New Nurse with Preceptor Issues

[gambitlizard]

I graduated in December and passed boards in February. I also began working in February. Now 4 weeks in to my orientation/preceptorship, I am starting to wonder if this is the best place for me.

My preceptor is a 16 year veteran nurse. We are in the ICU and she has been there since her graduation. I guess I'm telling all this because I don't know where the problem is.

Our days are great and she consistently tells me what a good job I'm doing. However, she seems to get angry and will not communicate with me when this happens. I don't ever know what is going to set her off. Just the other day, she told me to go home before I'd even finished charting because I'd done something to make her mad.

Any advice on this situation is appreciated. I'm beginnning to think I should find another job. And I can't get a new preceptor - she's the "angel of the ICU," the house supervisor and the only person working there who will precept new nurses.

Thanks in advance,

Kim

[KatieBell]

You might take a moment, to ask her the next day after an outbreak, "Did I do something to upset you or offend you?" It is a very polite question, and gives her the opportunity to account for her actions.

Otherwise, I suppose youa re just stuck with her, since she is the only preceptor...

[gambitlizard]

You might take a moment, to ask her the next day after an outbreak, "Did I do something to upset you or offend you?" It is a very polite question, and gives her the opportunity to account for her actions.

Otherwise, I suppose youa re just stuck with her, since she is the only preceptor...

Thanks for the advice. I tried that last time, asking her to tell me why she was upset and what I could do to correct it. Her response "LEAVE!"

I think I am most likely just going to have to suffer through these next 8 weeks.

Thanks again.

Kim

[CarVsTree]

Where I work, we have to evaluate our preceptors. If you do there, I would write pretty much what you wrote here. If not, than you need to go to your manager, educator, whatever and explain the situation. If no one supports you than you have a good understanding of what your future will be like there and I would not want to go right into critical care area unless I was guaranteed a very supportive environment. BTW, the fact that there is only one preceptor gives me great pause.

Is your orientation only 12 weeks?

I would RUN not walk from this place. SCARY!!! A critical orientation should be at LEAST 6 months.

[mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP]

If she is unwilling to communicate with you, she can not effectivly precept you and you need to bring this up to her, the NM, someone. That is a very unfair position to be in as a new grad in critical care. Your preceptor is supposed to be your lifeline and you must be able to communicate with them. If you have tried nicely to figure out the problem and she refuses to tell you and tells you instead to leave, you need to seek outside additional help. Just "toughing it out" isn't going to give you the preceptorship you need in critical care.

Good luck!!!!

[Tony35NYC]

Thanks for the advice. I tried that last time, asking her to tell me why she was upset and what I could do to correct it. Her response "LEAVE!"

I think I am most likely just going to have to suffer through these next 8 weeks.

Thanks again.

Kim

That woman is not only rude and unprofessional but evidently a mental case as well. Maybe she's just jealous of you. I would quietly look for another job then put in my notice. There are too many nursing opportunities out there for anyone to put up with this type of nonsense.

[ImaERtraumaRN]

I have NEVER heard of a preceptor telling a nurse to leave during a shift and ESPECIALLY without explanation. We can only learn from our mistakes if we are told what we did and are given the opportunity to correct ourselves the next time. :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

Regardless of whether or not you did something to make her upset, you are a professional (new grad or not) with a license and should be treated as such. You have spent a lot of time and energy getting into the program, graduating and passing boards and nursing is your career. You owe it to yourself to ensure that you get the best orientation and training wherever you work and you really have to demand that if you are getting less than you deserve. I would request a different preceptor and speak to your manager about the reasons why. If you are concerned about backlash have your manager simply relay that there was a personality conflict, otherwise I think the preceptor should be called out on her unprofessional behavior. Remember, you are going to be solely responsible for your actions after your orientation and that is the only opportunity you will have to REALLY learn the ropes before you are on your own.

Good Luck!