Advising unsuccessful students without discouraging

Scheduled meetings

When scheduling meeting times, it’s essential to consider that all students are not available at the same time during the week. Once again, with the ongoing pandemic, it is also important to be reasonably available. Setting office/advisement hours on various days at different times will allow students more options for meetings and can work not only around the instructor schedule but also the students. While making meeting times more flexible, it is also important to still maintain the structure. Making sure students understand the duration of the meeting, that they are to be on time for the advisement session, and even notifying them that after a specific time of being late, the meeting may be canceled due to absence. It is also essential to set and ensure all advisees are aware of the scheduling procedure. Many students believe it may be appropriate to schedule same-day meetings and sometimes walk-in meetings. Since proper advisement requires preparation, same day and walk-in appointments are not the best way to advise students. If an instructor chooses to do walk-ins, an appropriate manner may be to have these dates prescheduled and posted so that the students are aware. It is also a good idea to indicate what type of advising can take place, as sometimes, the length of time depends on the issues that are going on with the student. Having scheduled meetings allows the student not to feel rushed and enables the instructor to set aside to address all problems and help create a plan instead of dismissing the student.

Academic planning

Despite being told to seek their academic advisors as early as their freshman semester, students often try to plan their college courses and route independently. This often leads them to miss vital courses that may be needed to graduate, and the students usually are scrambling to take these courses as late as their graduating year. This can also lead them to be misinformed about many options they may have when they are unsuccessful in classes. The best way to advise these students while not discouraging them is to first ask them about their understanding of the schools’ progression policy.

Many schools allow one to two-course failures before a student is dismissed from the program. Students are often given the policy and sign the acknowledgment their first semester of nursing school, and unfortunately, they forget what it said. Having them explain to you their understanding of the policy can help with advising because they often don’t remember it. It also gives you the chance to determine if they need clarification or a full explanation. It also helps to set the tone of the meeting, allowing them to understand that you aren’t “talking at them” but conversing “with” them. Students should be active participants in their advisement meetings.

Helping students create their academic plan early will give them some direction and call for them to have accountability in their schooling. Many students prefer to be told precisely what is needed of them, especially when entering something so new to them. Creating a template or form in which students can prepare on their own and bring to the meeting with their advisor ensures that they are actually looking at their plan and courses. It also allows them to take a moment and think about what they are doing.

Careful empathy

Empathy is taught and used by all nurses in various situations. Knowing how to convey empathy carefully is essential. When advising students, it’s always important to make sure the student-instructor relationship maintains boundaries. Sometimes when showing empathy can be thought of as a “weakness” by students. The phrase “mistaken my kindness for a weakness” always comes to mind. Students, whether instructors see it are not, pick up on the relationships amongst faculty. This is why it is crucial when a student is sharing their issues not to overstep. By overstep, I mean it is essential to not “choose a side” and keep the student on track when they may veer off the topic of their studies and begin discussing a faculty member or issues within a course.

When advising students who are not successful in courses, it is important, to be honest with the students and not lead them to believe that an impossible situation is possible. Once again, it is often the tone of the conversation that guides the meeting. Compassion is needed when showing empathy; however, a bit of honesty will go a long way with the students.

Advising is essential for all nursing students. Often small misunderstandings can alter the course of an advisement session and damage the student-teacher relationship. Disgruntled students are often egged on by faulty advisement, which is why it is vital that advisors set clear expectations, boundaries and show empathy to the students to build and keep the professional relationship strong and provide unbiased, honest advisement.