How can I show my appreciation to my preceptors? Any ideas?

Published

Specializes in Medical/Surgical.

I am a new nurse currently in the last few weeks of my orientation on a busy med/surg unit. I have worked on this unit as a tech during nursing school so I am pretty familiar with the staff here. I have worked morning shift mainly with one preceptor but when she is not around I have had 2 other nurses who cover her as my preceptor. Now I have rotated to night shift for orientation and I am always with one preceptor. So essentially I have had 4 nurses who have precepted me and they are all very wonderful and nice. I have had great experiences with all of them so I want to let them know that!

My question is has any of you guys expressed appreciation to your preceptors in some form of way? I am not sure what I want to do. I definitely will be writing some thank you cards for all of them. But what else can I do? I want to do something nice and simple especially for my 2 main preceptors but without being too expensive.

Gift cards, chocolate, candy, bath/body lotion...I don't know. What do you guys think? Any input would be great :balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

I've got it! A thank you card to each and enclosed with it a gift certificate to a bookstore! No nurse I know doesn't enjoy reading. Why, it's part of our job to be good readers ;0)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The card is nice. How about a letter to Human Resources telling them what great preceptors you had? It goes on their employment record that way.

How about some nice black pens with their cards? Always need pens and they are not too expensive, bearing in mind the student budget.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.

Starbucks gift cards or any thing that involves chocolate.

Trust me on this one!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in midwifery, NICU.

Yep...CHOCOLATE!!:lol2::lol2::lol2:

No, honestly, you dont have to spend money to show how much you appreciate their help. Can you make each one a card, dont buy it, make it? Stick a wee flower on the front,or some stars, or some pretty pictures, and write a wee bit inside... from your heart. ( the only money you may need to spend is for card and glue, and maybe a wee gold coloured pen) Things like this, they have some meaning, as they are from the heart. Chocolate is nice, but easily forgotten..(apart from on the hips!!:lol2:)

I treasure personal messages and wee homemade momentos, one of my most treasured is a wild daisy pressed to a card, with a personal message inside, from one of the best students i ever had!!

Spending money does not make things special...heartfelt gestures do!;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.

I WANT CHOCOLATE!!!

Oops, sorry, did I say that out loud?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in midwifery, NICU.
:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:
Up Vote Up Vote ×
The card is nice. How about a letter to Human Resources telling them what great preceptors you had? It goes on their employment record that way.
:yelclap:

With copies to the manager and higher-ups too :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.

I've given cards, and pharmaceutical pens I bought in bulk from Ebay. They were a huge hit.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=pharmaceutical+pens&category0=

See link above. You can usually get a ton of pens to pass around to multiple people, costing you less than $20. Practical, yet affordable.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I definitely agree that any "thank you's" be copied to the preceptors' managers so that they can be placed in their personnel file. That way, they can get official credit for having done a good job and it might help their careers in some way later down the road. Too often, we forget to do that sort of thing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

The most appreciated things I have received in the past include a hand written card and lotion. Nurses need lotion. Someone gave me a violet (I have an office) two years ago and it has been fun to watch it grow, but floor nurses do not have space for cutsie things usually.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, med-surg.

I got a Thank-you card for my preceptor with a giftcard to a sporting goods store, knowing that she is all about fitness!

She totally did not want to accept my sign of appreciation and I had to tell her that she would insult me if she returned the gift to me.

Giving is not easy... at least a card would be ok, I think.

Diana

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion