Worth complaining about or just whiny?

Nursing Students General Students

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Not sure how every school is organized, but in our program our cohort has the theory portion of the class together, then is split up into several groups with different clinical instructors. It is all considered the same class with one syllabus and one grade for the theory and clinical portion. The requirements should all be the same, but our clinical instructors grade some things and our theory professor grades the exams.

I have found out that some of the clinical groups are not being required to do some of the assignments. For one project, our clinical instructor is requiring an APA paper, ppt presentation, pathoflow diagram, and nsg dx and intervention diagram. So far I've put in quite a few hours on this and anticipate it will be 10-15 hrs when done. One of the other groups is not required to turn anything in and are talking about their findings informally only.

This is an accelerated program with exams weekly. Most of us work and/or have children. I don't want to sound whiny, nor do I want to cause extra work for any student who has already been told they're off the hook. But I'm finding this extremely unfair. Should I just suck it up or bring this up with the professor?

Suck it up. Our school was set up the same way. Different clinical instructors, means different ways of teaching and separate requirements.

Some clinical groups had huddles at the end to discuss the day, others had to turn in care plans with a paragraph. When a student brought it up to out instructor, she was informed that the clinical instructors have a degree and know what they're going. Their group, their rules, and they grade accordingly. Not our instructor.

Suck it up. Our school was set up the same way. Different clinical instructors, means different ways of teaching and separate requirements.

Some clinical groups had huddles at the end to discuss the day, others had to turn in care plans with a paragraph. When a student brought it up to out instructor, she was informed that the clinical instructors have a degree and know what they're going. Their group, their rules, and they grade accordingly. Not our instructor.

I agree. Happened at my school too. Just is what it is.

That's how my program is. The clinical instructors have a little freedom with what they do and don't do. If it makes you feel better we soon learned that the people who had "hard" clinical instructors left the course knowing and understanding a lot more than those who had "easy" instructors.

Same situation at my school During my Psych rotation my clinical instructor was very strict The first project I had to turn in was just a questionnaire I filled it out and turned it in Well she wanted it in APA format and I basically got a zero on it I totally broke down and cried just because the course was hell the clinical was worse and I couldn't take more by this instructor even though the other groups didn't have to do any of this crap I got through it passed the program passed my Nclex and am a nurse Just push through The end results are what matter not petty stuff in between

We had our clinical presentation today. We were told that different clinical instructors will do different things and do not come to the clinical office complaining because one instructor has different/extra work for his/her group. We were informed the clinical office will look upon that assignment as an opportunity to learn and will support their instructor.

Suck it up. Our school was set up the same way. Different clinical instructors means different ways of teaching and separate requirements. Some clinical groups had huddles at the end to discuss the day, others had to turn in care plans with a paragraph. When a student brought it up to out instructor, she was informed that the clinical instructors have a degree and know what they're going. Their group, their rules, and they grade accordingly. Not our instructor.[/quote']

Agree, same way at my school

That's just life . Just like in pre-reqs different professors require different things. You may have to work your butt of for a good grade while somebody else pretty much has it given to them.

You may have to work your butt of for a good grade while somebody else pretty much has it given to them.

Oh heck yes! Lots of personal bias, politics, and idiosyncratic grading methods in nursing school. When I did my baccalaureate degree in political science, I found my profs were more rational and ethical than most nursing professors I encountered.

There is no way around the work or the way they organize it, and we all had to go through that hell too. Nursing school is a lot of bull**** and hoop jumping. I can even recall some Nursing Theory profs grading students on a scale of how much they liked the student or if they felt the student was a reflection of them regardless of whether they wrote a great, evidence-based research paper according the rubric. In situations like that, you can appeal your grade but that can still throw a wrench in your academic progress. I saw a lot of students fail or get held back a semester due to a profs personal bias or unique grading methods. I survived nursing school by keeping very quite, being Über polite, doing what I was told whenever I was told, and studying my butt off. Keep on your best behaviour and study your butt off to survive!

IMO those theory and prof development courses are a joke too! The only useful learning that has any real world nursing application are the medical, surgical, anatomy & patho/physiology and pharmacology courses. The rest you will never use no matter how much they blah-blah-balh talk about case studies.

Specializes in LAD.

I agree with pp. It's technically not fair, but this happens a lot everywhere (not just NS). If you are truly concerned, tell your instructor how you feel in a professional and non-agressive manner.

Thanks for the input. Most things I do just suck up. I'm an adult. I know life's not fair (although I always say it should be!). This one just really ticked me off because this semester is really difficult and this seemed to me a pretty big discrepancy. I'll just get through it and write a strongly worded complaint on my class survey that no one will read lol.

I agree with pp. It's technically not fair, but this happens a lot everywhere (not just NS). If you are truly concerned, tell your instructor how you feel in a professional and non-agressive manner.

This is naïvely bad advice! Most of you ladies and gents pursuing "higher education" are on student loans, some are single parents, financing every aspect of your lives without parental support and financially SO darn strapped to the point that you CANNOT afford to be held back one semester or forced to start your nursing education from scratch... And ladies and gents these aforementioned consequences are often just some of the many resultant consequences of telling profs "how you feel" (even in the utmost professional manner) when you can never be certain of their reaction. Tread lightly!!! Keep quiet, study your butts off, get your degrees and graduate from the flawed system that is Nursing School. Get what you need out of it to move on with your lives. Nursing education has been functioning this way for more than a century and is not likely to change now or any time soon. Listen, it's a sad truth to reality, but I've seen a lot of poor, extremely intelligent human beings have their nursing career aspirations ripped away from them for speaking their mind in nursing school. If someone wants to be a hero or "agent of change", let it be the informed, loudmouth rich kid to stand up on a mountain and "tactfully and professionally" describe the injustice of it all... at least they have pots of money to cushion their fall. Us common, regular, barely-economic-middle class folk have nothing but the cold grip of reality like a noose around our necks reminding us that 'you need $$$ to provide a roof over your head, food on the table, and heat, electricity, water running'. Express your "feelings" to your profs...Total bollocks!

Most profs do not want to hear AND/OR do not give a s*** what you think. Don't feel sorry for them either b/c they have very cushy jobs with great salaries & full benefits that don't keep them awake at night. Never forget, most of you are destitute and have a lot to lose, you are likely on government or bank student loans with high interest rates to finance your education and cannot afford to repeat a semester or start from scratch. If there are profs that care... there still isn't much they can do to change the system and telling them (if you can't be certain of their reaction) can be very risky. If you are not a rich student, if your family is not paying your tuition and your way, and you're not financially supported by an upper-middle class or financially secure or well-off family, don't risk your academic progress by telling your profs how you feel. GET YOUR NURSING DEGREE AND MOVE THE F*** ON! Anyone who will tell you otherwise is the typical rich kid/person from a well-off family who paid for their tuition who had no debt or worries. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. THEY DON'T KNOW YOUR STRUGGLES! The economy is still in shambles - protect yourself and secure your future!

Only complain if you can do so anonymously like we licensed nurses do via our independent unions ;)

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