So the other day at work one of my co-workers (2 years out of school) was teamed with a nursing student. Now this particular nurse is still somewhat shaky about his skills- good nurse but not super confident (although he's one of managements favorites sooo you know how that goes)
I ask him how's it going having a student and he says it's ok (just alittle overwhelmed).
Why would you put a nurse with less than 3 years experience to precept?
Like really?
I feel confident in my abilities, but with just 15 months experience I will say HECK NO! to precepting. I think I know alot, but there's way more I don't know and I have no right teaching anyone else at this stage!
Anyway he is management's love puppy (well atleast one mangers') so I guess someone is trying to make him look good.
You were right, he is precepting so that his 'friend' manager buddies can put a gold star in his file. He will be evaluated as having excelled no matter how he performs in this role. It was up to him to refuse the assignment, but he was probably afraid to do so. I feel sorry for the preceptee.
I WANT newbies. I only have a year of experience under my belt but that allows me to relate to them a little better I think. Oh well, either way my old hospital gave the newbies to people that didnt want them and are even fresher than me. Cant wait to see how this goes.
Up until very recently, it was VERY common for nurses with less than 3 years' experience to precept students on my floor. The only reason it's not common now is that we were in a hiring freeze from about Fall 2008-last summer and only hired 3 people during those 3 years so most of our staff has been around for at least 3 years. A high percentage have also been around for 3-5 years and many of them precepted when they had 1-2 years. Precepting a student is a lot of work and you get nothing for it. Most experienced nurses don't want to do it, at least not those that I work with. I did it last semester (with 4 years experience) and it will be quite some time before I volunteer to do it again. And I enjoyed doing it.
Up until very recently, it was VERY common for nurses with less than 3 years' experience to precept students on my floor. The only reason it's not common now is that we were in a hiring freeze from about Fall 2008-last summer and only hired 3 people during those 3 years so most of our staff has been around for at least 3 years. A high percentage have also been around for 3-5 years and many of them precepted when they had 1-2 years. Precepting a student is a lot of work and you get nothing for it. Most experienced nurses don't want to do it, at least not those that I work with. I did it last semester (with 4 years experience) and it will be quite some time before I volunteer to do it again. And I enjoyed doing it.
What made it difficult for you? Why would you reconsider precepting?
Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
On the subject of "Preceptors" I must add the preceptors role it's a challenging one in all aspects. Having said that, preceptors work with students and future employees to demonstrate nursing care. Moreover, not every preceptor is adequate to perform these duties. To precept one must have the desire, patience, knowledge, and perseverance. Furthermore, in my 15+ yrs. of nursing I have encountered season nurses that don't have these qualifications, and others with less years in nursing whom demonstrated of having these qualities. Therefore, the preceptor's duty should go to the individual who has demonstrated the capabilities of knowledge, Skilled, and leadership in nursing procedures, without preferences on behalf of management.
I'm 8 months into my career as a nurse in PICU. I was asked about a month ago if I would precept a student nurse once per week, while I was scheduled. The student only comes on Thursdays, so if I work on a Thursday then I work with the student. At first I was unsure if it was something I felt comfortable doing. But I think I was chosen because I've demonstrated that I like to teach.
Usually when we get students on the floor they stay for about for observation only. The student that I'm precepting can do assessments, give medications, and do basic care and interventions. While some of the nurses kind of ignore the students, I usually take them around the floor, talk a little bit about our patients and explain or show them any interesting things- ventilators, art-lines, etc. While I certainly don't know as much as the more experienced nurses, I do feel confident that I know enough in order to precept a student who's job is to observe or learn the basics.
The other factor that comes into play is that we currently have three nurse orientees on the floor. The more experienced nurses are saved to precept the orientees, since they do need the more thorough orientation.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
My supervisor says that multiple studies have shown that nurse preceptors with less than 2 years experience get some of the best "scores", quite possibly linked to the fact that they are young and fresh, not yet jaded, excited about the opportunity to finally teach, and sympathetic to the feelings of a new or student nurse.
You don't have to be the taught by the best, you have to be taught by people who enjoy teaching. There is plenty of time to get support and help on the floor from more experienced nurses once you're out there. In fact, when I was learning, I remembered being so overwhelmed that half the stuff that went in my ear went out my other, so perhaps the best words of wisdom by the oldies is better kept for when one has gotten their feet a bit wet and are able to let it sink in and take hold
Actually, I'd rather be taught by the best. Someone can have a lot of enthusiasm but be incompetent.
It all depends on the specific situation. In many situations, a student (or orientee) doesn't benefit by being preceptored by an expert because the expert's way of analyzing a situation is beyond the student's ability to understand. Sometimes a student/orientee gets the most benefit by being paired with a preceptor just 1 or 2 steps above her. With a preceptor only slightly ahead of her, she can grasp the preceptor's way of thinking and reach that level -- rather than just "observe" the expert and not understand half of what is going on. That is consistent with educational theory.
An orientee with lots of experience may struggle with an inexperienced nurse as preceptor because the orientee's knowledge level and critical thinking is already more developed than the preceptor's. That can create tension unless both people can acknowledge that -- and focus the teaching on "how we do things here," "where supplies are located," etc. rather than having the inexperienced preceptor trying to teach the experienced orientee how to assess a patient, analyze care needs, etc.
But with a true beginner level learner ... they often do best when the gap between them and their preceptor is not terribly great.
What made it difficult for you? Why would you reconsider precepting?
I didn't say it was difficult for me, I said it was a lot of work. At my institution, we get assigned x number of senior nursing students each semester and then we are asked who is interested in doing it. I volunteered to do it and was glad to be assigned a student from my alma mater. It's a lot of work because now not only are you responsible for your full patient assignment, but you're responsible for another person who is working under your license. It takes twice as long to do everything and, again, you get nothing for doing this save for a little grief because your student left her lunch bag on the counter and your manager micromanages everything down to where everyone must put their things.
It will be a while before I consider doing it again because I am not in a place where I'm willing to do my workplace any favors right now. Precepting a student is more work with no rewards. I want to go to work, do my job for 12 hrs, go home and not think about anything to do with work until my next shift.
i got asked to help with nursing students doing a day or two of observation and minimal participation when i'd been in the pacu for about eight months. i just loved it, and they loved it, and we were always surrounded by veterans so i think everyone was ok with it. i got two students every tues and thurs for about two months.
then i moved to another state and worked in a hotshot icu. when they put up a sign up sheet for people interested in taking a student for a capstone three month rotation, working our schedule for 36 hours a week, i put my name in but there were probably thirty others on the list, many very expert nurses i was in awe of. when they picked me i almost fell over.
i still like teaching and students, all these years later. but then again, i'm widely considered to be nuts.
When I started as a LPN at a long-term care facility, I was oriented by two different nurses, and both of them only had about 4-5 months of experience working as a nurse! I had actually been a nurse longer than both of them. One of them was a know-it-all, too, and she constantly tried to make me feel stupid by making comments like, "You mean you've never done that before? REALLY?" I reminded her that all of us had different backgrounds and that facility where I worked previously did not allow LPNs to touch IVs. Only the RN supervisors could do IVs at my old facility, but at the new one, LPNs were allowed to start IVs. She was outraged that I had been a nurse for almost a year and had never done an IV before. The facility has a super hard time keeping nurses, and I pointed out to the DON before I left that maybe, just MAYBE, it could be partially due to this so called "preceptor" trying to make others feel like crap.
I work at a teaching hospital and am in an ICU preceptorship program. One of the things they take a lot of pride in is the fact that the majority of their preceptors have been there 2 years or under. No doubt about it, the ones I have dealt with are smart. Like on a whole different plane of existence then me smart. They remember what it was like to be in my shoes and so many of them truly love to teach.
I have also been with nurses who have 30+ years of experience and that's great too. I think every preceptor brings something just a little different to the table. It is amazing to see the different teaching styles and all the different things I am able to gleam from each of them.
I don't think you need to have a certain number of years under your belt in order to precept. All the preceptors where I work go through classes to do it and, in all honesty, the ones I have dealt with were awesome (with one exception). However, I think they do need to posess confidence in their skills and a true love of teaching. If you don't want to teach me then why waste both of our time? That's just my:twocents:.
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
You were right, he is precepting so that his 'friend' manager buddies can put a gold star in his file. He will be evaluated as having excelled no matter how he performs in this role. It was up to him to refuse the assignment, but he was probably afraid to do so. I feel sorry for the preceptee.