Lets do this differently for a change.

How can you know if they are worth it? You may never know if they are up to your standards. But because they are humans with less experience than you they deserve to be treated respectfully and taught how to be a nurse. How many of us got out of school and wondered what we learned there? I learned more from a few good nurses at my first job than I feel like I did in school. Thank goodness they took me in and taught me and didn't wonder if I was really worth it. Are we really so tired and crotchety that we have to be mean to the newbies? I've told staff time and again - if you don't like them that's ok, but if you ever want to get out of nursing and have someone take care of you when you need it, you better play nice and teach the newbies everything you know. At a nursing association meeting about 8 yrs ago I heard that they had done a statistical study on nurses ages. The study concluded that nurses in TX were going to have to work until the age of 72 in order to assure that there would be nurses to take care of people in hospitals. I don't want to be a nurse when I am 72. I'm gonna go out of my way to make sure that they learn something and then pass it on to the next newbie. Working as a nurse for nearly 60 years was not what I envisioned for my life and I want someone available to take over.

Remember also the pressure that is on Preceptors.

they have to ensure you will be able to survive on your own.

They have weekly reports to do on your progress

Often they have weekly meetings to discuss your progress and determine your future needs

They have monthly meetings to learn new and appropiate ways orientate or clinical coach, or clinical guide. Who dreams up all these silly titles anyway

And Im sure there other things they have to do. also.

And finally, if it doesnt work out and you are not adequately oriented and a mistake is made. Do ever hear of the Flak that is lit under a preceptors rear end.

You orientees never know of all this. How you do is the responsiblity of your preceptor.

And because you think the preceptor is hard on you. Think again.

I think its important to remember that someone thought YOU were worth it. If you give your new nurse the time and energy and do it in an appropriate way they won't view it as being mean. I also feel that nurses have a duty to decide whether or not they should be a preceptor. Just as most nurses have their specialty and not every field of nursing is for everyone I don't feel every nurse is cut out to be a preceptor. I can honestly say I am the nurse I am today because of my preceptor taking me under his wing. I learned so much from him and I will never forget him and I often find myself asking what he would do in situations.

How can you know if they are worth it? You may never know if they are up to your standards. But because they are humans with less experience than you they deserve to be treated respectfully and taught how to be a nurse. How many of us got out of school and wondered what we learned there? I learned more from a few good nurses at my first job than I feel like I did in school. Thank goodness they took me in and taught me and didn't wonder if I was really worth it. Are we really so tired and crotchety that we have to be mean to the newbies? I've told staff time and again - if you don't like them that's ok, but if you ever want to get out of nursing and have someone take care of you when you need it, you better play nice and teach the newbies everything you know. At a nursing association meeting about 8 yrs ago I heard that they had done a statistical study on nurses ages. The study concluded that nurses in TX were going to have to work until the age of 72 in order to assure that there would be nurses to take care of people in hospitals. I don't want to be a nurse when I am 72. I'm gonna go out of my way to make sure that they learn something and then pass it on to the next newbie. Working as a nurse for nearly 60 years was not what I envisioned for my life and I want someone available to take over.

I never plan on quitting.

They will one day find out in a back hall some shift, deader and colder than a mackerel

Remember also the pressure that is on Preceptors.

they have to ensure you will be able to survive on your own.

They have weekly reports to do on your progress

Often they have weekly meetings to discuss your progress and determine your future needs

They have monthly meetings to learn new and appropiate ways orientate or clinical coach, or clinical guide. Who dreams up all these silly titles anyway

And Im sure there other things they have to do. also.

And finally, if it doesnt work out and you are not adequately oriented and a mistake is made. Do ever hear of the Flak that is lit under a preceptors rear end.

You orientees never know of all this. How you do is the responsiblity of your preceptor.

And because you think the preceptor is hard on you. Think again.

And that is exactly why I say I could have handled the situation with that secondary preceptor "more gracefully".

I'm not a preceptor yet. On my floor, you hopefully have at least 2 years experience before you are set loose on your very own orientee. As I said, we have a very young floor.

But as I spend more time on the floor and have more experience, and as I get to know the more senior nurses as friends and colleagues as opposed to "my preceptor", I gain a better understanding of all the "hoops" that you jump through as a preceptor.

And I become a little more grateful that people want to take the time and trouble. Precepting is a lot of work.

Even though I haven't oriented/precepted anyone as a nurse, I have done so as management at my previous job.

Hope for the best, cover your butt for the worst, give them the chance to succeed, but watch their back so that they don't have the chance to miss something crucial. If they do, find a way to convey the seriousness of the action/lack of action without completely destroying the orientee's sense of competence and self-worth.

I give a lot of credit to all you preceptors. It's a tough job. I hope I can do as good a job and teach my orientees as much as my preceptors taught me. (Even the lessons I may not have realized I was learning at the time.)

Thanks to those of you who thought I was "worth it". I hope I can eventually do the same for my orientees in the future.

I have not been a "new nurse" for quite a while now, but when I went from med-surg to ICU 3 years ago, it was a whole different ballgame. I had been floated to the ICU on several occasions as a med-surg nurse, but now that the ICU was going to be my "home", I got the new nurse treatment, and for that I am very grateful. I had to precept on both days and nights. I greatly preferred days, even though that was where all of the "mean" nurses were. It was the "mean nurses" that taught me more than the "nice nurses" on nights did, and I really appreciate all of the "old mean nurses" far and wide. Thank you for taking the time and patience to train the "newbies"!!

In the old days we would classify newbies as will be's, wanna be's, will never be's and should never have been's

Which one were/are you?............

Which one were/are you?............

I came in as an Already is.

But before RN

Was Hospital Corpsman 1968 to 1972, Orderly afterwards, then EMT and ran an EMS service through school. I already knew it all.

I came in as an Already is.

But before RN

Was Hospital Corpsman 1968 to 1972, Orderly afterwards, then EMT and ran an EMS service through school. I already knew it all.

I was treated very well during orientation. One thing that definitely helped was my prior experience in an unlicensed position. I already knew that I didn't already know it all.

Not long ago, one morning after a long night, a couple of my mentors were remarking how they sometimes come to me for advice. I must admit, it was a pretty nice ego boost, although on the whole, I'd say it's still more usually me asking them for advice.

Nursing is a tough job. You could spend a week listing all of the negatives and still omit plenty of them. But, damn, it's rewarding when you're in the midst of like-minded folks ready to work together and do whatever it takes to "keep 'em alive until 7:45."

Remember also the pressure that is on Preceptors.

they have to ensure you will be able to survive on your own.

They have weekly reports to do on your progress

Often they have weekly meetings to discuss your progress and determine your future needs

They have monthly meetings to learn new and appropiate ways orientate or clinical coach, or clinical guide. Who dreams up all these silly titles anyway

And Im sure there other things they have to do. also.

And finally, if it doesnt work out and you are not adequately oriented and a mistake is made. Do ever hear of the Flak that is lit under a preceptors rear end.

You orientees never know of all this. How you do is the responsiblity of your preceptor.

And because you think the preceptor is hard on you. Think again.

I have precepted on many occasions. I was held responsible for teaching a set of skills and a body of knowledge relating to my unit and for reporting back to my education coordinator and my manager on how the orientee/preceptee were doing but I was not held responsible if they did not learn what I was teaching them.

If you didnt teach them properly I would have held you to task

If you didnt teach them properly I would have held you to task

That is different, you are held accountable to teach them certain things which should be spelled out clearly in writing b/f your first day w/ the preceptee. If you don't follow the written guidelines, then you are not doing the job you were asked to do and should be held accountable.

I have, however, never been held accountable for what a preceptee was not able to learn or was not able to experience during their precepting time. If you are and you have a choice about precepting I would not precept under any circumstance. Some people just don't get it and it is not my fault they don't.

P.S Documentation is the key here. If you document your attempts to teach them (and if I am having trouble getting some concept across, I usually try to find someone to help me), then you have done your best and mabey this person is not cut out for your unit. You jusst have to show you tried.