I need to switch preceptors

[katygw]

I just started my orientation on a med surg floor (have only had 3 days on the floor with a nurse)...first night I was holding back tears the entire night and when I finally got to my car, cried hysterically the whole way home. Right off the bat, the first night with my preceptor, I was completely overwhelmed. She didnt say "okay tonight just come around with me and watch"...no it was doing assessment and I stood there documenting them while she did other things while Im feeling annoyed because Im not seeing how a typical day goes and how to organize and prioritize..then she says okay you can take patients 18, 10, 12 and Im like ...uhh take them? she says Ill be with you to do things but you have them, or something along those lines...NOTE:THAT WAS MY FIRST DAY! I came home hating my life, I felt like quitting on the spot, I even went to an immediate care clinic near me and got an application. night 2: I was with another nurse because my assigned nurse preceptor had worked a double the night before....TOTALLY different! She ASKED me do you want to have patients or follow along with me? I said follow along with you! I had so badly just wanted to see how everything goes on my FIRST DAY..the second day was great, I did alot with the nurse and felt good about it and left NOT crying...Tonight was day 3: with my assigned preceptor again, hated it. She made me feel uncomfortable, when I tried to ask if I can just shadow you while doing things with you she said no I would prefer you to have patients and you basically saw what I did the first night (HELLO no I didnt, I felt disconnected from you the first night and you had asked me to take patients)...now im not a very confrontational person and she makes me feel uncomfortable as it is so I just had to go along with it. I mean she was there with me but she was still doing other things with her other patients while I was left to do things I may not have been sure of or when I wanted to ask questions. I dont like having done something then having her correct it AFTER, I want someone there with me showing me as I go along...thats how I will retain it. When we sat down to document nurses notes I let out a sigh and she said "why are you breathing like that? This is an easy assignment" I couldnt believe it...she had the gall to ask me why I was breathing a certain way???? what is going on? and I am new, ergo I am slow, I am uncertain of myself, I am frustrated so I sigh alot that night...she definitely makes it a point to pressure me with the time limit, eg. you just spent 40 minutes on our easiest patient, it's my 3rd day! In school clinicals we only had 1 to 2 patients we could spend alot of time with so of course Ive never had a true med surg experience (organizing, prioritizing, going fast). She had even dropped comments like that the FIRST NIGHT when I was so nervous and overwhelmed about how you have to go quickly...tonight was the last straw for me....what it boils down to is that my preceptor is soooo not the right fit for me that it's not even funny...the second night with the other nurse, I liked it! I want to work with her...and if they say I have no other option but to work with the original preceptor, I am saying tough luck but I am not working with someone I dont feel comfortable with...because ultimately I want my patients to be safe and if I am upset, annoyed, not as confident, NEW, and less experienced...those all could cause errors that I dont want to have happen to innocent patients. I just feel lost, I feel that I dont get the information I need about my patients because there is so much going on and I dont feel that I am being instructed properly. I am emailing my manager, who is out until the 2nd of august of course, just my luck, and telling her I have concerns that I need to discuss with her as soon as possible. I just know in my gut that I cant work with this girl...I cant work weeks and weeks with her and I feel that I cant learn from her with the "style" she uses...I just need to vent and ask...would you do the same as me? would you go to your manager right away and ask about switching preceptors? I dont want to waste training time and frankly I dont think I could go on like this without either breaking down in the hallway sometime or another or just flat out quitting.

[bluebird123]

Good for you Katy! I know the "gut feeling" when something just isn't right. Glad you wrote back to us to let us know how the meeting went. Best of luck in your new position. Rock it out with your new preceptor :)

[Gold_SJ]

Congrats I'm truly happy for you :)

You did the right thing for yourself and that is what's important.

Staying with a preceptor who you're too uncomfortable to ask questions too is more determental to your learning and orientation then staying with them. Plus believe me, managers and educators know all the nurses on the floor, they respect their talents and know the areas they struggle in. So it wouldn't of been the suprise you think and I doubt they would of been upset with your prior preceptor and certainly not yourself either. It's a part of human resource management to see personality clashes in the workplace and attempt to iron them out. Two people can often work excellently side by side but terribly as a preceptor and preceptee, so don't stress about it anymore ok and have fun with your new one.

That and don't feel bad about the shadowing discussion. That sort of preceptoring isn't done in my facility. Here you are an extra on the floor for over ten shifts, for med/surg it's fifteen shifts. Due to the heavy work load of 10 -12 beds with an EEN assisting across the loads. It's full on and you need that orientation time to get the hang of it all, certainly shadow with your preceptor as needed and move on to full workload as soon as ready (the preceptor just fades into the background, if you're taking the whole load, they have the bludgies shifts ever). It's a period to get the hang of everything. So I don't comprehend the rationale that one doesn't deserve or should only have one shadow day. Really if you want the best grad, it should be focused on their learning needs (within reason). Full respect for you PP RNChristy.

I hope your postgraduate goes wonderfully and that you experience only the best career in the future Katy!

Take care of yourself