constructive criticism?

deeDawntee, RN · Aug 23, 2007

My first question is why you thought you needed to ask your coworker how you were coming along. Not that I don't think that is a valid question, but just wondering if you were having some insecurities then?

If I were you, I would ask to have a meeting with your manager. Ask her if what you think people are seeing is accurate or not. That way you can find out exactly what is going on and come up with a plan to develop possible weak areas. That way YOU are taking responsibility for being the best nurse you can possibly be...it will show your maturity and commitment to your manager and open up communication. And, the most important part is that you won't drive yourself insane with worry and further insecurities which tend to multiply if left unchecked.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2007

I came along slow as a new nurse in the field. I've been an RN for 32 years now. For some of them I was a supervisor and manager. My advice to you is to not dwell on this to the point that it is going to make you crazy. I'm here to tell you that learning to organize and prioritize is a career-long pursuit. I can tell you that every time I go to a new job the process of learning to organize and prioritize starts all over again although I have experience from which to work from. As long as your manager isn't calling you in for conferences or starting written disciplinary or probation proceedings with you, I wouldn't worry. As a manager, if I had a new nurse who was faltering in some way, it was up to me to help them get a foothold on what they needed to learn. It was never an option to just wait for months and say to someone, "well, you're not cutting it. You've got 2 weeks to shape up or you're out of here." That's just wrong and unfair and if that does happen to anyone, they are best out of a place like that because the manager isn't the least bit interested in their employees.

Unfortunately, the way to being organized and prioritizing is often at the cost of making errors or not performing as well as you would like or watching as others do this. What you do is go home, think about how you (or someone else) messed up, how you could have done it differently, decide that the next time you are going to do it xyz way, and move on. This is how most of us learn and improve our practice. Some won't admit to it because it is too much of a blow to their ego. Hang in there. No one, not one of us, is absolutely perfect at organization and prioritizing. As good as some like to think they are, we all have room for improvement. If organization and prioritizing were easy tasks, it would be simple to find books and articles to tell you how to specifically get each day as an RN organized for a med/surg floor. I dare you to find one. There ain't no such animal because it is such as personal thing that has to take many, many factors into consideration.

Hope that makes you feel better. Your coworker was insensitive and could have given you constructive criticism in a much better way. Don't know where she learned her interpersonal skills, but it sounds as if they suck. If her interpersonal skills are that bad, what other skills is she lacking in, I wonder? I certainly wouldn't put a lot of faith in her ability to assess your work performance.

NewNurse16 · Aug 26, 2007

First of all, thanks to Daytonite. Your words are very encouraging. At the end of everyday it seems like the bad things my preceptor has to say is about time management, getting things done in a timely manner, prioritizing, etc. I have been on orientation with her for 3 weeks and she expects me to be up to speed. At the same time other people on my floor say that all of the above takes time....I am going to keep trying as hard as I can to speed up, but I don't want to miss something by "speeding up". Thanks for your advice!!!!

To the OP, keep your head up. Look at the good things you accomplish each day and then from there learn how you can build on it. For example, my preceptor tells me some good things and some bad things (in a constructive criticism type of way, but lately it has been making me dwell on the bad things). I have decided that I am going to keep doing what I am doing with the good things and I am going to take those bad things and work on them one by one. I find myself keeping a daily record of things I did well and things I did not so well, mistakes I made and how I can learn from them. My preceptor gets frustrated when I make small mistakes and seems to dwell on them. I see them as a learning experience, because I admit them and I recognize them and I try to move on. And do not worry about what other people are telling you. Seriously, it seems like the nurse you asked came back with a response like she never had to work on any of those things. Everyone has to start somewhere and that nurse wasn't born with her knowledge and her skills, she had to work on them too. People forget that they ever had trouble in the beginning and that is something I tell myself I am never going to do. I am always going to welcome new people and to offer a helping hand and advice when needed (when I get to the point where I am actually able to give advice) . People may just say things to make themselves feel better so keep that in mind. Just know that you are working very hard and you have accomplished a lot of good things and that list will only get longer. Good luck:)