Thank you to the amazing preceptors

[tigerRN2013]

I just wanted to thank all the nurses who put forth a lot of effort and time to help the new and clueless nurses like myself get to a place of being able to provide competent nursing care. I graduated this past May and began working in July with an excellent nurse who was very reluctant to precept me....she didn't like "bossing people around", but I desperately needed and was glad for all the direction she gave me.

I was excited to have been hired into a busy ICU until day 1 when I found out just how much responsibility I had and how just little I knew (I could barely figure out how to cycle a blood pressure on this hospital's equipment), but thankfully my preceptor was patient every day that we worked together for 2 months despite the many times we had to stay late for me to finish charting, despite the fact that I'm a slow learner and needed things explained many times, and despite the fact that I had 2-3 dozen questions I would ask throughout the day.

I was well aware of the fact that we were typically taking care of relatively "easy" patients and my preceptor could have done everything in half the time it took me to do it and left on time. I also knew that it killed her a little on the inside everytime I would make a mistake on something she had already shown me how to do (that knowledge would make me die a little on the inside, too). I knew that I was an obviously bumbling and nervous new grad, but she stuck with me, patiently fielded questions, never yelled at me or indicated that she thought I was stupid (although there was plenty evidence to have supported that I was), and took lots of time to teach me until I got to the place where I was adequately prepared to be on my own. I still have lots to learn and go to my old preceptor and a few of the other great and supportive nurses on the unit whom I am also grateful to for making the huge transition from student to nurse so much smoother.

I've seen so many posts about the "preceptor from hell", but I wanted to make sure that the amazing preceptors get their credit as well.

[NurseYe]

Im a new grad icu nurse as well just started classroom orientation and havent been on the unit yet. I'm a little nervous but your post gives me hope thanks?

[krisiepoo]

AWESOME :) I think people come to the internet to vent and we forget to see the positive things so thank you and I'm glad you're doing well

[Med-SurgRN311, BSN]

I also had an amazing preceptor. I was so worried about it due to the negative stories I read on here, but she was so patient

and kind that I gained so much confidence in myself. Her attitude when I made a mistake was, there's no point in me making you feel any worse than you already do. If you are in constant fear of messing up, you don't have any energy left for all that you have to learn. Instead of making me feel like an idiot, she made me realize that I can be an excellent nurse!! Cheers to all the great preceptors out there!!