So I moved for a job 300 miles away from home...this was my first nursing job...I have no prior hospital experience,this was a big change for me but I was also quite excited (it took me nearly 6 months to find a job)...well the position I found was in a private teaching hospital on a telemetry floor...very nice unit,nice people I guess you can say a dream job...I was happy despite being far away from my hometown and my family,friends and a boyfriend..When I was first introduced my preceptor she appeared to be nice and pleasant but also had that look about her that told you "be aware of her she might smile but she looks tough" Well at first she was nice and enouraging,telling me when she first started working on this unit she felt overwhelmed and she didnt know a lots of meds etc..so I thought that she was humble and "cool".Then fast forward to a day when she asked me to give an IM injection in the arm (flu shoot) Ok so I graduated from a ADN program and we didnt get any experience in a flu clinics during our school so I asked her if she could demonstrate an IM injection on a patient just this one time for me (since I never had given an IM injection in the arm before) Mistake number one!! She got upset and was "shocked" that I never gave an IM injection in the arm...then she told me straight up to my face "that I must come from a lousy school" That day she went into manager office and told her that my school didnt prepare me well enough for the real world,strike number one....then she went ahead and told everyone on the floor that I dont know anything...oh and she also asked me "if I like it over here and if I ever though about transferring?" Mind you this was my second week on the floor!!! But despite being discouraged I kept going and showing up every day one hour earlier before my start time....It is worth to mention that my preceptor never discussed our patients with me,never asked my opinion,what was the plan for the day etc,during lunch never spoke about our patients,nothing....I often had a feeling that she "was bothered by questions and I was hesistant to ask questions and I often felt discourage to ask questions or even scared at that point! Well then came strike number two,patient had a low blood pressure and she asked me to take his bloood pressure manually,so I put on a cuff on the patient inflated the cuff but for the life of me I couldnt hear a thing....so anyway since the patient was unstable and she was in the room with me I told her if she could recheck for me since I couldnt hear anything....she did..Later I realized that my stethoscope somehow got turned off,but I guess it was too late cause she run to the manager office and told her that she doubts that I can handle unstable patient,so later that day my manager call me and her to the office for a meeting.....the manager voiced her concern to me with the preceptor backup,the manager told me that according my preceptor I'm not meeting my goals and she is giving me one week to improve (I should have known right there and then I was going to be terminated in the near future)..so I tried my best the following week,yes I did my share of mistakes (nothing major,nothing to do with a patient safety)...all of the sudden (that week) my preceptor started to take interest in me....asking me which patient I think I should go see first,what did I think the plan for the day was for each patient...asking me did I check my labs etc??? I swear to you she never bothered to ask me that before...I guess she got scared after the previous meeting with the manager...So like I was saying that week I made some mistakes but also I caugh a lot of things (like inflitrating IVs,patient pulling out IVs,pressure ulcers) my skills were getting better,I was gaining more and more confidence and started to feel that I can do it....still had some trouble with prioritizing but I think that is expected of a new grad,unfortunately not on this floor..well fastforward to yesterday (sunday)...very busy day,my preceptor was a charge nurse and one of the nurses overslept and she had to take care of her patients so she left me with 'our patients" well I handle my patients quite smoothly,finally felt like a real nurse and went home with a light heart and happy that things finally are coming together for...hah what a dillusionment of my part....today monday my manager calls me home in the morning to come in to see her ( I was suppose work a night shift today with my preceptor)..I have a feeling that something is wrong...so I go with a heavy heart...the human resource person is there,all of the sudden I know I'm getting fired...so the manager tells me that she doesnt think I'm a good fit for this floor,that she spoke with my preceptor friday and she still thinks I have trouble prioritizing...I'm crushed I'm trying to explain that I'm a new nurse and that comes with an experience and that there is always someone there to help...but my manager is set on her mind...she tells me that I should go into med surg first and then maybe after one year reapply if I want (is she ******* kiddding or what??)..I almost burst into tears,yep,signed the termination papers and left...yep so that is my story what do yo think?
Just bouncing off what Sue added... why not contact your mentor, and, well, IDK... ask if she knows of any other positions she might know of. Did you like your time in preop?
Just bouncing off what Sue added... why not contact your mentor, and, well, IDK... ask if she knows of any other positions she might know of. Did you like your time in preop?
I did it was really cool,you have one patient at a time LOL:))) Right now i have to think it over,i dont know if I can face this hospital right now.
Okay, I think I did misunderstand you. It looks like what you actually said was
"Well I think they didnt offer to transfer because during my first meeting with the manager I said that I dont see any difference between "making it" on a tele floor or med-surg,"
Still, not quite sure that was the right thing to say to your manager, but water under the bridge. Keep in mind for next time.
It certainly does sound like you were stuck with someone who doesn't have the necessary qualities to be a good preceptor, and that is really too bad.
I had about five different preceptors in my ten days' orientation as a brand new LPN on a cardiac interventional/tele floor, then a similar experience upon RN licensure, so I know all about sink or swim. That might be why I come off as a little tough.
There are nurses that like to teach and will take you under their wing, and nurses that couldn't mentor their way out of a paper bag, whether due to lack of interest or lack of ability. You will rub up against both of those and everything in between.
I hope you know that my criticism is meant to be constructive, and hopefully give you some things to think about to avoid pitfalls in the future.
You complained about your preceptor to someone not in your group and an outsider took your side and went to your boss. You were toast the day you did that.
I cannot understand the impatience of seasoned nurses with new graduates, I just don't get it. Prioritizing comes with experience. Did they at least allow you to complete your orientation period before showing you the door? Gosh!!!
Let me tell you something based on your explanation, the problem is not you. I'm not trying to dog your preceptor too much, but I feel that she was just way too impatient and premature and should have given you more time before making her final judgment. Prioritizing takes time and is something you still have to work on way after your orientation period. As far as skills go there is nothing wrong with asking for a demonstration.
Don't give up or despair, pick yourself up, brush yourself off and try to move forward.. "This too shall pass". Get out there and start applying for new jobs and as someone pointed out try getting into a hospital with a nurse residency program if you can. Also bear the following in mind:
The first impression a preceptor has of a preceptee can set the stage for how much confidence he/she places in the preceptee during orientation (just my humble opinion).
My biggest advice to you is to be proactive during your next Job orientation and help run your own show, it will demonstrate that you hold yourself accountable for your own learning experience:
1. On your first day of orientation with your preceptor request a meeting if even for 30 minutes so you can tell him or her about your past experiences. For example, I told my preceptor that I have a lot of experience with G-tubes and Traches, but not a lot in other areas. For example, I have done IV starts before and one IM injection (in a NICU) but I still need more opportunity to practice. I am telling you to explain these things in the beginning, so that it doesn't come across as if you just don't know anything at all or that the school you went to was not a good school etc.
2. Let your preceptor know that you may ask for a demonstration of certain skills as a refresher because you may not have done them enough in the past.
3. At some point during your first week of orientation write a list of skills relevant to the job that you feel ok with such as: taking vital signs, blood sugar checks, subQ injections etc. and write another list of skills you would like more opportunity to practice during orientation. Again this will give your preceptor a mental picture of where you are skills wise, so there are no surprises if you ask for a demonstration of a particular skill you are not comfortable with.
4. At the end of each day of orientation summarize what you learned and the next day when you go to work with your preceptor, spend a few minutes going over what she taught you the day before, because that will make him or her realize that you do listen and make note of what he/she is teaching you. It may help the preceptor feel good about his/her preceptingl.
5. Keep a running list of every pt you have seen (identify by pt condition ex. TIA pt) and the skills you had an opportunity to perform, so that if for example your preceptor says you should know how to do X Y Z by now, you can remind him or her that you haven't had certain opportunities as yet. You know what I mean. I know all of what I'm telling you sounds a lot, but I did it and it really wasn't difficult.
Keep the faith, vent and cry off your frustration if you need to, but keep on applying for jobs.
Best Wishes
Great post I will grasuate next semster and I will follow all the advice you just gave!!!
You complained about your preceptor to someone not in your group and an outsider took your side and went to your boss. You were toast the day you did that.
Yes but I only did that after my my first meeting with the manager and my preceptor..I felt like broken-hearted when the preceptor talked so much trash about me,but nothing positive.I felt so discouraged and was looking for someone to vent and see what they had to say..and my mentor really helped me,she told me that it takes one year for a new nurse to feel cofident,she told me to keep reading and practice skills at home,she also told me that nurses should always ask questions,at that point I didnt care anymore if all this will go to my preceptor,obviously she made everything in her power to make me look bad,and i'm not saying at front of the manager but every one on the unit.
Specializes in AA&I, research,peds, radiation oncology.
I signed a lease for 3 months only (thank God)..April is my last month...also I took a huge pay cut..they were paying me 20.77 hours per hour wheras in my original state nurses on a night shift start of at 30 per hour...so to sum it up I moved out of state for a lower paying job that didnt work out plus I lost a tons of money to come here...
Okay, I'm sorry for your loss of THIS job but let's look at some positives-You didn't lose your license, you're not stuck in a year-long or longer lease, and you can go home and possibly get a better paying job with the experience you did get.You seem to be healthy and able to find another position-although it's a tough market out there. Count your blessings!!
Work on your weakness. (Time management) Yes, you are a new nurse, but you've got to get past that. Take some initiative, pull yourself together, and let's move on to those other open doors out there for you.
We've all been there before(either fired or new nurses) and we made it. So can you!!!
Okay, I'm sorry for your loss of THIS job but let's look at some positives-You didn't lose your license, you're not stuck in a year-long or longer lease, and you can go home and possibly get a better paying job with the experience you did get.You seem to be healthy and able to find another position-although it's a tough market out there. Count your blessings!!
Work on your weakness. (Time management) Yes, you are a new nurse, but you've got to get past that. Take some initiative, pull yourself together, and let's move on to those other open doors out there for you.
We've all been there before(either fired or new nurses) and we made it. So can you!!!
Should I mention on the job applications that I used work at this particular hospital or keep quiet? I really dont know what do in this situation
Since you were only there such a very short time and did not complete your probationary period, many people would suggest that you leave this off your resume and future applications. This is a tough one to call.
If you applied for any kind of credit while employed there, even something like a new cell phone plan, this employer will show up on your consumer credit reports like experian, transunion, etc.
I felt so discouraged and was looking for someone to vent and see what they had to say..and my mentor really helped me.
Unfortunately, you never know who will say something to management, so you need to be careful about what you say or who you talk about. It doesn't matter if they're your mentor. Maybe they thought they'd be helping you out by saying something...or maybe they're friends with the person you're venting about and wanted to give them a heads-up...or maybe they just like spreading the word.
At work, I once casually mentioned to someone (not even a nurse, mind you!) that the pharmacy hadn't sent enough of the medication my patient needed and it was frustrating. It was a passing remark, not meant to go any further than her. Said person took it upon herself to call pharmacy and chew them out for not sending enough meds. Then pharmacy called to chew me out because they thought I had sicced her on them.
Later, I learned that this seemingly innocuous person is close with a few of the TPTB and tends to pass along to them information both good and bad. I never would have guessed...
So you need to be very careful about venting at work.
netglow, ASN, RN
4,412 Posts
Just bouncing off what Sue added... why not contact your mentor, and, well, IDK... ask if she knows of any other positions she might know of. Did you like your time in preop?