BAD PRECEPTOR!!

[NurxingRoxx]

Yesturday was my first day as an orientee, and I was assigned to a young, immature, impatient and rude cna. She did not want me to assist her or do any types of hands-on training, she just told me to watch nearly everything she did. When I watched her demonstrations, she briefed through everything and didn't explain a thing. I was asking NUMBEROUS questions about everything because I just didn't understand why she was doing this or her method of how/when it gets done. Her attitude was distant, aloof and snotty. She made ugly faces at times when I asked her about charting or how to operate a hoyer lift. She made it seem like I was slowing her down and wasting her time. She often left me when she told me to make beds, and it took me 20 MINUTES to find her in a wing she was not assigned to work in...CHATTING with a friend of hers...FOR ANOTHER 8 MINUTES, completely ignoring me and pretending like I wasn't there. Yesturday was a horrible first day as an orientee. I almost wanted to complain to the DON, but I thought that would make me look bad being a freshly new cna. When it was time to leave, I heard her tell a co-worker "You know they done hired some new cna's to snatch up all our hours."

...............

I'm very happy that I DON'T have her assigned as a preceptor throughout the rest of my orientation. It was a horrible experience. We are all in this as a team. That was my worst nightmare come to life. Why look down your nose at me, just because you have more experience?

[looking for work]

I actually believe that preceptors are the responsible parties for causing a nursing shortage. Even though there is no actual shortage, I have been told by HR at a few different workplaces that most nursing units are run like childish sororities with some fitting in and others being misfits. It has nothing to do with the quality of the new hire, but everything to do with the back-biting employees who want to cement their own job while throwing a new hire under the bus. This behavior runs rampant through the nursing profession, as new hires are eaten alive (new grads and experienced nurses) by fellow co-workers. The only way that this will stop is to let HR take over the hire/fire process. I have known many HR people who have grown tired of nurses managers mismanaging their staff...it leads to constant turnover.

[yousoldtheworld]

This is very, very common. We had a lot of this at my facility - we have a really hard time keeping new aides. I know some of it is that the pay is lower here than at other facilities in the area, but I firmly believe that it has a LOT to do with a horrible training program. Several new girls have even told this to our new DON. Luckily, she has decided to try to fix it.

Based upon the feedback she has gotten from all the aides who have been there 6 months or less, now there are only 2 aides on 2nd shift who are allowed to train - myself and one other aide. It's only been like this for a few weeks, but so far we haven't lost any of our trainees. :)

So I agree with some others - if you find yourself having trouble with a trainer, please say something to management. Don't come off as whiny or anything, just explain that you feel like you are not being trained and ask if it would be possible to get a new trainer, so that you can learn to do the job the best that you can. If your DON sees a trend in this happening, she might take action and make a change for the better.

I've never worked at an LTC facility where new people stole anyone's hours. Heck, I'd be happy to have just enough new people stay so that we don't have to work short every day, anymore.

[looking for work]

I agree. Many orientation programs are set up to make the new hire fail. My very first job as a nurse is one I will never forget. I never made the transition, and left while on orientation. I found out that there were so many others who failed to transition as well. They finally changed management on that unit, but too little too late, as a pile of new hires were lost in the meantime. Part of the problem is that sometimes "Precertorship" is not voluntary, and forced upon staff nurses. That was the case in my first job.

[Getreal2011]

I'm very happy that I DON'T have her assigned as a preceptor throughout the rest of my orientation. It was a horrible experience. We are all in this as a team. That was my worst nightmare come to life. Why look down your nose at me, just because you have more experience?

I've had similar experiences in life. As hard as it was, I did learn something though. I realized what I did not want to be like when it was my turn to be in that position. It's hard, especially when you are a person that is quick to check someone on their attitude towards you. I have been advised, by a few very successful people that I sincerely admire, to "kill them with kindness".

People act this way for a number of reasons. One common reason is that they are insecure with who they are and their abilities. When you DO NOT act like them it makes them look retarded. LOL You come out looking like who you are, an intelligent, hard working, eager learn, and mature individual. It makes their bad attitude stand out, and trust me there will come a time when that foul attitude will be checked and corrected by the appropriate person. What goes around...comes around without delay.

A good friend of mine had to remind me of this lately (due to a personal situation) - Never let anyone else's action, demeanor, or response change who YOU are as a person! Don't think of it as a bad experience, think of it as a learning experience that is now over and done with. One day, that very same person will probably have to come to you and ask for assistance and you will have the opportunity to "check her" in a tactful way!