awful preceptor-I left the program

[krisssy]

I had entered a nursing refresher course in a large teaching hospital. The instructers left you with a preceptor and left the building. I had such a bad experience with this preceptor that I left the program. The first day I gave her an evaluation form to be filled out daily,and she pushed it aside and said she didn't need it.????? She gave me a list of her patients and told me to go and introduce myself to them and see if they needed anything. The first room I went into had a door that was slightly ajar, so I walked in. The CNA was bathing a comatose patient and screamed at me for not knocking. I said I was sorry, that the door was not closed, and told my preceptor. She said that that was just her personality and did not address the fact that I was very upset and that the CNA was extremely rude. By the way, although this door was not closed, what are the rules regarding knocking on closed doors? We went to another room to see a patient with cystic fibrosis. While we were in there, the DON came and asked to speak to my preceptor. It seems that she was in trouble for not wearing a gown and mask on her face and not telling me to. When I asked her about it, she said that the DON was wrong and that it wasn't necessary. I told my instructors what had happened at our post conference. They agreed that I had a right to be upset and that the CNA and the preceptor were out of line. It seems that she told the preceptor that I was upset. So the next day the preceptor said, "I heard that you didn't have a good experience yesterday". She then had a 30 minute personal phone conversation with somone who by the conversation I heard sounded like her boyfriend. I just sat there with nothing to do. After that, she was completely backed up and was going crazy to make up the time. She completely ignored me, gave me nothing to do, and did not talk to me. So I just followed her around while she acted like I wasn't there. She couldn't put in an IV after trying for a very long time. She never asked for help and just said they would have to do it in the OR. Then she took a patient's medication and left it on her table while the patient was in the bathroom, yelling to the patient, "I left your meds on the table". Then she took me in to work with the comatose patient. She put a mask and gown on and did not tell me where the gowns were or to put one on. I found it myself, and the CNA from the day before yelled at me telling me I didn't need to wear a gown in that room. I asked the nurse and she said that he was dirty and that she wears gowns when she doesn't need to and doesn't wear gowns when she is supposed to like with the cystic fibrosis patient.At the end of the day, I had done nothing except empty the comatose man's foley, and I had not learned one thing. Also, she had again asked me to go in to introduce myself to each patient and see if they needed anything. She came into a room where a patient was telling me some problems she was having and her comment was, "What are you doing just chatting?" I was very upset with the entire experience. Finally another nurse felt bad for me and started asking me to do things to assist her. Oh also, she never told me she was going for lunch-just left. I was just sitting in the nurses station by myself.

I just couldn't bring myself to go back into that situation, and I left the program. Do you think there could have been a better way for me to handle this situation? Also, this nurse had gone to a program to learn to be a preceptor.

If any of you have been preceptors or have worked with precepters, can you comment on what happened to me. Thanks

[Mystery5]

All I can say is, she sounds like a real piece of work. :angryfire

[stidget99]

I would not have left the program. Instead, I would've gone to the supervisor and asked her to get me another preceptor.

Sorry you had such a rotten experience.

[live4today, RN]

I applaud you for not putting up with that situation. One thing you might have done would have been to ask for another preceptor? Better to work safe than non safe. You deserve better, so next time make certain you receive better treatment, and a more professional preceptor. :)

I've precepted nurses before without any problems. However, I've come across a few nurses who are preceptors who shouldn't be.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Sorry you had such a rotten experience. I too would have complained about this preceptor.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I agree that she sounds like a peice of work.

But i've always been told whether it's opened or closed, you always knock on a door.

[Mystery5]

I agree. I would have stuck with it, inspite of being given a totally bad person. Your goal is to get your refresher course done.

This gal sounds like this young nurse that I had to orient with at a hospital that I worked at. Her character was lacking, to say the least. But, it was temporary...

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Sounds like an awful experience. You should really follow up even if you don't want to work there. The hospital should know what poor care their patients and their prospective employees are getting.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

WOW I AM SO SORRY TO READ ABOUT YOUR TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. I THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED IN SICK AND TAKEN THAT TIME TO TALK TO SOMEONE MUCH HIGHER UNTIL SOMETHING WAS DONE. YOU SHOULD HAVE DOCUMENTED EVERYTHING LIKE YOU JUST DESCRIBED, AND TAKEN THAT ROUTE INSTEAD. I DO NOT BLAME YOU FOR TAKING THAT ACTION BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE BETTER THAN WHERE YOU WERE AT. HOPE YOU FIND SOMETHING BETTER HUN

GOD BLESS,

JESSICA

[Nurse_Ben]

Never complain, contradict, or criticize people above you and you'll just do fine. Just focus on being a better nurse (unless a patient is in danger). These are the rules of business from a guys point of view.

[Mystery5]

Never complain, contradict, or criticize people above you and you'll just do fine. Just focus on being a better nurse (unless a patient is in danger). These are the rules of business from a guys point of view.

I think this is excellent advise, generally.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I think it's a shame what happened to you. I would not have dropped the program myself; I would have sought a change in preceptors/preceptorship. You deserve (and have paid for) better! You should not have felt you had to leave!