I can't wait to "lose my loser" preceptor

[anfe]

I am coming to the end my oreintation and if there is only 1 silver lining is that I will not have to work through 12-13 hours with my preceptor who talks down to me, is rude, makes snide negative remarks about me being slow, disorganized to anyone who would listen, is more task oriented than detail-oriented. Does not explain why things are done or why something is probably happening to the patient and what to look out for. Completes things that I planned on completing( completely throws me off since I am learning to put my day together), as well as leaves me not knowing parts of what is going on with the pt. does skills intsead of giving me the opportunity to do it(because she "has to leave by 1915 and I will take too long". So needless to say, I have not done any IV starts, even if I told her I need to learn those. Go do this, no you don't have to do this now, who told you to do that....rush, rush, rush... many times I can't even think straight and feeling like just saying" back off,....don't u realize I am a new nurse, trying to learn?"

I know its going to be crazy busy for me once I am on my own. I k now that there are many things I have still not learned or put together, but not having to deal with this person is going to take load off my shoulder. I have scheduled myself to work same days with a couple of "go to" nurses who I can ask questions without being made to feel like an idiot or who takes the time to say things like " we were all in your shoes. don't worry it'll all come together. ...it's your license on the line so take your time to understand what u are doing,etc..

I patiently hung in there for the length of orientation, and did learn many things from her, but I am sooooo ready to "loose this loser'!!!! Just can't deal with that attitude no more than I have to..

[OncNewbie]

Chloe,

I'm so sorry to hear what happened to you. It's every new nurse's fear to be blackballed like that; I still fear it in fact. But you know what... Would you really want to work on a floor where the people that are willing to help you are scarce? Nursing is such a unique profession unto itself. Can you really think of a profession like it? No. Many times we're faced w/ hypercritical people who are not supportive of one another. This is not true of all nursing or hospitals, etc, but it's a reoccuring theme & the U.S. could really use a paradigm shift in regards to this.

When you go for your next job interview; interview them. What is the nurse to patient ratio? Talk to other people that work in the department? Find out what management's like? Are they accepting of new grads? Ask your old professors who might know of new grads that went to work there, maybe they can give you some feed back. A good book you might want to check out is The Everything New Nurse Book by Kathy Quan, excellent read. Good luck my friend & keep your chin up.

[Chloe'sinNYNow]

Thanks OncNewbie,

not so sure I was blackballed. Just wasn't a fit for a new grad, nor was there any help for one. Expectations were unrealistically high towards me; I kept hearing that

"when I was hired, I barely got a week"

or

"just how long do you expect to orient?"

I read on this forum all the time about 3 month, 4 month, 6 month orientations and how the learning curve to become a nurse is a year or longer. Guess I really should have erased that from my brain and fast forwarded my skills to bionic speed b/c this unit just doesn't get it.

Now my big fear is what to do and where to go. I'd like to possibly search westward or look to New England. I know, great timing w/ the weather and all...But my own timing is running out! This new grad has a new car and old student loans due next month! :uhoh21:

Chloe

[SoundofMusic]

I have also recently been treated badly by a preceptor, although she is not my permanent preceptor. Actually, it's tough to really know who my "real" preceptor is, because we are all being passed around to so many different ones.

On one small hand, I am grateful she was tough on me -- I can see that she may be trying to make me a stronger nurse. But I do feel a so much of it was entirely unnecessary and belittling.

I have NO earthy idea why nurses must do this to new grads. Hospitals, YOU need to hire employment specialists or consultants to TEACH YOU how to teach new nurses. You suck at it. Teaching is inconsistent, confusing, and sometimes downright abusive to intelligent hardworking individuals who have managed to graduate from a nursing program, who have passed their boards, and who only want to succeed in a new profession. You are wasting human intelligence and potential with these practices, not to mention just creating absolutely misery at times.

IMO, there should seriously be a Preceptor Corps of nurses who are specially trained, carefully screened and selected (for their ability to MOTIVATE and teach) and monitored to train new nurses and paid WELL to do so!!!! I mean, they wonder why they can't keep new nurses on...maybe it's these damn on-the-fly preceptors who can't educate, who belittle, who discourage, and who can just all but SHUT DOWN a new nurse within months of starting in the job.

I can't even believe that preceptors only get paid a matter of a few dollars extra per shift to precept. That is pitiful. These are the nurses who are training the new employees of the future! (or the employees that will leave nursing within 2 years). Hospitals obviously don't value it enough to put the attention and money towards it that it deserves.

Shut Down is how I feel right now, and I'm only three months into it. I am losing all motivation to even be a nurse at this point. That's what one of these nasty preceptors can do to you -- administrators, you need to weed out these people -- they are in my opinion, part, if not all, of the reason for the nursing shortage.

[Chloe'sinNYNow]

I have NO earthy idea why nurses must do this to new grads. Hospitals, YOU need to hire employment specialists or consultants to TEACH YOU how to teach new nurses. You suck at it. Teaching is inconsistent, confusing, and sometimes downright abusive to intelligent hardworking individuals who have managed to graduate from a nursing program and who have passed their boards, and who only want to succeed in a new profession. You are wasting human intelligence and potential with these practices, not to mention just creating absolutely misery at times.

.

:yeahthat:

RIGHT ON!!!