New grads precepting???

Some of the units I float to literally have new grads fresh of orientation, few weeks up to 4 months orienting new grads. It's truly bonkers. There is literally one who is orienting a classmate.

And we're talking nurses who don't understand that just because the iv module says empty means that they shouldn't check bag. 9/10 they'll tell me the pump said it was complete so they shut it off, only to walk in and find half the bag still hanging there.

not much you can do about it though, just have to take the opportunity to teach everyone.

Nope.

Unless there is such high turnover that the new grads are the oldbies.

I've oriented people as a somewhat new grad and I honestly don't think it's a bad thing. I think I was able to relate well since I'd recently been through the process myself. And orientation is mainly about the flow of the unit and hospital policies ...not really about teaching nursing skills or judgement (at least, it shouldn't be).

Of course, there need to be experienced nurses on the unit. Preceptor and preceptee also need to have enough sense to seek out resources and advice when necessary. I think it's a very positive thing for a new grad to see that it's perfectly acceptable to ask for help in uncertain situations.

Experienced nurses seemed to appreciate not trudging through the simple stuff with an orientee and just being consulted for the "big" things. Sooo, I think it can work in some cases.

She is in the float pool training another new nurse.

This sentence is the biggest red flag.

Where I work you have to have at least two years experience in acute care to even be considered for our float pool, among other things like a certification or have leveled up on the clinical ladder, not to mention stellar peer and managerial reviews.

I mean no disrespect to nurses that started as new grads in the float pool. I'm sure you felt that you did smashingly and others told you so as well, but probably not as good as you thought. Some will do much better than others but they are far and few between, which is the reason that most float pools only hire experienced nurses. Once a facility hires a new grad into a float pool position it is just best for all of the staff to just support them until they catch up to speed...the same as the rest of us did...in a couple of years.

We tried it again a few years ago and while the ones we hired were of course the cream of the crop compared to the others that were hired in to the floors, they still all progressed similarly as they should have.

One of the more tricky learning curves (for the experienced nurse supporting the newer ones) is when the new float grad that doesn't see their short-comings or doesn't acknowledge what they just don't know.

We have one that is just hitting her two years now and I remember couldn't string tubing correctly for the first year...a very simple task...that was berating another nurse during bedside report the other day because she's getting more and more confident now. Really, two years in is just getting your feet wet. I'm almost at five and feel competent but no where like I'm an expert considering Brenner's nursing model. Oh well.

I have had to precept a few times as a new grad. Usually the situation is many orientees on the floor at the same time, all the regular preceptors already assigned an orientee, some of the other senior RNs refuse and the rest are newer than me. Not ideal and I have specifically said I will not take someone on a regular basis as I'm not ready for that, but I pitch in and take someone when asked.

My observation is that management picks those they deem exceptional and fast track them. The poor chosen individual is really the poor victim here. The floor may have senior nurses who have been non stop preceptors and need a break or to the point of refusing. A lot of employers no longer value experienced nurses and they may not see them as preceptors. Lots of reasons, but the end result is the increased risk of burning out a new nurse.

One of my friends that I graduated with (this past May) just told me that she was assigned to precept two new nurses on her floor at the same time. I was utterly shocked. She did have quite a bit of experience on the floor as an intern/extern/CNA prior to graduation and she is very bright and I'm sure doing well, but still! Hasn't even had her license for a year yet.