You did everything right.
You showed up prepared for clinical.
You studied your medications.
You practiced your skills.
You asked thoughtful questions.
And yet… somehow, you’re still getting torn apart in evaluations.
You hear things like:
“You’re not ready for this.”
“You’re not cut out to be a nurse.”
“You lack critical thinking.”
It feels like no matter what you do, it’s never enough. Worse, you’re starting to believe it.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone — and you’re not imagining things.
At nursing.com, we hear this story all the time. And it’s time to talk honestly about it.
This article isn’t about instructors with high standards. Nursing should be hard. We need educators who push students, challenge them, and hold the line to protect patients.
This is about something very different.
This is about nursing instructors who appear to have decided — early on — that you’re going to fail and then document and evaluate you in a way that makes that outcome almost inevitable.
Let’s break it down.
Not every harsh evaluation means you’re being singled out. Nursing education is intense, and feedback can sting.
But there’s a critical difference between a tough instructor and an instructor who is targeting you.
Gives specific, actionable feedback
Acknowledges what you’re doing well
Applies expectations consistently
Wants you to improve
Only sees what’s wrong
Gives vague criticism like “you just don’t have it”
Changes expectations week to week
Documents opinions about your character, not your performance
Keeps moving the goalpost so nothing is ever good enough
If you feel like you’re trapped in a no-win situation, that’s a red flag 🚩
One nursing.com member — we’ll call him Alex — shared an experience that perfectly illustrates this issue.
Alex was a second-degree nursing student. Older than most of his classmates. He’d spent 15 years in corporate America before choosing nursing.
On day one of clinical, his instructor had already made up their mind.
Career changers, in this instructor’s view, were “just looking for an easy paycheck” and didn’t understand real nursing.
Alex prepared obsessively.
He knew every detail about his patient
He performed skills correctly
He asked thoughtful questions about pathophysiology
Evaluation:
“Overconfident. Thinks he knows more than he does. Needs to be more humble.”
Alex changed strategies.
Asked more questions
Deferred to the instructor’s expertise
Asked for guidance instead of asserting himself
Evaluation:
“Lacks critical thinking. Doesn’t know basic nursing concepts. Unprepared for clinical level.”
Alex literally could not win.
Every interaction was documented in a way that built a case against him. Not because of his skills — but because of bias.
Alex nearly didn’t become a nurse because one instructor decided he shouldn’t.
This is the hardest part to accept — because it has nothing to do with you.
Instructors may target students for reasons like:
Your age, gender, or background
Being a second-degree or career-change student
Reminding them of someone they dislike
Feeling threatened by your confidence or questions
Burnout or bitterness
A belief in “weeding out weak students”
None of these are valid reasons.
None of these make someone a “tough” instructor.
And none of them mean you aren’t cut out to be a nurse.
If you recognize yourself in this article, here’s what matters most:
👉 You need to protect yourself.
Not emotionally — documentarily.
Keep:
Every evaluation
Every email
Every piece of written or verbal feedback
You are building evidence. Do not throw anything away.
If feedback is verbal, follow up with an email:
“Thank you for the feedback today regarding X, Y, and Z. I want to make sure I understand correctly so I can improve.”
Make them clarify. Make it documented.
If they say:
“Be more assertive” → document examples
“Improve time management” → track your day minute-by-minute
“Show more initiative” → log it
Show your work.
Build relationships with:
Staff nurses
Other instructors
Preceptors
When someone else can say, “Actually, they did great today,” it matters.
Do not wait until you’re failing.
Once you have documentation, schedule a meeting with:
Program director
Clinical coordinator
Dean (depending on structure)
This isn’t about retaliation. It’s about transparency and protection.
Policies exist for a reason.
Know:
Evaluation criteria
Appeal processes
Documentation standards
Use the system — don’t fight blindly.
This is the part no one wants to hear — but you need honesty.
Sometimes:
Change doesn’t happen fast enough
Power dynamics don’t favor students
You may still fail a clinical or course
If that happens, hear this clearly:
It is not the end of your nursing career.
You can:
Transfer programs
Reapply elsewhere
Continue forward
One bad instructor does not define your future.
If you’re being targeted:
It doesn’t mean you’re weak
It doesn’t mean you’re incapable
It doesn’t mean you don’t belong
It means you got a bad flip of the coin.
Stay in it. Survive. Document. Advocate.
One day, you will graduate.
You will pass the NCLEX.
And you’ll become the kind of nurse — or instructor — who never does this to a student.
And nursing needs more people like you.
At nursing.com, we support students through:
Clinical success strategies
Communication skills
Simulation practice
NCLEX readiness tools
The NURSING.com Academy
You don’t have to do this alone.
Seek out instructors and mentors who build you up.
Protect yourself when you need to.
And remember:
One instructor’s bias does not get to decide your worth as a nurse.
You belong here.
If your preceptor makes you dread clinicals, question your abilities, or feel unsafe, you are not alone. Learn how nursing students can survive abusive preceptors, document mistreatment, and protect their future in nursing school.
Most nursing brain sheets don’t work in real life. Learn why and what a real-world brain sheet needs to help you survive clinicals, manage meds, and never miss critical tasks.
