Mentors and preceptors I would welcome your advice.
I am currently mentoring a newly promoted nurse who is struggling. The hospital temporarily promotes junior nurses to senior nurse post for a period of three months. The party line is that is gives them a protected opportunity to experience a senior post but it also gives management a chance to check out how they would do in a senior post.
Some months ago four nurses got offered temporary senior posts. Three have had there turn and they all took to it like ducks to water. My concerns are for the fourth nurse, Rob. Clinically he is probably the most sound the issue is personality. He is quiet and reflective and is currently in danger of being eaten alive. His ex peers are making his role much harder than necessary, they are questioning his decisions and doing there own thing rather that what he is asking or directing. For example he asked that a patient be put in one particular area of the department and the nurse in charge of that area came back all guns blazing saying that she felt the patient was unsafe there. Rob could give sound reasons for placing the patient in that area and he also had a more than adequate grasp of what was going on in the rest of the department and I agreed with his decision. He got into a discussion with the nurse and quietly backed down and moved the patient to an area that was already pressured. His ex peers are in general confident, skilled and assertive and certainly not backwards in coming forward, there is also a little bit of resentment as although many of them did not apply for the post secretly a few of them would like the opportunity.
Despite the fact that the shift he is running are going well and he is doing really well his confidence is at an all time low and he is just looking forward to going back to being a regular nurse.
I would welcome advice. I meet with him at the start and end of each shift, feedback on every positive and talk through other ways he can handle his ex peers. On a couple of occasions I have intervened when the junior nurses have actively challenged his decisions but feel this is really counter-productive as they immediately back down leaving Rob feeling worse than ever.
I know that if I talked with the junior nurses and either told them that this behaviour will stop, or appeal to their better nature and ask them to support me by supporting Rob then they will but again I am not sure if this is the right approach.
I would really like to turn this around and welcome advice.
If I had the luxury of time I would not be too worried as over time I know junior nurses would grow to respect his clinical skills and quiet approach but he doesn't have this and I am concerned that a very good sound nurse is going to end this experience negatively.
