How are the other RN's treating you?

bear2496 · Oct 22, 2007

I am a 3rd semester nursing student. And I can tell you that the RN's at the hospitals are great. I am in a PBL (Problem based learning program and it sucks!!!) The RN's at the hospital teach me way more than I am learning in College. They are very sympathetic and understanding that a PBL learning situation is not the best.

David's Harp · Oct 22, 2007

It's been hard, but I can't for the life of me imagine a nurse on my floor yelling at a student for not knowing how to hang albumin like that. I've been very fortunate to end up where I have - I know other floors in the same hospital aren't as generally friendly as mine.

There is the "bad egg" here and there: the nurse you dread reporting off to who asks a zillion questions that you _know_ aren't necessary yet cuts you off when you start to go into details that _are_:angryfire, a couple not-so-team players as well, but none of the witches/demons I've seen and heard about elsewhere, and this goes for managers & other staff as well. Makes me nervous about months from now, when I'll be eligible to float to other floors - maybe I should pick up a pair of boxing gloves now! :rolleyes:

-Kevin

HealthyRN · Oct 22, 2007

I am now in my second year of nursing, but I would like to share some experiences. I started out in the ER and my preceptor was wonderful. She was very patient and willing to explain everything. Probably the best thing that she did was tell me (again and again) that there are no stupid questions. She made me feel that I was able to share anything with her. She also made it clear that she enjoyed being a preceptor and it was something that she wanted to do.

In my first job, I also had a nurse that made life very difficult for me. She would go out of her way to intimidate me and say rude and condescending things. She always did it when there was noone around to hear her. For example, I would be sitting down and charting and she would come over and say, "Why are you in my chair? Did I say that you could #%&*$#@ sit there?" If I said something back to her, she would then say, "Oh, I'm just joking." At first, I was really intimidated, but I eventually got sick of it and told her to never talk to me like that again. She left me alone after that and she eventually ended up quitting. Another nurse later confided in me that she treated all the new employees like that and she had been banned from ever serving as a preceptor because of it. I wish that I would have told the manager about it.

Justme123 · Oct 22, 2007

There must be some unwritten acceptance about the nurses eating their young. I even went to a Seminar before graduating that touched upon this very subject encouraging us to NOT act like that. There should be consequence for nurses acting like that. It goes against everything a nurse stands for, at least that's my opinion. Treating another like they are stupid serves no purpose than a cheap way of making themselves feel better. I've had run in's with a few during school and now out on my own. Fortunatly, I've had the pleasure of knowing a lot of GOOD nurses who do offer the support and knowledge a newbie needs. I think in ANY profession it's important to know when it's time to move on. I think a lot of the sour puss nurses need to do just that. They aren't doing their job as a patient advocate by mistreating new grads. And I think management should take a very dim view of anyone acting like that. Not just tolerate it as a way of 'earning your wings'.

At least that's my two cents.

Bonnie Nurse · Oct 23, 2007

I have been in nursing less than five years. I was an educator for about 12 years before that.

Your idea about teaching RN's to be good teachers and mentors is wonderful. It is sorely needed from what i have observed in the field. I believe many nurses would be interested and many could develop good teaching techniques. Please feel free to email me privately for further discussion. I have discussed this at length with a friend who is a director of teacher education at a nearby university. I would be very interested in contributing to developing a curriculum in any way.

blessed02 · Oct 23, 2007

Hi First year graduates,
I'm a Fourth semester ADN nursing instructor who loves her students and wants to make things better for them. I know the first year out is very hard. I also know that sometimes the experienced nurses make it harder for you. I'm doing my master's project on developing a class that can help RN's learn to use more mentoring behaviors towards students and new graduates. I need your stories about things the nurses did that really helped and things that made your life as a new nurse harder. Any stories from while you were in school would be helpful too.
I know that I had a student come out of a room last semester crying because the nurse screamed at her about hanging some albumin, saying "I can't believe a fourth semester student doesn't know how to do this. I just need to be away from you!" This was in front of patients, visitors, etc. I could've choked her. That student was excellent and did not deserve that type of treatment. She is now in her first year and is doing very well.
What does a mentor act like in your eyes? What characteristics do they have? Are they patient..., etc?
Help me make a difference.
Tug[/quote
I am a May 2007 graduate. Did my boards within 3 weeks of graduation ,then i was accepted in a fellowship program so started orientation July 9th to september 30th.
Well i assigned to a preceptor who used to run around the unit saying am busy i dont have time to explain things to you right now- i informed my clinical educator and after the first week was given a new preceptor. She was okay when she was in a good mood but would shout and embarrass me in front of other nurses, doctors by saying oh you cant do this... you just came out of school- I never replied coz heard about nurses who kill their young and she would be my workmate, i always tried to ignore this behavior,
On the third week that i worked with her a pt who had sepsis and was on vancomycin iv qd had to go to physical therapy about 20 minutes after i had started the infusion- being new to the place i wasnt comfortable stopping the iv since you have to maintain the abt blood level/the same time you administer, and also should the line become infiltrated or something the physical therapists who are on another floor probably cant handle it, so i asked my preceptor gave her my reasons , she shouted at me infront of everybody, i almost passed out. Use your head....and on .. and on she went off on me..
I normally dont talk back to people but i let her finish and told her i dont think it nice the way she answered me since it was my first time to ask that kind of question, not like she had told me before, then she said, "now am not nice" go stop it and leave me alone.
She was off the next day and had someone precept me- the new one was an angel. She asked me questions, was very respectful to me, very patient let me try out procedures, supportive and reminded me that it will take about 6 months for me to start getting my foot on the gound. She also reminded me that even the best nurses learn new things everyday, A skill is something that i may have to do several times before i really get it and to keep a reference book handy, look up stuff i dont know when i get home. During my evaluation for that week my preceptor told my clinical educator that i was rude to her , my educator asked for my side of the story- and i said no one has evr made me feel dumb like her- i know am not dumb- graduated with honors, the unit mgr and the clinical ed. told her praise in public, criticize in a private area.
After this eval. she has been so nice to me and i just got off orientation- 2nd week on my own and i am determined to make it!
There are very few nurses in my unit who are supportive especially the older nurses and i have no idea why. They are so critical (-ve ). I l like constructive critiscm. They expect you to know everything
I have bought several small references book that i read everyday. I ask questions when i dont know ,and most of the time ask the younger nurses, they are more friendlier and not too dismissive.
Sorry rant?

allthingsbright · Oct 23, 2007

About to graduate and can honestly say I've had a pretty good run-any wierd attitude stuff I can honestly attribute to personality issues and not the fact that the nurses I've encountered want to "eat me." LOL!

Couple weeks ago I was done w/ patient care (we only had 1 pt per student as the census was low) and asked an RN if I could shadow her (no one needed my help, there were no call lights going of, etc). She said sure and my instructor said that would be cool. The 1st room we walked into the RN introduced me to the pt as a nursing student who "doesnt like to work so is following me around." I almost fell on the floor laughing-she was serious. So I politely told her after leaving the room that I was going to find some work to do and she nodded and smiled as I went off to help a tech do accuchecks. She was a little nutty in other ways, but I wont get into it here...

That was my "worst" experience. Not too bad, eh?

GL all! :)

linzz · Oct 23, 2007

I had one good preceptor who made an effort to teach and be supportive. I also had one who spent no time teaching, and even went so far as to take days of work, not assign me to another nurse and then write me up for being absent. This was a problem because we need to work under a nurse and need a certain amount of clinical hours. She also would loudly make comments like, "Only someone useless needs a preceptor, in my day, we just had to learn at work". Eventually I went to the teacher and asked to be assigned elsewhere. A few weeks later, my teacher told me that this person is no longer a preceptor.

catlynLPN · Oct 23, 2007

I am now in my second year of nursing, but I would like to share some experiences. I started out in the ER and my preceptor was wonderful. She was very patient and willing to explain everything. Probably the best thing that she did was tell me (again and again) that there are no stupid questions. She made me feel that I was able to share anything with her. She also made it clear that she enjoyed being a preceptor and it was something that she wanted to do.
In my first job, I also had a nurse that made life very difficult for me. She would go out of her way to intimidate me and say rude and condescending things. She always did it when there was noone around to hear her. For example, I would be sitting down and charting and she would come over and say, "Why are you in my chair? Did I say that you could #%&*$#@ sit there?" If I said something back to her, she would then say, "Oh, I'm just joking." At first, I was really intimidated, but I eventually got sick of it and told her to never talk to me like that again. She left me alone after that and she eventually ended up quitting. Another nurse later confided in me that she treated all the new employees like that and she had been banned from ever serving as a preceptor because of it. I wish that I would have told the manager about it.

You should have told her you didn't see her @#$%^&* name on that chair and you would sit anywhere you please.

AprilRNhere · Oct 23, 2007

I guess I've mostly had good experiences. I expect to be treated poorly, and am happy when I am not. I know i won't always be new..and just deal with it. I havne't had a horrible experience yet..and when I do..I plan to just tell them it's unacceptable...and that I'll find someone more willing to help the next time around.

mrscurtwkids4 · Oct 23, 2007

I graduated May 2007. I passed the NCLEX on the 2nd try on Sept.17th. I just worked my first day off of orientation yesterday. As far as preceptors are concerned, I love most of the nurses that work on my floor during my shift. They are a big part of the reason that I chose to want to work on that floor. They were very willing to help and answer questions and didn't make you feel like a total idiot for not knowing something. They don't expect me to know everything....heck, they are willing to admit that they don't know everything either! None of us ever will. I chose this floor because of this because I had some terrible experiences at other hospitals during clinicals while in nursing school. They would make you feel an inch tall if you asked something that they felt you should know already. I've found that nursing is a career in which you learn something new nearly everyday, and that every patient is not textbook. And many times, it's best for the patient to combine the knowledge of severeal nurses to figure things out than have one struggling to figure things out. I've found from my experience so far that the nurses that don't feel comfortable in helping more inexperienced nurses to learn and grow are not very comfortable with their own knowledge base and their abilities (that or they just aren't very personable individuals). Those are generally the nurses that have let their career in nursing become just jobs.