Precepting someone older than you

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello all, I have a couple of questions for you guys. I am currently 23 years old, have worked in the ICU for close to a year, achieving my NCLEX, PALS, ACLS, TNCC and working on taking my CCRN and TCAR in August/September. Recently, my manager told me I would be precepting someone new to our unit and while I was flattered I was also shocked and surprised because there were others on my time of my shifts with more time and experience in nursing than me. So I have two possible headaches coming up and I will tell you what they are.

1. The RN I will be precepting will be a female and 30 years old coming over from a step down unit, while I am only 23 years old and male. Do you think I will have problems with this due to the age and gender difference? If so, how can I help make this go smoother?

2. I know the other RN's will take notice that a employee who has barely been there a year is precepting someone to the unit when they have more experience. I have 2000+ hours of working for my 1 year evaluation, have gone out of my way to cover shifts when none of the other RN's would, been to all types of seminars and education opportunities, while most are happy with an ACLS and PALS. All these education and seminars are nice and opened my eyes, but still experience does not trump these and I know that.

So, my question is how can I make this possible future headache go smoothly? I think I just need to concentrate on my preceptor and keep my head down for a while, but if there are other suggestions I am more than willingly to listen to them. Also, precepting suggestions would be nice because this will be my first time doing it. Thanks!

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I have precepted people both older than me and with more experience. I have also precepted people younger than me with more experience. ;)

Develop a rapport. Respect the skill set they have, seek their input on where they think they need help, give honest feedback in a straightforward and professional manner. If sex or age factor in, that is their problem, not yours.

I think it is a terrific sign of your management's confidence in you to get tapped to do this. Bask in that for a bit and let it boost your own sense of confidence. This likely will only be a headache if you perceive it that way. Treat her the way you would want to be treated. Mentor as appropriate, respect the skill set they are coming in with. You will do great.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Hang on there Skippy. I don't think you have a clear understanding of the purpose of precepting a new employee. It's not about you. Your responsibility is to familiarize her with the unit routines, rules & regs. Most likely, this will be new information for her - age/experience don't have any thing to do with it. Your behavior could make a huge difference in how she feels about her new job - and whether she decides to stay. Job satisfaction and employee retention are the goals.

You will also need to validate skills/competency - compare her performance to the pre-determined criteria outlined in the procedure .... NOT your criteria, the ones on the documents. The skills are not 'better' or 'worse' than those she already has, they're just different. If she asks, you should provide pointers or helpful hints. DO NOT cross boundaries by attempting to exercise any type of superiority/authority... you are her peer, not her supervisor. Take the time to acknowledge her experience and expertise. Clearly communicate the pre-determined performance expectations & make sure to provide her with any additional resources she needs such as references, classes, etc.

If you were transitioning into her unit, the roles would be reversed. You were a newbie once, you will be again when you move on to another job. Stay humble.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

I've had preceptors who were younger than me, but they had more than one year of exp.

As far as your co-workers not covering shifts or doing extras, consider that they may have family responsibilities that you as a young male do not. It doesn't necessarily mean they are lazy.

Good luck with your assignment.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

the age is of no significance. THe good news is, you are AWARE of potential issues and want to make the experience good for all concerned. I think that attitude will be an asset to you

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

My first new grad that I precepted was about 15 years older than I. I handled it no differently than I would have handled precepting someone 15 years younger than I. Focus on the fact that you are precepting a nurse that is new to your unit. The nurse's age and gender are unimportant.

Also, if your manager asked you to precept, they have confidence in your knowledge and in your ability to do the job of precepting. It doesn't imply that you are more competetent than your peers, or that they are less competent than you. All it means is that your manager thought you'd make a good preceptor--don't try to read something into it that isn't there.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

One of our managers liked the "newer" folks to precept, since "they still remember what the problems of a newbie are", and hopefully are really up to date on stuff we "well seasoned and charred" ones take for granted.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

There's nothing quite like teaching to help you understand and retain the material! I always figure that if I cannot teach a skill to a new employee, then I need to brush up on my own understanding of the material.

I've had preceptors that weren't even born yet when I started nursing; when you transition to a different job, a different unit, a different hospital, you orient. You work with a preceptor. It's just a fact of nursing. Age and gender won't be an issue unless you let it be. You're teaching how your unit operates, your routines, your charting. And you may be teaching skills she hasn't had an opportunity to learn yet and validating her current skills with a checklist. Be objective -- there should be criteria for evaluating her skills already in place.

And remember that part of the job of a preceptor is to socialize the orientee to your unit. One of my preceptors told me that included a lesson in ordering take-out from the local restaurants! Another preceptor at another job oriented me to the unit potluck.

Good luck!

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Specializes in ICU.

I am 38 and would have no problem with you orienting me. Most people who are coming to the game later on in life will realize that we will have younger people in charge of us. I am sure after your first day everything will be fine. Some of my classes have high school kids in them who are doing dual enrollment classes. I get along with everyone there. And the fact that your bosses trust you enough to do this speaks very highly of you.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

I have precepted many times and have had only one bad experience but each experience has offered me individual growth. Just wondering why, or if, you had not contemplated that you manager chose you to precept to help you grow as well? Besides, your more seasoned nurses on the unit may either not want to precept or could be burned out right now. As others have suggested, just stay humble and open up to the possibility that you may learn way more than you teach. Good luck!!!

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I had a 23 year old preceptor when I was 27.

Its not a big deal. i mean 30 and 23, theyre still pretty close to your age so I wouldnt expect it to be anything bizarre.

If you were precepting someone who was like 68, then yeah I could see it being awkward. but a 23 year old, and a 30 year old, it shouldnt be any different than precepting one of your friends or classmates from nursing school.

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Only 23?

She's only a few years above you man. 30 is closer then you think

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