Yelled at for posting on AN

Nursing Students General Students

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Hi there,

I got called into my nursing instructors office and was admonished for posting online! They looked at my profile info to find out it was me. What do you all think about this? My mistake for posting or invasion of privacy?

Thanks,

Bormio

Wow, I didn't expect such a response. To clarify a few things, it is not possible to "defame or slander" an institution, only a person and I did not name any individuals. Additionally, the institution is not a private institution, but a county, state and federally funded organization. I am not employed by them and I am technically the customer, purchasing a service. There isn't anything in the student handbook that even mentions posting on a public web site.

I am not surprised that they saw my post, read it, figured out it was me or had a negative reaction to it. Frankly, that was my point. I did not, however, expect to be harassed and intimidated because of my post. Nursing school instructors may feel they are holding all the cards, but there is increasingly more competition in the marketplace from private institutions. Instructors need to be "customer-focused" just as they emphasize that we operate from that perspective with our patients. In addition, I don't feel that you make a good nurse through intimidation. I don't buy the argument that we will be under significant stress once we are out there in the real world, so we're going to make things as stressful as possible in nursing school. I think that makes nursing educators seem petty and insecure. My plan after nursing school is to go into some type of advocacy position with an organization that lobbies for the rights of patients and nurses. My experience in nursing school, however, is not giving me any reasons to want to advocate for nursing education or the professsion.

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I'm kind of surprised that you continue to post under this user name if it is the same one you posted under in aforementioned posts which got you into trouble with your school.

Don't you think your professors can still look you up especially now that they "know who you are" on here?

If I were you in this situation, I'd probably change my name on the forum, and quit posting about my school/program/situation.

If I were a professor in this situation, I'd most likely be pretty ticked off that a student felt it okay to bad-mouth/talk poorly about their school in an online, public forum, and then CONTINUE to do so after he/she was reprimanded about it.

:confused:

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Specializes in CNA.
. In addition, I don't feel that you make a good nurse through intimidation... I think that makes nursing educators seem petty and insecure. ..My experience in nursing school, however, is not giving me any reasons to want to advocate for nursing education or the professsion.

The first rule of holes is, "When you find you are in one, stop digging."

Your behavior on this board has ventured into the area of self destructive. I've seen it before and it doesn't lead anywhere good.

Best of luck to you.

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You are not being bashed in this forum but you have been provided with some guidance from multiple members. I would encourage you to consider the words of wisdom provided on this forum regarding social postings. You might also want to look at the conditions of admission for your school and a chain of command document for sharing concerns. I am sure there is one. It is highly possible that you could be dismissed from your program for continued violation of policy. It is a chance you take.

You may be a "customer" of the school (and a paying one at that) but you also have rights that the school must protect and responsibilities towards the school. I would be highly surprised if one of your rights was the right to criticize or disagree with instructors or aspects regarding your school situation in a public forum that portrayed your school in a negative light. If you do not follow the chain of command, which typically starts with an open minded conversation with an instructor and moves up the school administration levels, etc), again you could be in violation of their policies and eligible for dismissal.

A wise poster wrote earlier. . . just because you can (post), doesn't mean you should.

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Specializes in Medical Assisting.

From what I have gathered after reading this post is just that people are saying, watch your back, be careful about what you say, and change your profile info. The only other way to vent is to people outside the school/program and NOT ONLINE. I don't think anyone is trying to attack, or put anyone down, just providing some very sound advice. I myself plan on doing the same things as others have advised. All students need all the help they can get...

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I have changed my profile information since my original post. My original post did not name any individual or deal with any specific incident. I have not disparaged or criticized anyone. The purpose of my original post was to determine if my experience in nursing school is typical or if it is outside the norm. I haven't posted anything that I regret or don't stand behind. I guess it would have helped if I included my original post, but of course I won't do that because I would rather stay anonymous at this point.

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Specializes in LTC, MDS, ER.

I would look at your program/school handbook regarding this situation and whatever infraction you "committed" that they're upset about...if there's nothing in there your instructors can use to back their admonishment up, then they can't really punish you. However, if there is a policy in the hb that applies to what you did, well, live and learn.

With that said, I would be very careful about talking about people or programs negatively, especially if you're still in school. Your instructors have the ability to make or break you!

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Specializes in LTC, MDS, ER.
The only other way to vent is to people outside the school/program and NOT ONLINE.

I would be especially careful about who I vent to, regardless. Family members and close friends are the only ones I'd vent to...during clinical, I've had a patient's family member ask me what I thought about my nursing program and teachers, only to find out she was a faculty member from another town! :eek::eek::eek: Thank GOD I didn't say anything negative...I feel like I dodged a bullet because I easily could've talked about how frustrated I was with lack of professionalism from an instructor, etc.

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Specializes in LTC, MDS, ER.
I am not employed by them and I am technically the customer, purchasing a service.

Instructors need to be "customer-focused" just as they emphasize that we operate from that perspective with our patients. In addition, I don't feel that you make a good nurse through intimidation. I don't buy the argument that we will be under significant stress once we are out there in the real world, so we're going to make things as stressful as possible in nursing school. I think that makes nursing educators seem petty and insecure. My plan after nursing school is to go into some type of advocacy position with an organization that lobbies for the rights of patients and nurses. My experience in nursing school, however, is not giving me any reasons to want to advocate for nursing education or the professsion.

My nursing instructors made it clear from the first day of class: They are there to make good nurses, not to coddle us. They had high expectations, because they did not want incompetent, unprofessional nurses taking care of their children and loved ones.

Makes sense to me. They demanded a lot out of us, and refused to settle for mediocrity. My fellow students and I couldn't wait to be done with them, but now they're the ones we go back to when we have good news, and for advice.

I don't want a nursing instructor who looks at me like I'm a customer. To me, it should feel a little like boot camp...it's only people's lives we'll be responsible for, after all. I definitely don't want someone taking care of my husband or child who doesn't know what they're doing, but passed nursing school because the nursing instructors were too nice to fail them...

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
I would be highly surprised if one of your rights was the right to criticize or disagree with instructors or aspects regarding your school situation in a public forum that portrayed your school in a negative light.

Why would expressing a negative opinion about a school not be a right?

The OP has a point that he/she is a consumer of the services provided by the school. If the school is able to dole out consequences for stating a negative opinion, does that mean that Mazda could sue me for stating on the internet that the last car I bought from them was crap?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

I just read the thread that the OP started about her school. It was an opinion about the method of instruction and the amount of support that a student receives in her program.

In no way, shape, or form do I think any consequences should have been handed down to the OP--not even a finger-wag.

I've also read some of her other posts. From what I read, she represents herself eloquently and respectfully. If they "get" her on this, shame on them.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

While I hear and understand and actually agree, I think there is what is "right" and then what is "real". Of course it would be a shame for a school to target a student based on an opinion posted that they do not agree with or like. That being said, it is not exactly a secret that some programs can, have and do behave in a punitive manner for things that theoretically should be unrelated to the educational process. Whether a customer of the school or not, the biggest goal at the time of being a student is to remain a student long enough to graduate. Just as an employer can "find" a reason to fire someone who technically has done nothing to be fired for, a school, especially one as subjective as nursing school can be sometimes, can easily do the same.

Anything posted on the Internet must be assumed to live forever. Period. It can be printed, documented, saved and stored ad infinitum by anyone at all who chooses to do so and can be utilized in any number of ways for good or for ill. Paranoid? Maybe. But prudent to be aware of? Definitely.

OP, I like your goals for your career a lot. They are both noble and needed. But until you get to a point where you can actually pursue them as an RN, you have to become an RN. It would be easy for this event to distract you from your original goal. Sometimes you have to tow a line that rubs you wrong in order to get to where you want to be. I would only encourage you to prioritize your goals before taking your issue with your reprimand beyond a venting phase. And if you have not changed your screen name here, I am sure they are still watching you.

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