Associate Dean drives adjuncts out of working there
Pros
Great co-workers, decent sites to take student nurses. I was one of the highest rated adjunct clinical instructors because of working with full time instructors and taking courses to learn how to teach. IT was a great job except eventually the cons - and they are truly bad cons - outweighed the pros.
Cons
The management, both HHS dean and adjunct dean of nursing. They're incapable of managing anything. Petty, arrogant, don't treat employees (all masters or PhD or DNP holders) like children, and can't do their own jobs. They don't want students ever flunked, when students flunk themselves by not cheating and treating patients in ways against HIPAA or student conduct code, or by not turning in work and being unprofessional etc. There is a 4-page grading matrix that must be used, and when students have failed themselves, there is fighting with both Assoc and HHS deans, where in they fight, insult, threaten, etc, to get the instructor to back down. These are future *nurses* - and it's difficult to flunk because most students work very hard and really care about learning, so those who flunk really did flunk. I finally had enough. On flunking one student, and going home for a school break at end of semester, I found I had a serious medical condition and was laid up. Instead of resting I had to contend with constant calls and demands to attend zoom meetings, on and on and on, telling me to pass the student, telling me the student complained so I had to pass them , had to meet with assoc. dean and student as if we're two children having a fight (I refused). FInally when I couldn't take it, just quit. I talked to HR and to the committee who review such grade change requests from students, and HR said they knew about the behavior of the dean and assoc dean. The committee met and did not change the failing grade, no matter what the assoc dean tried. Another aspect is how badly adjuncts are treated overall. And support like getting things printed for students: the full time basically have extra work to do, to support adjuncts, because the management just can't find a way to make such things done easily for adjuncts: management doesn't care - it's a status thing, as mgt puts their foot on the heads of both fulltime *and* adjuncts. PS: Pay is very very very very very low for the work you put in as an adjunct. You have to see it almost as volunteering, and of course love teaching. It's almost like volunteering.
