What makes you nervous about or irritated with a new grad or orientee?

[GardenDove]

I've noticed alot of threads lately from new nurses who seemed quite stressed out, which I can totally understand, I've been there for sure. So I thought I'd start a thread from the other POV. This shouldn't be an opportunity to be sarcastic or uncharitable, but maybe it can help a new grad to see the other side of the story.

I get nervous by a new nurse who doesn't ask questions. I also will have misgivings about a new nurse who asks a question and then argues with my answer. Also, a new nurse who knows it all makes me nervous.

I get irritated by a cocky new nurse. A little bit of deference and humilty is a good thing. But someone who grovels makes me unsettled. I also get annoyed if a new nurse is too bossy with the pts.

[peekqboo]

Or like the newby who told me she didn't go to school for four years to empty a bed pan.

[Imafloat, BSN, RN]

As a new nurse I find nothing offensive in this thread. I think it is helpful.

Do new nurses who contemplate drive you all crazy?

I worry that I take everything too seriously. I need to think things through before I do them, which worries me as a nurse, because I won't always have the time. Working in the NICU, I realize that a mistake can have a negative impact on a patient's entire lifetime so this makes me check just one more time. I hope that experience will give me more confidence and I won't check so much.

[EmerNurse, BSN, RN]

I have a problem with know-it-alls and folks who say they're "fine" when you ask how they're doing, and you find them sniffling in the med room later about how they want to quit. If you're having trouble or you're overwhelmed, TELL SOMEONE FOR GOD'S SAKE! I am always always willing to help out, answer questions, whatever but please don't tell me you're fine when you're not.

Also, new nurses (or even old ones in a very new setting) who don't think they have to educate themselves. If it's not a class offered (and PAID) by the employer, they simply don't learn it. Nursing is NOT all on the job training. It's extra learning, CEUs, seeking out info you don't understand, looking stuff up - even ON YOUR OWN TIME! Can't tell you how many nurses look at me and go "What's a CEU?" Erm, didn't they tell you that you need 'em to renew your license????? Ok THAT is my biggest pet peeve. Don't complain that every little thing is new when you won't even go out of your way to learn it!

OK phew - shutting up now and getting the heck off the soapbox.

[galenight, BSN, RN]

First she yelled at me for using the scoop and sweep technique after I drew up the medication. She claimed the needle wouldn't be sterile?

What is the scoop and sweep technique? I've been a nurse for 10 years and have never heard of this. I love to learn new and better ways of doing things.

[mauxtav8r]

Thanks, to all of you "seasoned" nurses who are telling it like it is. The OP brings up a great thread here - let new nurses know how they are perceived by experienced nurses.

Believe me, (I'm a student), those "know it alls" are just as annoying in clinicals as they are after they start work.

About the need to ask for help, I found my most uncomfortable day so far in clinical BY FAR to be a day when I was deeply behind by 9:30. Not to bore everyone with a long story, but I thought I should have been able to do it, but when my instructor circulated by and asked how I was, thankfully I had the humility to tell her YES! She bailed me out and later complimented me for understanding that I was behind, even that early in the day.

I felt more uncomfortable about that day, questioning my abilities, wondering if I was in the wrong field, wondering if my good academics would really translate to the floor . . . but in the end I think I learned more that day than ever before.

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

In my 14 yrs of nursing (with many preceptees) I have only had issues with one new nurse. I think a big factor with her was that she thought she was much more knowledgeable with her BSN than the rest of us ADN's and LPN's. But that's not what this thread is about, please let's not make it about that. This lady would have had a superior attitude about something even if the hadn't had a 4yr degree.

She was a know it all and wanted to argue procedure with me; not defending it as "this is the latest research" but as "I think the better way to do this would be. . ."

One big argument we had was she called a physician and got an order, she then proceeded (without asking me how to do it, without my knowledge she was doing this) to write a narrative note about her call to the physician and the orders received on the physician order sheet. Because she thought that was the best way to do things. I made her take the order sheet out and rewrite the order appropriately (there were no other orders on the page). I was never mean, I tend to be very easy going with my preceptees.

She eventually left our shift, then our floor (stepdown unit) to go to Surgical ICU, she quickly left them and I believe she found her home in Home Health Care (where her day to day interaction with other nurses was more limited). These transfers were all due to interpersonal conflicts.

I'm sure to this day she would swear this was due to all the experienced nurses turning on her and "eating their young". That's why I tend to not respond much to threads about this as I know there are two sides to every story.

[RazorbackRN, BSN, RN]

What is the scoop and sweep technique? I've been a nurse for 10 years and have never heard of this. I love to learn new and better ways of doing things.

That is where you scoop up the cap of the needle to recap prior to giving the injection.

[Jules A, MSN]

This is a good thread. I'm surprised there are so many mentions of arguing. It doesn't make sense to me that someone new and learning would argue with the person taking their time to train them. Thanks for sharing.

[BJLynn]

I have a problem with new nurses that don't seem to listen. You painfully explain things and your rationals behind them, only to have the nurse go and do the oppisite. Then said nurse says something to the effect, I didn't think that applied to this situation. WTH...? What did we just go over for the past twenty minutes? Or new nurses (or experienced ones too) that don't seem to actually read the MAR. THAT one scares me.

[Jules A, MSN]

I didn't argue with her. After all, she was signing her name to the chart. I'm just a student.

But, when I talked to my instructor, she told me to ignore the nurse's "suggestions" and go with the techniques we learned. After all, we were being taught the most up to date ways to perform procedures and the procedures are evidence based.

I'm just wondering how to handle this in future clinicals. What do ya'll think about that? Any ideas?

Hi, I'm fresh out of school so my opinion might not be too valued but I think you handled it perfectly. It is her patient, her floor and as long as you don't feel it is endangering the patient I would accomodate her preference. Our instructors were a little more diplomatic in my school and would have instructed us to do just what you did. We would discuss it in post conference and brainstorm a bit but they wouldn't have ever suggested we ignore the nurse under these circumstances.

[Roy Fokker, BSN, RN]

As a new nurse I find nothing offensive in this thread. I think it is helpful.

Ditto.

I've had two preceptors for my first job (our Med-Surg floor is split in two - Gen.Surg and Ortho). Both of them were excellent - the ortho one more so.

She kept telling me that she didn't want to be a 'nag' but I need to do this, or that or I need to make sure to do this or that. I didn't think she was being a nag at all - more like saving my butt from making dumb mistakes.

At the very start she pulled me aside and told me - "I don't mind if you ask the same question a thousand times - that's what I'm here for. I'd rather you ask me a question - no matter how dumb/silly you think it is - rather than NOT ask and make a mistake which costs the both of us."

I loved her for her infinite patience and felt guilty whenever I took too much time to do something because it invariably meant making her stay longer at work when she'd rather be with her family.

My only concern with preceptors is the "responsibility/independence" issue - my second preceptor kinda let me do a lot stuff on my own... not necessarily a bad thing, but I was hoping for a looking towards some more pointed guidance.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you preceptors out there who strive to make us n00bs efficient, independent and confident. Thanks for answering our absurd questions. Thanks for being patient. Thanks for teaching us nifty time saving tricks. And thanks for sticking up and supporting us when surgeons go around on a tear looking for someone's head to chew off!

cheers,

[TazziRN, RN]

Everything that's already been said.....

To newbies: if you have a different idea about how something should be done, I will be happy to discuss it with you if there is time. HOWEVER.....if I tell you that this is how it needs to be done for whatever reason (doctor preference, P&P, whatever), do not argue with me and stomp off and tell your fellow newbies that your preceptor doesn't know what she's doing. I didn't get this far by not knowing what I'm doing.