6 months out of school and Im precepting??!!

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I work at a LTC facility and have roughly 21 pt to care for. I graduated 6 months ago and am still learning the ropes myself. The other day I had four students with me!!! Anyone else have this happen to them?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

We start orienting new staff after about 6 months for nurses that are doing well. I'd take it as a compliment although at my job having nursing students isn't what we consider precepting.

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=)

Yes, I've been there, done that. At my work an email solicited RNs for precepting; when few RNs voluteered I thought, "Why not?" Yes, sometimes it almost felt like the blind leading the blind. However, I must admit, I believe it made a better nurse for doing so. At least I like to think so. =)

- Luis

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I don't think it's a great idea, myself. You can be the smartest graduate in the world, but if you have little to no experience, I don't think you can be able to be an effective preceptor. Hospitals, etc. should pay preceptors extra for doing this invaluable service. Then they would get experienced people to be preceptors.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.
I don't think it's a great idea, myself. You can be the smartest graduate in the world, but if you have little to no experience, I don't think you can be able to be an effective preceptor. Hospitals, etc. should pay preceptors extra for doing this invaluable service. Then they would get experienced people to be preceptors.

I think she means having nursing school student assigned to her patients. I don't now of anywhere that pays extra for this.

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I am dealing with the same thing. I work in a prison, graduated in May, started beginning of September and have been training since 1.5 months in and now I am a charge nurse on most of my shifts. Its crazy!

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Sometimes they do that so you as the preceptor solidify your own knowledge through teaching others. It definitely worked that way for me. If you do it, then you teach it, you truly learn it.

Our unit for a while made everyone preceptors, sent everyone to a class, and we all really enjoyed it. Now, for some reason, only 1 or 2 favorites seem to be selected as preceptors and the rest of us are stuck w/ our own assignments. I don't know why they even bothered to send us all to training. As a group, we oriented many new folks to the unit and they are all doing well. Some of these "favorites" actually drove off some new nurses and we are having a hard time retaining new people. I just don't get it.

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Specializes in OR.

I've never been charge nurse, but I had lots of student nurses under me after a couple months of being on the floor, and preceptored a seniors practicum after only 7 months. I really enjoyed it, it showed me how far I have come since graduation! I think the students really enjoyed having someone they could relate to.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

the more you teach the more you learn

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

I'd say as a new nurse 4 students are probably too many to have, but... 1 or 2 could even be helpful to you, as long as their instructor was there. Generally they are just shadowing or have their own limited assignment reguarding 1 or 2 patients and/or aren't usually looking for you to teach or supervise them over much... ( at least we weren't) They can take some load off of you can they not? As for precepting new licenced staff... I think that should be for a more seasoned nurse.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, LTC, Rehab.

I have 9 months experience and had to precept a nurse who had 10 years previous experience. It was only for a couple of shifts but I felt like there was nothing I could teach her that she didn't all ready know. Maybe some things related to policies/procedures/paperwork. But I'm still figuring out some of that stuff myself. It was like the blind leading the blind IMO.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I can relate. I got my license, and had only 5 days of training with another nurse on a busy med-surg floor. My very first day with my own patient load, I was given two students, from the school I just graduated from, from the instructor I just took finals from. I told her it was my first day on my own, and had no clue what I was doing yet. She told me I would be fine, and just do my best. What a day. :uhoh3:

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