Is this considered bullying?

[helpnewnurse]

I've only been a nurse for about 5 weeks (and I'm still currently in orientation). Apparently my manager complained that I am too shy and that I've been in orienting in days for way too long (I'm supposed to be working night shift).

I feel like my preceptor has been saying negative things about me behind my back because my manager always pulls me into her office and gives me a talk. And whenever I pass her in the hallway she always looks down and avoids eye contact with me.

I just wanted to ask for your opinion about this...

Anyway,... (this was the first day I met my preceptor) before I clocked in, I came in early to write down all of her patients names and what time I should pass out meds. Then all of a sudden my preceptor comes in and yells at me "that's a waste of time! Are you taking care of all those patients? No, you're only taking care of 2 of my patients. You have to wait until I give you your assignment!" So after that, I always wait for her but she tends to come in late so I never have the time to look up info on my patients...

Another time she told me to empty a patient's Foley bag. I never worked as a tech before so I didn't know how to empty it. So I kind of had to figure it out and the urine accidentally got on my pants and I looked behind me and I saw her laughing.

One last thing.. my hospital has certain protocols for high-alert medication. There's this one medication that has a specific calculation depending on the patient's weight and labs. My preceptor got the calculations wrong and told my manager that it was my fault that I didn't understand the protocol. But it was my first time learning about the calculation and the protocol and yet I was blamed for the mistake.

I just want to know if I should talk to my manager about this... I've just been holding everything in because I don't want to create tension between me and my precepror... and I'm not sure if I can ask my manager for another preceptor..

Also, how long is orientation supposed to be? I feel really bad because I'm supposed to be orienting for nights already.. Like I mentioned before.. I'm already 5 weeks in and yet I feel like I'm probably going to need another 2-3 more weeks before switching to night shift..

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

You can certainly ask for another preceptor, but you are not being bullied.

[MakeMeAnRN]

I would personally ask for a new preceptor. It boggles my mind the amount of nurses who accept interns, who hate teaching! I am sorry you're experiencing this! As a new RN, you also need to advocate for yourself and maybe confront your preceptor and maybe explain that you don't appreciate the way she's acting towards you and you are not in a positive learning environment.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I would personally ask for a new preceptor. It boggles my mind the amount of nurses who accept interns, who hate teaching! I am sorry you're experiencing this! As a new RN, you also need to advocate for yourself and maybe confront your preceptor and maybe explain that you don't appreciate the way she's acting towards you and you are not in a positive learning environment.

Sometimes, the preceptor is not asked but told.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I would personally ask for a new preceptor. It boggles my mind the amount of nurses who accept interns, who hate teaching! I am sorry you're experiencing this! As a new RN, you also need to advocate for yourself and maybe confront your preceptor and maybe explain that you don't appreciate the way she's acting towards you and you are not in a positive learning environment.

The preceptor doesn't always have a choice. The manager could just say "Sue, you're precepting this new employee for the next 12 weeks."

[Mavrick, BSN, RN]

I would try to get a new preceptor. Use the old soft touch excuse that "it's not a good fit" or "I have a different learning style". You could come out looking like the put together one without burning your bridges.

Being forced to have a nursing student or new employee without your consent is hard on a practicing nurse as that responsibility is a lot more than some people can handle. It's not the best way to utilize your personnel.

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

She is a bully,she does not like teaching,you are her scapegoat.Stand up for yourself,I know it is scary as a new nurse,but you want and need to have proper orientation, be professional ,offer solutions ,perhaps it is best to get off that shift.

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

The length of your orientation should have been planned and discussed with you in advance. If you aren't sure how long you will be given for orientation, ask your manager.

It seems like a good solution would be to have a sit down with your preceptor and your manager. Explain that you feel like it's time for you to transition to night shift so that you can get accustomed to the work flows and your body can adjust physiologically. Ask for concrete feedback on your performance so far and identify some goals for the remainder of your orientation (ask how long that will be). It doesn't really matter if your preceptor is a bully, hates teaching, or tried to throw you under the bus. Your relationship with her is short term- do what you can to end it amicably as soon as possible and find a better fit for your night shift orientation. But for what it's worth, any decent manager will see right through that whole, "The brand new nurse I'm responsible for teaching made the mistake." excuse.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I would personally ask for a new preceptor. It boggles my mind the amount of nurses who accept interns, who hate teaching! I am sorry you're experiencing this! As a new RN, you also need to advocate for yourself and maybe confront your preceptor and maybe explain that you don't appreciate the way she's acting towards you and you are not in a positive learning environment.

It's not the amount of nurses who accept interns who hate teaching. Often, the nurses aren't asked to precept or given any warning until the moment they meet that orientee. Sometimes a nurse who has been continuously precepting for a decade gets burned out on precepting, asks for a break and isn't granted the break.

Asking for a new preceptor is likely to put a target on your back. My manager's take is that a new employee needs to learn to get along with the established employees. While she sometimes grants a new preceptor, the new preceptor is talked with figuring out whether the new employee is worth retaining. I hate being put into that position, but have been.

To answer the original question, the OP is not being bullied. It is the preceptor's job to keep the manager informed on the new employee's progress: what they're doing well, where they need to improve. Your preceptor isn't "going behind your back." Your expectation should be that she is doing her job of keeping the manager (and educator, other preceptors and charge nurses) about your progress and your learning needs.

And I don't think "yelling" means what the OP thinks it means, either. Unless there is a raised voice that can be heard across the barnyard or town square, there is no yelling. "Yelling" does not mean "an interaction I don't like." Neither does "bullying".

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

The length of your orientation should have been planned and discussed with you in advance. If you aren't sure how long you will be given for orientation, ask your manager.

It seems like a good solution would be to have a sit down with your preceptor and your manager. Explain that you feel like it's time for you to transition to night shift so that you can get accustomed to the work flows and your body can adjust physiologically. Ask for concrete feedback on your performance so far and identify some goals for the remainder of your orientation (ask how long that will be). It doesn't really matter if your preceptor is a bully, hates teaching, or tried to throw you under the bus. Your relationship with her is short term- do what you can to end it amicably as soon as possible and find a better fit for your night shift orientation. But for what it's worth, any decent manager will see right through that whole, "The brand new nurse I'm responsible for teaching made the mistake." excuse.

This! This is good advice.