Precepting - advice...

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

My boss asked me via email today if I would precept a university student in the Fall for 120-180 hours. He wrote "I think you will be great." My immediate reaction was elation. Then it was pride that he thinks me capable of this.

I immediately texted my practicum preceptor/friend from nursing school who is at work and hasn't answered me yet with her thoughts (It could be she's against newish nurses precepting and is trying to find a way to break it to me - she is a COB). Presumably this would be a senior nursing student who is doing his/her preceptorship.

My question is..am I ready to precept? If this was a new grad nurse or even an experienced nurse I would say no. Skills wise alone. Time management is finally good. Critical thinking is up to par.

My RN background is a hospital based subacute rehab floor (with plenty of sick patients who end up being transferred to acute care or stepdown) for 8 months and I'm entering my 8th month of med-surg. I worked as a tech on telemetry throughout nursing school and worked there for a few months as a new grad until I transferred to the rehab unit (pace was too much for me as a new grad).

I'm recognized as a good nurse. I'm becoming the go to person on my floor. I have above average textbook knowledge. If I don't know something I will look it up.

Skills wise, however, I haven't had that much time to practice. I've put in two foley catheters and straight cathed twice (on females). I've never put in an NG tube, but I did advance one once. (The time I could have put one in, I asked one of my fellow nurses to meet me in the room to standby and she saw I was busy, so she went ahead and started placing it). Let's say my student wants to do one of those things and I'm barely competent myself? I fine with IVs and blood draws because I did blood draws as a tech.

My assessment skills are good. I love having nursing students assigned to my patients because I love teaching and making them feel comfortable.

My question really is...is precepting something you're thrown into and kind of learn on the job or do you have to be 100% competent for it?

(Is is sort of like charge nurse on the Rehab unit? I was charge RN a month after I got off orientation. There were RNs and LPNs who worked rehab and I was charge if I was the only RN (still with my group of patients. I had to give their IV pushes, make the schedule/give admissions, and deal with families).

I figure if I was asked to precept a new grad vs a student I would have to be more competent.