Just need to vent a little about my preceptor

[BoonersmomRN]

I am orienting to the NICU which is my dream job.

I did 8 weeks on nights ( which is what I will be doing once off orientation) and I loved my night preceptor. She was patient, thorough, etc etc. No problems at all! I learned a lot from her.

I switched to days for the remainder of my orientation and I have been having serious issues with my day preceptor annd I just need to vent to feel better so please just let me do so!

OK the good points are that she is also a good teacher. She explains things well.

The problems I am having a- here are a few

A) When she has made a mistake she puts all the blame on me. For example she took a page out of patient A's chart and then put in back in patient B's chart. When the Dr. couldn't find it she and I went looking for it. I am looking all around patient A's area and she immediately went to patient B's...where she found it..in the chart..where SHE put it...and when she found it there she went off on me telling in front of the Dr. and the parents saying " these are your pt's and this is your responsibility". I was dumbfounded. She did it and she flat out made me look like the one who screwed up.

B) I can't say " could you pass me that syringe" for example. If I don't say " please" at the end she won't get it until I " say the magic word". I am not joking. The other day I was suctioning my pt who is vented and still trying to get my sterile technique down and I dropped the saline bullet so I turned to her and said " X, I accidentally dropped my saline bullet could you possibly hand me another one from the drawer" and she pretended like she didn't hear me so I said " X, I could really use your help for a second" and she goes " mmm hmmm but you didn't say PLEASE now did you?". Now I am all for manners but I don't feel like I need to be treated like a child. AND I noticed she doesn't do this with any of the nurses on the floor when they ask her for help

C) She micromanages everything I do. If I put a label on a syringe she will come behind me and take it off and replace it so it's precisely straight across for example and not a little higher on one side because " the parents pick up on lack of professionalism and this label is not on straight". So I have been spending a lot of time making sure every label I stick on everything ( like even the suction canister) is perfectly straight across and not a little skewed one side higher than the other and she will still come behind me, take it off, and replace it....even if it's perfect the first time. One of the other nurses had a pt in our room the other day and when my preceptor walked out she turned to me and said " I can't believe she is torturing you with this ridiculous stuff.... nothing you do is good enough for her". She charts a certain way and I chart the way I was taught my my night preceptor and of course picked up tips from my day one...but she won't let me write a note without standing over me and making me change my wording 10 times. EVen on a simple note such as " Mom at bedside" ( which we have to do) .. which is what EVERY nurse writes she made me change " mom" to " mother".

Anyway I have only 6 more shifts left with her. I have learned a lot since there are things we do on days that night shift doesn't get to see so it's been busy but she's driving me up the wall and most days I am left wanting to A) cry or B) strangle her

Thanks for letting me vent

[Happy TBA Nurse]

It sounds like she's trying to give you a hard time. I wouldn't take it personally. She probably does that to all the new nurses. It's good that your looking at the situation positively and trying to get the most out of it.

[nightmare, RN]

Well ,if you can put up with her you will put up with some of the more demanding patients/relatives you might get in your career!Keep telling yourself '5,4,3,2,1' !

[moose76]

Sounds like the preceptor from hell like I had. The only fortunate thing I learned from her is how I would never act as a preceptor if I had the opportunity someday. Take what you can learn from here-but all that ridiculous crap of straightening labels, etc., sounds like wasted time-especially in the type of unit you are in.

I only had 8 weeks with her-thank god-and by week 5, realized this was supposed to be a learning experience and not nursing bootcamp 101. She too would set me up and then tear me down. I can remember her talking about how "terrible of a nurse" I was to one of her co-workers outside the pt's room because I took the MAR with me in the room to identify the meds and pt. I was royally chewed out for a good 10 minutes. Nice. Come to find out, she had precepted before (my school was desperate for preceptors) and had did the same crap to others. Like you, I endured it, took what I could, but finally at the end told my instructor in a professional manner about her lack of leadership. My instructor was in shock and did some investigating. Found out it she had failed the boards 3 times and had some type of complex with students-again Nice!. I didn't judge her for that-but my ultimate goal was to prevent this whacko from possibly destroying the hopes a future nursing student as she almost did to me. In the end-it was a power trip thing and I honestly think I made her nervous with my questions about meds, etc. Again, isn't a preceptor suppose to teach?

Anyway-hang in there. It sounds like you are doing awesome. I would just make sure you thank the good preceptor on nights in some way-just by even a note because she may be a good reference in the future.:bowingpur

[moose76]

Sounds like the preceptor from hell like I had. The only fortunate thing I learned from her is how I would never act as a preceptor if I had the opportunity someday. Take what you can learn from here-but all that ridiculous crap of straightening labels, etc., sounds like wasted time-especially in the type of unit you are in.

I only had 8 weeks with her-thank god-and by week 5, realized this was supposed to be a learning experience and not nursing bootcamp 101. She too would set me up and then tear me down. I can remember her talking about how "terrible of a nurse" I was to one of her co-workers outside the pt's room because I took the MAR with me in the room to identify the meds and pt. I was royally chewed out for a good 10 minutes. Nice. Come to find out, she had precepted before (my school was desperate for preceptors) and had did the same crap to others. Like you, I endured it, took what I could, but finally at the end told my instructor in a professional manner about her lack of leadership. My instructor was in shock and did some investigating. Found out it she had failed the boards 3 times and had some type of complex with students-again Nice!. I didn't judge her for that-but my ultimate goal was to prevent this whacko from possibly destroying the hopes a future nursing student as she almost did to me. In the end-it was a power trip thing and I honestly think I made her nervous with my questions about meds, etc. Again, isn't a preceptor suppose to teach?

Anyway-hang in there. It sounds like you are doing awesome. I would just make sure you thank the good preceptor on nights in some way-just by even a note because she may be a good reference in the future.:bowingpur

"What goes around comes around"

[lvnandmomx3]

I would mark days off on the calendar........LOL but that is just me. Keep taking long breaths and count to ten under your breath.

[NoWaNrN, ASN, RN]

A lot of the times if you tell your manager of these situations they can help. Really her making you say please before she helps you could interfere with pt care. That really sucks she is treating you that way. Have you ever said any thing to her? You could simply say This is how I chart and I am giving the same info you would just in different wording. Who cares if it say mom or mother really? Any one would know who you were talking about.

[SoundofMusic]

That kind of stuff, especially the charting example -- I would simply not tolerate. As long as it stands up in a court of law -- and I believe that would, it is YOUR charting and you have the perogative to write it any way you please.

Ask her and challenge her a bit. WHY mother instead of mom -- and also ask her if perhaps it's a waste of time to argue over such small potatoes.

I couldn't deal with a preceptor like that . ..although I have problems of my own with mine as well.

I suppose as long as you were learning, it could be tolerated and laughed off, but I'd have a hard time holding my tongue.