that I didnt say anything. She said she would, so I went back to my classroom to get it.

The DON listened until she heard herself call me out of the room. She left to talk to the instructor, when she came back she said my instructor said it was just stuff said in the hallways. But the instructor originally said I said it in class and she heard it. So the DON asked for a couple days to get to the bottom of things, and I went back to the classroom.

When I got home I listened to the recording to try to get the lecture that I missed. My instructor is on the recording bashing me to the entire class. She told them that I shouldn't be a nurse, called me a rascist, (we are both white), and told them that I am going to get someone killed.

This rant went on for almost 10 minutes. Honestly I am very upset. I proved that I didnt say anything wrong. I have a 4.0 and study at least 5 hours a day. My clinical instructors have always given me excellant evals. Please, any advice would be helpful. Is it worth it to take this up with the DON, or will it just hurt me in my program.

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Your instructors' behavior is absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional. I've had an instructor like this who would always target me in class. I already had huge anxiety issues as it was. This specific instructor was also very unprofessional-told the class we were to stupid to go to a better school like Yale or Harvard. There were just tons of things she did that were jaw dropping. We brought this to the attention of the dean of the department and lets say she wasn't teaching the next couple of semesters.

I would personally take it to the DON and speak to her in private with out the teacher. Now you have to be worried about if she'll be grading your work in an unbiased manner or targeting you even more in different ways that may harm your education. A good DON would take care of the problem promptly. They need to remember that it is you who is paying them. Also, look in the student and teacher handbook to see if there is anything in there that addresses your situation.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Geriatric and Mental Heath.

Long story, but there is a point...

I had to take Spanish in college. My uncle died the day of the midterm so I took a bus home and missed the test.

I come back to school a week later. I go to speak to my professor about the midterm. he told me I couldn’t make it up and it didn’t matter that there was a death in my family.

next stop, dean of the foreign language dept. she told me "it's a shame when people die during midterms." I'M NOT JOKING! and then told me basically to suck it up and do "really well" on the final.

So I went to her boss (forgot what he was the dean of but he wasn’t the head of the school)

he basically chewed her up and spit her out and told her a death in the family is always a valid absence and arrangements must be made for students to make up an exam. then he told me to go back to her office with a note.

I went back to her, and you know what she said? "Wow. you're really persistent." needless to say, my Spanish professor hated me, and so did the dean, but I didn’t care. I was right.

I tell that story to say this,

I was wronged and refused to back down. BUT, I knew I would never have to deal with that professor again, so I felt like I had nothing to lose.

you may have something to lose if you pursue this. does your professor teach another class that you need to take? if she does, you may want to think about how your complaint may impact you later. if you never have to deal with your instructor again, id go to the DON and tell her everything. don’t back down!

she is obviously a jerk, and I would be LIVID if I were you. just make sure whatever decision you make, you don’t end up hurting yourself in the end. you have worked too hard to let some nasty woman ruin it all.

Sorry about this being SO long winded.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.

you may have something to lose if you pursue this. does your professor teach another class that you need to take? if she does, you may want to think about how your complaint may impact you later. if you never have to deal with your instructor again, id go to the DON and tell her everything. don’t back down!

I agree. We have an instructor in our program who was quite rude & disrespectful to us. She loved calling us cheaters, and weak. And that we wouldn't make it through nursing school! She also taught at a very prestigious university right down the street from our school, so maybe in her mind we were just complete imbeciles compared to the students at the other school. She would not discuss any of our test questions, and if we e-mailed her she would not respond, saying "I don't have time to respond to stupid stuff". We were all so scared to go & talk to someone about it, b/c she was our teacher for both Med-Surg I and Med-Surg II. When we were about halfway through Med-Surg II, and our morale's were at an all-time low, we finally decided to band together and file a grievance.

If you are in your final semester/quarter/etc before you finish the program, than I agree..pursue it. If not, I might just hold off. Don't make yourself a "target". The ones who did that at my school...well..things didn't end to well for them. I hate that it has to be that way, but unfortunately that is the nature of the beast:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Yes she is unprofessional.What to do? Drop it.Head down.Do your work.Graduate.You won't have to deal with them again.Don't let them get to you.

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I would take the recording to the dean (a copy of it) and if they do not do anything about it perhaps get a lawyer and file a civil tort against the instructor. What the instructor did is slander which is not only un professional but illegal.

The issue about stuttering is one that I would have actually brought up with the instructor to their face. I'm sorry but if someone is being paid for public speaking (which is a part of teaching) they should not have an impediment that effects their students ability to learn and should offer to make up for their weaknesses by providing additional learning material.

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I agree with what DarkLotus said but would reconsider if I knew that I had to face this instructor again. You are lucky to have the proof on tape. However, there are many ways this instructor can make it difficult or even impossible for you, both in and out of her own classroom. Think long and hard about your ability to stand up for yourself without repercussions. And distance yourself from the backstabbing classmate after you give her a piece of your mind, with a witness.

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So I took the recording to my DON who said that it would be handled. I told her that I would like an apology, which I think is getting off lightly. The instructor did apologise in class, but said that she went off because of what I had said. ( Which I didn't say anything) So it was not really an apology. I distanced myself from the back stabbing student 10 weeks ago, but that person just keeps spreading lies. I will continue to record everything, so that the next time this happens, I can clear myself again. ( I have no doubt that there will be a next time. ) Thank you for all your help, I would have liked to just drop the whole issue, but I know this has happened before and will happen again with this instructor. She needs to be let go, but you need a paper trail for that.

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Sorry you have to go through something like this. I hear Nursing School is hard enough without this, too. Keep your chin up.

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Ok, this is beyond the pale. No instructor should be permitted to abuse, alienate, discourage or harass students. Students after all are PAYING the instructor to provide them with skills, knowledge and critical thinking skills for future careers. If the DON did not put this instructor on administrative leave or fire, then I think you should file a complaint with the State Board of Nursing. Instructors think they can get away with it because we students are so afraid of getting fired. They are bullies and bullies need to be called on their behavior, which as one person said, is truly actionable legally.

I would ask the DON what specific disciplinary action was or is being taken and that you plan to file with the State BON if no action is taken. Could that result in problems for you at the school? Maybe. If so, that means all of them are not standing up to bullies. Perhaps it's time to transfer to a better school.

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Wow!!! Unbelievable. I am so sorry you are experiencing this.

I would be inclined to speak to a lawyer about this. What you have experienced is defamation of character and is a chargeable offense. You don't need to go this route but I think you should check out your options or at least scare the common sense back into this instructor and give her a badly needed life lesson by having a lawyer draft up a letter with a warning should an occurrence happen again or your marks are affected.

If your parents are supportive or your spouse (sorry, I don't know your age) I would get them involved. Also, have a third party unbiased school staff member sit in on all your future meetings with the DON, one on one with the instructor, etc. Your school should have someone like this on staff for this purpose. Often called a mediator.

This is very serious. Treat it as so. Don't hang your head down and be passive as another poster suggested. We as nurses need to tackle conflict head on in an assertive manner that is respectful to ourselves and others around us.

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