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| No. 30 | 
Feb 06, 2009, 09:52 PM
 Re: "Fired for NO Reason"
To Toxicshock:
Pick apart the physicians and the NPs brain. Read books on nursing scenario try to ans. the questions, then check your answers then have a discussion with your co-workers. As long as you need answers ask questions. why? why? why? why? why?
 | | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 32 |
Feb 06, 2009, 09:56 PM
Re: "Fired for NO Reason"
That reply was meant for her posting earlier to......I think it was eriksoln. Sorry if anyone misunderstand what I was replying to.
| | No. 33 |
Feb 06, 2009, 10:00 PM
Re: "Fired for NO Reason" Originally Posted by eriksoln  Where to start?
As I read on, I noticed a trend in your thought process. Notice the part afterward that I bolded. These statements do not convey to me a supportive preceptor who promotes learning. As experienced nurses, we must be mindfull of giving out constructive criticism that encourages learning from mistakes. "Negative feedback", "charges you with a defecit" dont fall into this category.
Being a preceptor is not an easy task. Hospitals give this responsibility to the wrong people for the wrong reasons. A good preceptor nurtures learning by being a leader and a teacher, not by failing or passing their GNs. It is important to point out the mistake, but at the same time helping the GN realize.........yes, this is stressfull and mistakes will be made, but the bridge that we must cross to go from "nurse" to "good nurse" is not impossible to cross. Make the changes we are suggesting, and you will have crossed said bridge.
See, you tell your story and, the lesson some may take from it is that the quality of GNs coming out of schools needs to improve, or that GNs just need to buckle up and get with the program. Me, I see GNs like the one you describe failing and I take it as a loss, a missed opportunity for us experienced RNs. Yes, you are right, there are GNs who "just dont get it". From my point of view, there are just as many preceptors who "just dont get it". My whole point is that sometimes people who lose their jobs or are in danger of losing them just don't "get it" no matter how many times you've tried to explain it to them. They believe that you "have it in for them" or are unfairly targeting them, or that you're just a mean, nasty person when you try to tell them that giving Coumadin to a bleeding patient is a bad thing, or that maybe the 16 units of Novalog insulin wasn't the thing to give someone who keeps throwing up his dinner or that maybe if you suctioned Mr. Smith his O2 sats would improve. Even after Sal had several meetings with her preceptors and the unit educator and the nurse manager, she still didn't understand that her job was in jeopardy. Even when she was given a list of her shortcomings (and they were HER shortcomings, not everyone else's) to sign, she didn't get it. I wasn't Sal's preceptor, although I did work with her a few times. I precept another new grad from her class. I was in the preceptor meetings when her preceptors vented about their frustration with trying to explain the same things to her over and over and over again, and nothing ever seemed to "click." After two preceptors couldn't help her out, they bowed out and she got two new preceptors who had the exact same issues with her. Nice as she was, she just didn't get it. The INR story is a true one (although I don't remember the exact INR (was it 8.8 or 9.2?) or the exact hemoglobin, they were well outside the normal range. After 12 weeks in the ICU, and an 8 hour class on hemodynamics, she still didn't understand the Swan-Ganz -- what it is, where it sits or the kind of information it gives you. She admitted to my orientee that she never studied at home, and my orientee suggested to her that she might want to start doing so. I agree with you that precepting is difficult and that not everyone who does precept should. However, there are times when it's not the preceptor, it's the orientee. And sometimes, that orientee just doesn't get it no matter what hoops you jump through to try to help her get it, or to make her understand what the problem is. Sal had every chance to make it, and she didn't. She just never understood that SHE was failing, and it wasn't just bad preceptors or targeting ow whatever. I think there are probably a lot of "Sals" out there . . . and I hope maybe I've convinced one or two of them to take a look at what they're doing or not doing to contribute to their problems before it's too late for them. | | No. 34 |
Feb 06, 2009, 10:00 PM
Updated
Feb 06, 2009 at 10:01 PM by DeepFriedRN
Re: "Fired for NO Reason"
Just like Trauma said, we all know that nurse that, despite the constant mistakes, complaining, reminders etc, continues working in whatever manner they choose, and STILL manages to stay aboard..SCARY! So while I agree that we should always try to educate, I took OP point to mean those that have done SOO poorly that they have HAD to be let go (like even more poorly than the scary ones that get to stay!). And despite the reminders, and teaching etc of other more experienced nurses as to where she/he was going wrong in practice, they just DO NOT GET (got denial?) that it was THEIR practice that got them canned..look, statistically there are probably a few that were singled out--maybe even because they were too hot and all us old nurses were jealous  .. But in reality, usually (not always, but usually) when you get canned from a job, it's because of your OWN actions. It's just a fact.
| | No. 35 |
Feb 06, 2009, 10:06 PM
Re: "Fired for NO Reason" Originally Posted by Ruby Vee My whole point is that sometimes people who lose their jobs or are in danger of losing them just don't "get it" no matter how many times you've tried to explain it to them. They believe that you "have it in for them" or are unfairly targeting them, or that you're just a mean, nasty person when you try to tell them that giving Coumadin to a bleeding patient is a bad thing, or that maybe the 16 units of Novalog insulin wasn't the thing to give someone who keeps throwing up his dinner or that maybe if you suctioned Mr. Smith his O2 sats would improve. Even after Sal had several meetings with her preceptors and the unit educator and the nurse manager, she still didn't understand that her job was in jeopardy. Even when she was given a list of her shortcomings (and they were HER shortcomings, not everyone else's) to sign, she didn't get it.
I wasn't Sal's preceptor, although I did work with her a few times. I precept another new grad from her class. I was in the preceptor meetings when her preceptors vented about their frustration with trying to explain the same things to her over and over and over again, and nothing ever seemed to "click." After two preceptors couldn't help her out, they bowed out and she got two new preceptors who had the exact same issues with her. Nice as she was, she just didn't get it. The INR story is a true one (although I don't remember the exact INR (was it 8.8 or 9.2?) or the exact hemoglobin, they were well outside the normal range. After 12 weeks in the ICU, and an 8 hour class on hemodynamics, she still didn't understand the Swan-Ganz -- what it is, where it sits or the kind of information it gives you. She admitted to my orientee that she never studied at home, and my orientee suggested to her that she might want to start doing so.
I agree with you that precepting is difficult and that not everyone who does precept should. However, there are times when it's not the preceptor, it's the orientee. And sometimes, that orientee just doesn't get it no matter what hoops you jump through to try to help her get it, or to make her understand what the problem is. Sal had every chance to make it, and she didn't. She just never understood that SHE was failing, and it wasn't just bad preceptors or targeting ow whatever. I think there are probably a lot of "Sals" out there . . . and I hope maybe I've convinced one or two of them to take a look at what they're doing or not doing to contribute to their problems before it's too late for them.
Thank you for the further clarification. Maybe ICU was a bit too much for, she should have been started on a med-surg floor.
| | No. 36 |
Feb 06, 2009, 10:09 PM
Re: "Fired for NO Reason" Originally Posted by Beerim That reply was meant for her posting earlier to......I think it was eriksoln. Sorry if anyone misunderstand what I was replying to.
Well, then.
[emily litella]
Never mind.
[/emily litella]  | | No. 37 |
Feb 07, 2009, 12:24 AM
Re: "Fired for NO Reason" Originally Posted by inland18mempire well, i certainly understand where the OP is coming from. However, the OP mentioned this nurse was a new grad. this is part of the reason why nursing has very few nurses that stick around - so much criticism goes on. she is NEW... I think more education should have been pushed her way instead of just dumping her. What a nurse knows and can piece together because she has been a nurse for 10 years can not/should not be compared to a brand spanking new nurse. I'm not implying that new grads should be immuned from the consequences of their mistakes, but that aspect should definitely be in the back of any manager's mind when evaluating the new grad nurse. Maybe I am just too nice... I'd probably make a horrible manager! I've made mistakes as a new nurse and my manager and co-workers were so wonderful with me - they explained things thorougly and helped me to understand what was going on and why. Believe me, we tried over and over to educate Sal. She got to repeat the hemodynamics class, the rhythm class, the drip titration class . . . when she failed to progress, they dumped her preceptors and started over with two new preceptors. We had 17 orientees at the time, and even the other orientees were noticing that Sal wasn't progressing. The only person who DIDN'T get it was Sal. | | No. 39 |
Feb 07, 2009, 12:44 AM
Re: "Fired for NO Reason"
sorry, mistake
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