As someone who remembers what it is like to be new, I would like to share some of my thoughts to all the preceptors and experienced nurses out there.
Being new sucks. None of us like having to bother you every five minutes to ask a question. Yeah, we get it. We have questions about things that you think are "common sense" or "should just figure out ourselves." And it can be annoying at times. I assure you, we are not asking you questions to purposely take up your time or "get on your nerves." We just want to learn so we can do right by our patients once we are on our own.
Someone has to know how to do your job when you retire. All of us new graduates have heard about a billion times how inadequate nursing programs are at preparing new nurses. We all know that you were on the floor all by yourselves when you graduated because you spent five 8-hour days in clinicals each week and that your program lasted three years. Those types of comments and discussions are usually unproductive and inappropriate because they often occur in the work place in front of the new graduate and are not directed at those who can do anything about it. If you honestly feel that today's nursing education is inadequate, it may be appropriate to find out why and speak with those who can actually do something about it, such as the nursing schools themselves, or politicians who allow frivolous medical lawsuits to occur.
Schools are now wary of allowing nurses to complete invasive procedures in the clinical setting because of lawsuits. I didn't push my first IV medication until my last year of school. I graduated without every inserting an NG Tube, starting an IV, or pushing any narcotics or vasoactives.
No, it is not good. Yes, it is dangerous. But I assure you, we feel worse about it that you do. We are the ones who have to feel incompetent. When I graduated, I was terrified. I was terrified during the first year of my job and still am at times. It is the most horrible feeling in the world.
That is why we new nurses try to learn as much as we can. We realize it is our duty to learn and become as competent as possible because that is what is morally right and is what we need to do to take care of our patients. When you demoralize us new graduates by snapping at us, gossiping about us, and sabotaging us (on purpose or not), you are not only doing a disservice to us, but a disservice to our patients. When you make people feel like failures, you demoralize them, making it harder for them to learn and perform their jobs well.
That is why I am asking, if you are a preceptor who finds yourself being annoyed with your preceptee, or feels as though they cannot do anything right, to kindly step aside and let someone else take your role as a teacher. Just because you have been a nurse for a long time and do well at your job, doesn't mean you are a good teacher.
