My preceptor gets frustrated with me.

Nurses General Nursing

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I feel down and I just need to get it out.

I'm a new grad and I'm in orientation. This is my 2nd week on med/surg floor with my preceptor.

I might be a slow learner but I am trying so hard to become a good nurse. My preceptor on the floor doesn't explain a lot to me but she just tell me

what to do. I just started working and I wanted to LEARN.

I had to discuss my pts' condition with Dr today (they do this every Friday) so she told me that I had to read almost everything in the chart (operative note, progress note, H&P, lab results in like 10 mins). She told me that I had to know everything because I needed to be able to answer any questions he'd ask. She told me that she'd be right there with me when they do this discussion thing but she didn't even come out from the break room because she was eating. When I asked her to be there with me she got very frustrated. This was my first time and I felt so overwhelmed. The only good thing was the Dr was very nice. He even said that my preceptor should have been there with me since I'm a new nurse and this is my first time.

There are a lot of things that I don't agree with her. Is that because I just graduated from nursing school and the real life is different than textbooks???

One of my pts was taking k-dur tablets but she had a hard time swallowing so I asked my preceptor if we could ask Dr to change the order to capsule ones. She said "there's nothing we can do about it so we would just crush and dissolve in warm water, and give with apple sauce" but it clearly stated "DO NOT CRUSH". I reminded her twice but she told me it's okay. Is it really???

My other pt was using PCA. She was confused so there was a sitter in the room. This sitter was CNA but my preceptor told her to push PCA button when the pt gets agitated and if he looks like he's in pain. CNA shouldn't push the button right??? or is it just in the textbook??? My preceptor argued with other new grad that it's the right thing to do because we have to take care of his pain.

I am not learning from her and I feel like I'm getting behind. I only have a few more days with this preceptor and I will move on to different floor with different preceptor. I hope things will be different. Thank you for reading.....

Thank you all!! I appreciate every reply you guys posted here. I hope I'll be able to find a good mentor or preceptor soon. I'm thinking about talking to the manager if I could be with a different preceptor.

Just tell her that GardenDove thinks your precepter sucks, okay? That should take care of matters... ;)

ROFL Dove :rotfl:

Specializes in Rehab, LTC, Peds, Hospice.

Your first insinct was right about the capsules. I have the MD switch the order all the time to Micro-K for my little old people who can not swallow big pills. Micro-K capsules can be opened and put in applesauce if needed. Many people complain of a 'burning' sensation with the liquid which you dilute. There are also packets of powdered potassium you mix with juice, but I can not remember the name of it. It bugs me too when people crush everything. Time consuming but definitely being an advocate. As far as the pca pump, the cna should notify you when they look uncomfortable, what if it isn't pain related? Plus you'll be aware if there needs to be adjustments with his pain medication, etc. And yes it is illegal for her to do so. In my state LPNs don't touch them either. Be respectful and stick to your guns.

No one but the patient should ever push the PCA button.

It might be time for a reevaluation of the patient, perhaps it is not appropriate for him/her to be using a PCA pump.

In school, we're taught that if we do something wrong, we'll be failed. Yet the second we set foot outside of school, we see nurses doing things "wrong" left and right and there being no clear repercussions or clear ways to deal with these inconsistencies.

We were warned that we might run across nurses who don't do things 'by the book' and that we should just do what we 'know' is right. That's overly simplistic in my opinion. As a newbie, you know you don't know as much as the experienced nurses, though you may know a few things that they don't.

It seems that in practice, a questionable practice is either ignored or it becomes a disciplinary issue (getting written up). I'll again blame it on tight staffing because in most places no one has the time or resources to make sure each unit's nurses are all on the same page in regard to usual practice.

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