I was told once that I should be "evaluated by another clinical instructor..." Knowing whom she meant, an ogre with a reputation for "getting rid of the dead wood," and I didn't want anyone thinking my wood was dead, I declined. Long story short, I've been a nurse for 24 years, little thanks to them.
I'm not entirely sure what this means, but it's making me giggle uncontrollably for some reason! (I swear I'm not a 12-year-old.)
Specializes in CNA 8 yrs LPN 6 geri, chemical dependency.
I haven't been active on here in ages. Absolutely had to make a new account when I saw this thread. Best-"Your greatest strength is your compassion and that's not something I can teach you."
Worst-"Are you even thinking?" Sure was, mostly about how I'd successfully have that abusive bully of a clinical instructor successfully fired within days :)
My very first clinical instructor was so horrible! One day, maybe a few days in, I check in on a random patient who is fuh-REAKing out yelling, needing to go to the bathroom. She is in her 80s, very frail, clearly has dementia, and turns out she was one day post-op from two femur fractures. TWO. I call out for help to get her on a bedpan (keep in mind I have no idea what I'm doing so I am also kind of fuh-REAKing out), and while people are coming to help, I am in the room, at the patient's head, stroking her hair and telling her it's going to be okay, everything is going to be okay, take deep breaths, I'm here, it's okay. My instructor is one of the people that come in to help. They turn her over toward me, and the patient grabs my shoulder, so I reach over to steady her. My instructor slapped my hand down. After that ordeal, my instructor leads me into an empty room and starts yelling at me! "She's not your grandmother! You can't just go off hugging patients like that! You are too soft, you wanna get me in trouble?" I say, "I wasn't hugging her, she grabbed me!" She's like, "Are you challenging me? Do we need to go see the dean because we can go RIGHT NOW!" and I just stood there crying for probably the rest of my shift.
And of course that's not all of the things she said or did, but that's the one that stuck with me, because she was yelling at me for trying to be exactly the nurse I want to be.
The best thing ever said to me was, when in my second semester of clinicals, I broke down and started crying (I'm a crier!!), and my instructor stopped what she was doing immediately and took me aside to talk to me. I was so frustrated because I had a patient that I didn't think needed any particular "thing" (completely competent, waiting on a bed somewhere else), and I was lost, so OBVIOUSLY I was in the wrong field. I had no idea what to do with that patient, and I hate small talk, and I found myself hiding in the bathroom all day and finally I just lost all composure. She told me that certain patients aren't for everyone, that when we look at ourselves as nurses, we see differences - not differences that divide us, but differences that build us into a strong community of nurses. Where I may beat myself up about not liking to deal with those types of patients, other nurses may be doing the same about their psych patients, who I love! So remember that wherever I am weak, I am surrounded by people who are strong that can teach me, and will look to me when I am strong and they are weak. She reinforced the saying that "True wisdom is knowing what you don't know" and reminded me that I am surrounded by helpers.
Specializes in oncology, geriatrics, psychogeriatrics.
In my final year of nursing school, on my last day of placement ever, the chief of the floor told me that I'd do great in clinical and scientific research. She had worked closely together with my school instructor in the past and had heard that my reports were always well written (placement summaries, scientific reports or just plain patient reports). She then added that she had given better points to the student I was doing my placement with. She said that I wasn't a bad student, but that I was just unlucky to be doing my placement with someone who was really good, even one of the best she had ever had in her many years of nursing.
To this day, I still don't know how to take it, but I remember that back then, I somehow took it as an insult. For me, it meant that she actually wanted to stay that she'd rather have me in clinical research than be at a patient's bedside.
We all have already gone through a thousand of quotes about nurses and how this profession is the noblest of them all. But the best thing our nursing instructor ever said to all of us in the class was – "Our job as nurses is to cushion the sorrow and celebrate the joy, every day, while we are 'just doing our jobs'." I had read it somewhere earlier too, yet, I was kinda filled up with a sense of pride, and promised to be the best nurse I can be.
Worst: wait till after you pass NCLEX to even think about looking for a job...of course I didn't listen and started my orientation the day after the graduation...sadly many of my class mates drank the kool aid and are still looking for work...also...can't forget this one...be prepared for all of the doctors to demean you...so sad that her paradigm came out of the 1950 leave it to beaver view...
Worst: wait till after you pass NCLEX to even think about looking for a job...of course I didn't listen and started my orientation the day after the graduation...sadly many of my class mates drank the kool aid and are still looking for work...also...can't forget this one...be prepared for all of the doctors to demean you...so sad that her paradigm came out of the 1950 leave it to beaver view...
Although, there still are some out there. The younger Residents can be awesome. Often appreciate what they learn from us and how we support them.
My critical care instructor said "When you walk in the room look at the patient, not the monitor!" Advice that never failed me in 36 years of CC nursing.
My second semester nursing instructor wrote on my eval that I "lack self esteem"
At the time those words were extremely upsetting to me.
My 3rd semester instructor, who was the toughest and most intelligent in my opinion, really took a liking to me. She didn't intimidate me one bit. It really came together for me at that time and helped build my confidence that others tried to bring down.
I am in Nursing school now and my instructor for med surg told me every time she saw me that I was going to fail her course. EVERY TIME!!!!
I am a LPN in a RN school and I tested out of the 1st semester. The first day I met her she looked at me and said "Yes so I heard you tested out of our first semester. Do not think of bringing that LPN Mentality in here, it wont work!"
I was struggling in her class while working full time and going to school at night. Unfortunately, She was my advisor as well, so I had to see her to review my exams. I cried after every meeting with her.
I contemplated dropping out of the course as she had advised me to do after I failed her first exam.
Thank God for my family and friends who encouraged me.
Glad to say that she was wrong and I passed her course last month.
She makes me want to pursue becoming a Nursing Instructor when I graduate so I can be the exact opposite type of teacher.[/quote
In all honesty, your instructor comes off as some kind of sadistic miscreant. There is no constructiveness in her words at all. It distresses me to know that this kind of nut is still being allowed to work with students. I'll leave it there.
Agree with BuyerBeware's comment, but also can add something.....
Isn't it interesting that the ones who challenge us also often have influence on our success? We learn a lot through the challenges and sometimes they are actually the one important thing that spurs us on to succeed. For all you know, you could end up being one of the absolute best nursing instructors ever lived?
NightNerd, MSN, RN
1,130 Posts
I'm not entirely sure what this means, but it's making me giggle uncontrollably for some reason! (I swear I'm not a 12-year-old.)