Hi, I am a fairly new RN and was being trained by two preceptors at a hospital. The one preceptor was very very good, the other was very rude and condescending to me for the two days that I had her. The second day of me working with the condescending preceptor, she was even more rude since it was the weekend. At the end of shift she was still talking down on me and I told her please don't talk to me like that because if you do not want to precept me then you don't have to. She responded "why do you feel that way?" I then told her that she seems negative toward me and makes me feel as though I am bugging her when I ask questions. I also told her that she does not check me off in my orientation packet on things that I have done (such as care for a pneumonia pt, use of pulse ox, neuro checks, etc). She responds by telling me that "I won't sign my name to nothing that I did not see you do!" I told her that I was not asking her to do that but she clearly saw that I took care of a pneumonia pt for 8 hours of the shift.
This particular preceptor was always giving me a hard time and gossiping about other workers all the time so I never trusted her. At the end of the shift after we disagreed on checkoffs, she surprisingly seemed so nice to me in the locker room, talking to me for 30 minutes after the shift stating how well I am doing with documentation (although she never checked me off for it) and suggested that my 2 week orientation should extended another two weeks. She also seemed to be empathetic about how a new nurse is feeling. She even apologized for her mistreatment toward me stating that "it was a hectic day." She then told me that she was going to talk to the boss about extending my orientation another two weeks because two weeks on a med-surg floor was just not enough time.
This all happened this past Saturday, well my boss called me this morning and asked "What happed when you worked." I told her about how she was acting toward me and that I felt at times that she appeared to not want to work with me. Well the boss fired me on the phone and told me she believes the preceptor and other staff which stated that I yelled at the preceptor. The boss said that since I was only orientating for a week, then losses should be cut now.
I never yelled at this preceptor and I know that this is unfair to me for being lied on and fired for hear-say. This has never happened to me before and I want to ask what do you all think that I should do? Have you ever heard of something like this before? I am now filing a complaint against this hospital with the HR dpt.
Well turns out, I am not fired, yet resigned as I wanted. After talking to HR and following MY instincts..I can and will be able to transfer to another facility and/or unit as my boss has now said that she would check the box on the resignation form that asks if she would recommend me. HR is also giving me everything in writing and I won't be barred from any of its facilities. I already have two interviews on different units, different hospitals, but same company. So, for those of you who thought that it was stupid for me to pursue my rights..I got what I wanted which was a clean record with this hospital. I never yelled at anyone and they can't prove that. The boss told me that I was not a good fit but feels that I will make an awesome nurse elsewhere...fine with me.
Hey Ladylike! Taz hit the nail on the head! She is always a great resourse (sp!) person to bounce ideas off of, vent and get an HONEST opinion.Tazzi always makes things clear when answering.
And, others may not agree with me, but I don't think that was the type of nurse that needs to precept. Heck, if she treated you like that, God only knows how she treats hes payients, esp. the ones who cannot help themselves.
I am so very sorry that you had to go through that. Feel free to pm me anytime if you need to vent or anything. Keep the faith if nursing is what youi want to do. And, keep plugging along. When you get one door RUDELY SLAMMED IN YOUR FACE, something else, usually better comes along! Don't give up one trotten a-- nuirse. Sounds like she has had an experience that has made her that way, and it was probably NOT you. You just happend to be in her line of fire!:thankya:PS, I have pprecepted nurses before, both RNs and LPNs, and I have Never treated one of mine that. There a no excuse for that!
Thanks a lot for that! This precptor did talk to patients very rude and I guess I am not that type of person or nurse. For example, a newly diagnosed DM pt had severe polyuria upon admission to the ER so he smelled of urine but was a sweet as pie. She downtalked him the entire day when she cared for him. She would even at times just come and start doing stuff on the pt without even explaining first. I asked her could I get him some clothes from someplace in the hospital and she just said "oh don't worry about it he is probaly like that all of the time." She told me I have to prioritize what to do in cases like this. Like I said, the other preceptor was awesome and I will go to another place..I konw that this is just a blessing in disguise. This unit already has 2 nurses leaving in a week or so because they can't deal any longer.
The part that really jumped out at me was the part about other nurses also telling the manager that you were yelling. Something I have learned over the years is that our perception of things is often not the actual truth.......you may not think you were yelling but if more than one person perceived it as such, you probably were not as nice as you believe you were.
Suzanne is right: during orientation/new hire probation, people can be let go for sneezing too many times. I doubt you'll get anywhere with HR.
I agree with the other posters, consider yourself blessed that you got out before you were there too long. Sounds like a bunch of old biddies with nothing better to do than cause a new nurse grief. If that hospital would do something like that to you...think of what they would do to an older employee with many years experience that they wanted to get rid of!!!!!
Unfortunately some preceptors are better than others and next time, let the MN know if there is a personality conflict with them.
Specializes in Psych/Rehab/Family practice/Oncology.
I am somewhat surprised at the lack of support for Ladylike. It might be different if both preceptors had difficulty with her, but I have had a couple preceptors that were hell on wheels, and felt very uncomfortable. I have even had patients complain to ME about my preceptors. I am sorry that she lost her job, employment at will or not. I would like to add that I have had wonderful preceptors for the most part over the years. Ladylike, just keep your chin up. I believe you're going to have a great career, so don't let this incident bring you down too much. Next place you're hired, find out ahead of time how the manager want's you to handle it if you're uncomfortable with a preceptor. Best luck!
I am somewhat surprised at the lack of support for Ladylike. It might be different if both preceptors had difficulty with her, but I have had a couple preceptors that were hell on wheels, and felt very uncomfortable. I have even had patients complain to ME about my preceptors. I am sorry that she lost her job, employment at will or not. I would like to add that I have had wonderful preceptors for the most part over the years. Ladylike, just keep your chin up. I believe you're going to have a great career, so don't let this incident bring you down too much. Next place you're hired, find out ahead of time how the manager want's you to handle it if you're uncomfortable with a preceptor. Best luck!
I am shocked as well, considering, my other preceptor was great with me and complimented me as needed and informed me of better ways to handle situations if I did something wrong or not so good. I am a new nurse and I welcome tips but with this preceptor she gave me really no feedback and for the things that she did (documentation) she refused to sign me off on it.
Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.
This is not a battle you are going to win. If there is anything to be learned from it, tuck it in your brain for later use and walk away. What do you want HR to do? Do you want your job back? It sounds like staff took a dislike to you for some reason. There's nothing to go back to there. As for a reference, you weren't there long enough to garner a reference, positive or negative. What is there to be gained by beating this dead horse? You might actually be hurting yourself by pushing your point.
I agree with tencat, I have worked with managers like that before and consider it a good thing it didn't work out. I don't think you want to work in an environment like that anyway. If management will jump to that conclusion without really listening to your side of the story she's the manager you don't wanna work for. trust me there's a lot of them.
This is not a battle you are going to win. If there is anything to be learned from it, tuck it in your brain for later use and walk away. What do you want HR to do? Do you want your job back? It sounds like staff took a dislike to you for some reason. There's nothing to go back to there. As for a reference, you weren't there long enough to garner a reference, positive or negative. What is there to be gained by beating this dead horse? You might actually be hurting yourself by pushing your point.
If you would have read the other posts then you would have seen that this is a big hospital system with other entities and I want to leave on good terms..not being fired, more like resigned so that in the future, I could go to other locations. I have already talked to HR and they have told me that the manager is willing to talk to me so that since it was not a good fit, I need to be able to resign my position. You cannot work at their other locations with being fired on record (with this facility). The unit as a whole did not take a disliking to me, just my preceptor..in fact others have told me nobody likes her. HR is making my manager give proof that others actually heard anything. This will wrap up tomorrow but I am not hurting myself for telling the truth...lesson learned..I just need them to clear my name but in the meantime, I am still looking for other jobs.
Sounds like an unfortunate thing that happened. Maybe she had a bad day like she said......maybe that is what she is like......a miserable person. What is confusing to me is how she left you on good terms after your talk after work then went to the manager and complained. And as for the others, maybe they just agreed with her to not have to deal with her attitude if they didn't. Sorry this happened to you and I wish you luck in your next endeavor.
I love precepting. When my orientee is through, has consistantly done well, I reward them with nursing tools, you know all of the stuff we like to keep in small plastic boxes,or decorative small shoulder bags. One nurse to this day uses old fashioned tin lunch boxes with a superhero on it. It is so cute!
I have bought lunch for my orientees upon completion. One orientee had experience with horses in her country of origin, I offered her to ride one of our horses and finished up with a late lunch to Shorty's Bar B Q. At this time, after eighteen months with us, she signed up to be a traveling nurse. Shes young, single and was still living at home. I told her if she wants to do something like this, she should do so now before she settles into a routine here in Miami.
Expand her horizons, meet new people, etc...She was an excellent orientee!!
There are those who simply can not make the transition from school to the ICU program, or from a med-surg floor to the ICU program, its important to have a good relationship on both sides when this is being evaluated. Some just need the med-surg experience and develop organizational skills and continue to develop their communication skills with patients', families, co-workers representing all health care worker classifications, as well as developing relationships with all nursing management staff on the floor where they are working.
If a preceptor and orientee relationship does not appear to work out, we speak with both of them, and get another preceptor to work with this "student" We are not hostile towards the new (potential) staff member. They are encouraged to become a part of "us" As a rule we're pretty laid back when working with students.
I have had only two orientees dismissed in 28-29 years of nursing practice. Others may leave on their own, knowing that they needed more experience than an ICU program with clinicals, classes, exams. Some we didn't mesh..and we worked out another plan for their orientation.
Overall, the advice and support given to you by the people who posted their thoughts about this, I would listen to. It is time to cut your losses and move on.
11g may have been a little harsh, but this does speak to the truth, which lies somewhere between your "truth" the preceptor's "truth" and the actual "truth"
Its important to look at yourself objectively. Believe me when I tell you from personal experience this is not the easiest thing to do.
Good Luck, learn from this and accept this as an experience that helps you grow as a person and professional.
Thanks for all of the positive replies. Turns out, the manger this morning miscommunicated to me that I was fired when she said that she would cut her losses now. After HR has spoke with her, she has now stated that I will be considered resigned from my RN position because it was not a good fit, citing personal differences. I will also have no trouble landing a job as RN within the same company at another hospital. The manager told me that she will check the box on the resignation form that states would you recommend for hire. I have faxed over my resignation. Moreover, I have already called back two managers to interview with them after I turned them down for working at the place that I am leaving. Now my former manager has told me that I will make a good nurse but this unit was not a good fit for me. HR will have all of this in writing tomorrow.
Problem solved..now I can get rehired within the same company at that hospital, different unit, or another hospital, same company.
To all of you who thought that fighting for my rights was stupid, well I got what I wanted, a clean record, which allows me to still get hired in this hospital system.
I'm glad to read that your record will read that you "resigned." I hadn't realized from your original post that the circumstances of your "firing" were such that it would prevent you from getting a job elsewhere.
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ladylikeRN
60 Posts
Thanks a lot for that! This precptor did talk to patients very rude and I guess I am not that type of person or nurse. For example, a newly diagnosed DM pt had severe polyuria upon admission to the ER so he smelled of urine but was a sweet as pie. She downtalked him the entire day when she cared for him. She would even at times just come and start doing stuff on the pt without even explaining first. I asked her could I get him some clothes from someplace in the hospital and she just said "oh don't worry about it he is probaly like that all of the time." She told me I have to prioritize what to do in cases like this. Like I said, the other preceptor was awesome and I will go to another place..I konw that this is just a blessing in disguise. This unit already has 2 nurses leaving in a week or so because they can't deal any longer.