I'm a new grad nurse. I was assigned to a preceptor who gossiped about everyone, was nasty to patients, but at the same time very possessive of her patients. Just a few examples of her behavior; when passing meds, I was never going fast enough, so she'd butt in and do it herself because I was so slow. Hello? I'm going slow because I'm new and I want to be accurate and safe! I would ask questions constantly and she'd either ignore me or give me some smart retort. When showing me how to chart, she'd say, "Click here, then here, then here." Never a thorough explanation of what the heck was going on. It was brutal. I was learning nothing! I finally went to my nurse educator and asked to be switched to a different preceptor. She switched me with no problem; however, now the previous preceptor is (of course) gossiping about me and rallying her crew of toadies. A few nurses have asked me what happened, but I never say a word about the person. I just say that I needed a schedule change and leave it at that. I don't want the drama, but I have unfortunately found myself in it! I'm at the point that I just want to quit and find another job. This is insane. I'm stressed out not only because I feel so ill-prepared to care for patients, but in addition to having a target on my back now that I spoke up about the situation. But I had to do something because I was learning nothing!! Can someone help with some words of encouragement or advice or something? I don't know what to do. My personal life is suffering because I can't seem to let go of the worry. I hate the thought of having to go back there Monday.
I've had a similar experience with two preceptors in the past; in one instance (as a new grad) I switched, and in the other, I stuck it out. The reality is, if this person's been around on the unit long enough, people probably already know about her weaknesses as a preceptor. In the case of each of my 'dud' preceptors, I learned after the fact that they'd been 'fired' from precepting several times, or they'd been 'volun-told' to precept even though they actively didn't want to. She may be talking badly about you to deflect attention away from the fact that she was unsuccessful in the precepting role; frankly, even if her friends seem to agree with her on the surface, they're probably aware of the reality. Once you become closer to people on the unit, you may find that your coworkers actually empathize with you having to put up with her nonsense (again, speaking from experience).
As others have said, as hard as it may be, just try to focus on moving forward and not worry about her. If people bug you about it, you could also say that the two of you weren't a good fit; it gives you an opportunity to talk about her strengths, but point out how they're different from your learning style.
It's nobody's business. Do not say anything other than "shift change". I mean it. Do NOT say anything else.
Kooky Korky, BSN, RN
5,216 Posts
It's nobody's business. Do not say anything other than "shift change". I mean it. Do NOT say anything else.