new med/surg grad. Don't want any enemies, got a new preceptor, need advice permali

Published

Specializes in anything that I had my clinicals in.

permalink

so i have worked on the floor for 8 days now, new grad. I worked three twelves in a row on days and then will be working nights shortly. The first week on the floor was really busy. My preceptor wasn't there the first day and the other two she was charge so i didn't get much attention. The second week went a little better but she still seemed too busy to show me how to chart correctly on the computer, had me running around everywhere trying to find things, and just didn't seem too interested to take the time to show me anything.

The last week with her was horrible. It seemed no mater what i did nothing was right. I thought i was in the wrong until the charge nurse asked if i was okay and that she noticed it as well. The last day I worked with her she told me she was a little concerned. I was only up to three patients, didn't know what to do in an emergency situation, and i needed more time to orientate. Then she gave me five patients that day with all these meds and prn's. i did okay but still felt like i wasn't living up to her expectations. I wasn't fast enough, and she would throw way too much at me at one time. I spent a lot of the time trying to find things or figure out the doc writen orders or figuring out where this medication was held. I went home crying because I knew I did the best I could but it did not seem it was good enough. I wondered what I could do differently the next time and what I could have done better. I always went in with a positive attitude and was ready to learn. I really don't know what went wrong that last week. It went from "you did a good job" the first couple weeks to "I'm a little concerned"!

I got a new preceptor and he is patient, allows me to take my time when I need to, and I did three patient's like a breeze. Today she found out she is not precepting me anymore (I didn't work today). It wasn't my idea to change my preceptor; the charge nurse that confronted me called me up my first day off from the last twelve and said that it may be better to have a different preceptor. I am not knowing what to say when I see her again. I talked to a few other people who have approached me and they noticed her attitude towards me as well. Any advice out there. Oh and by the way, she did precept another grad and they got along realy well...maybe there was something i was doing wrong!!!?:o

I am glad that the charge nurse said something because I don't want to make any enemies. She (my old preceptor) has worked on that floor for 15+ years. And it's not only her, she has a really good friend on that unit as well, they are joined at the hip. I'm afraid that both are going to treat me differently now. I'm not saying I though she was someone who "ate their young" just that her teaching style and my personality and the way I learn were not working together.

Anyone out there who was a preceptor to a new grad and the new grad left you for a different preceptor not because you were not good at being a preceptor but because your personalities did not match. And when you found out you were not going to precept that person anymore how did you feel and act towards that new grad the next time you saw them. I am so lost, I just don't want any enemies.:uhoh21:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Rural Health.

Actually, about 5 months into me being an RN I got a new grad. I was still trying to figure out my role as an RN, didn't want a new grad in the mix. I talked to my manager about it - no avail and I got the new grad anyway because that's how the cookie crumbled. I had worked almost 2 full years in this ER by this point (I was a tech during NS) - she figured at least I could do is show her the basics of the ER.

Well, she hated me and did not like my teaching style AT ALL. We clashed BIG TIME and no matter what I said or how I said it - it was taken the wrong way.

This went on until she finally complained about me and was moved to another area and another schedule.

Fast foward - we are great friends now.

I wasn't a good preceptor to her and she was not a good preceptee to me. It was nothing more and I never took it personally. She deserved a better orientation than I could give her and we both knew that from day one.

Enjoy your new preceptor, learn from everyone you can and you'll do just fine...I promise!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This hospital is letting you down. Leaving you on your own when you are supposed to be precepted is just plain wrong.

A preceptor should never be charge at the same time she is precepting a new nurse. If she is off you should be off. You need to work the same schedule while you are precepting.

Thowing 5 ER patients at you after only 8 days as a new grad and expecting you to handle it on your own is dangerous.

Your concerns about if this nurse will hate you are the least of what should be bothering you.

You talk about her "teaching style" it sounds like she did not teach at all.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You are in a hospital that is typical of many. Unfortunately, it is one of the bad ones. You are not getting what you need. It is not your fault, it is theirs. Just because that nurse has been a nurse for a long time does not mean that she knows how to teach.

She would have to have some big cajones to come and say anything to you directly that would be ugly. If she does, you'll have to decide to tell the truth or to fudge things and to simply say that you were assigned another preceptor, end of story.

Treat her nicely. Don't be afraid. Treat her the same as when you were paired off (if that was a good way). If you have a chance to ask her a question, even if you know the answer, it may help her to feel that you still value her opinion.

In a perfect world I would advise you to find a job that provides a better orientation. But since your story is getting to be the norm, I am not sure that you will find anyplace better.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatric, Rehab, and Pulmonary.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. I have been in healthcare for almost 17 years and have two licenses; Respiratory Care and Nursing (RRT,RPFT,RN). When I started Respiratory Care, I never experienced any problems like you are talking about, however in nursing I have seen it alot. Don't get me wrong I proud to be a nurse as well as a Respiratory Care Practitioner but I am a little disapointed in the way nurses treat each other. If you are confronted by this nurse that treated you this way, just be nice and tell her she needs to discuss the situation with the department manager who made the preceptor change. Don't worry about her, concentrate on your career, not the ones who try to destroy it.:lol2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical Surgical.

Where the heck is your manager in all this?? Not your fault; poor supervision and inadequate management. Definitely ask the former preceptor for advice; grit your teeth if necessary and "confide" in several people how much you admire this individual. Or you could be facing some difficulty that is not of your making. My advice, anyway.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This happened to me straight out of school as well. I had qualified to precept in a specialty area, and my choice was peds, but unfortunately we precepted in December, so there were few postop cases, and admissions were kept to a minimum (at one point we had 2 patients for 5 staff). My preceptor was a nurse who had recently returned to work after taking years off to have kids, and she was not totally comfortable herself. To top it off, we were scheduled almost straight nights. I brought CRNE exam material with me to shifts to fill in the down time and thought that was a good thing. At one point the whole staff was painting snowmen for the staff Christmas decorations. It was a joke.

When we were on days, she didn't trust anything I did, hung over my shoulder and stressed me out whenever I was drawing up meds or preparing IVs. I couldn't do anything right.

I told my academic advisor early on that I didn't think it was working, but she wanted me to continue to "try". The other academic advisor I had had also been my clinical instructor and so knew me, and she finally intercepted after the preceptors first evaluation, where she said she was "concerned" and sounded as though she planned to fail me. They moved me to another floor, a post acute rehab floor for strokes and amputees etc. and I got way more experience, was given guidance without pressure and made to feel like I could do it. I passed and did fine.

Preceptorship can make or break an experience, and so much depends on the preceptors perception of herself, comfort level with the workload, ability to trust a new grad to take over her tasks etc. Also, I agree that on a busy med/surg floor the preceptor should not also be charge nurse.

I had a similar experience on the OR floor with my first preceptor, who actually cried twice during our 12 days together, stressed right out, tried to make me quit the course. But that is a whole nuther story.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in anything that I had my clinicals in.

thank you to all of you who have posted so far. i need to hear this. i am a nice person and sometimes im too nice that i let things go further then needed. i just hope that in time i will learn to stand up for myself and not let others walk all over me. you kinda have to sometimes it seems being a nurse

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion