Precepting brand new nurse in ER

[Kuc77]

Ok, so I preceptrd a brand new nurse in ER.she worked with me 3 shifts and 2 shifts with other nurses and I am challenged with her attitude towards nursing, as she thinks she knows everything already and wants to go her own way and doing her own things. Most of the day she semsed to be annoying with my teaching and explanation as she wouldn't show interest ( looking out , checking cell phone turning around, walking away), everything I showed her was easy, common sense, I know, but when it comes to doing things she did it most wrong as she's not proficient yet in her nursing skills knowlege. Contrary to her thinking she thinks she is she 's not listening and she doesn't learn from her mistakes she just smiles and shakes her shoulders like it's noting. She woudent fallow my instructors she wants to do everything her own way She also doesent understand the rosponsibility the nurse has toward the pt, she ignored pt problem and didn't even report to the other nurse on shift repor. I'm having a very hard time precepting her, any advise how I should continue further to make her be more receptive to learning ?

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

I came across as very cocky when I was a new grad in MedSurg. But I was actually very nervous and trying to hide it. I felt like I knew nothing deep down but I didn't want my coworkers to think of me as stupid so I played know-it-all. (I was so backwards - I had the job already!)

Anyway, I'm not sure if this is the case with your orientee, but if it is, what might work is...next time, ask her what she thinks she needs to work on in her nursing practice - what she needs more time with, where her insecurities lie, et al. And if it seems as if she can offer no insight, then offer to shadow HER. That way she is in control but you are more easily going to be able to offer criticism, if she is cocky, or she'll become really nervous at the thought of doing that and will start to listen to you.

[Nonyvole, BSN, RN]

There's a time for working with her, and there's a time to go to the nurse educator.

Go to the nurse educator.

From your description, the problems that this orientee has is outside of the realm of a preceptor to handle. Let me put it this way: somebody comes on here, saying that they never received report, that charts are incomplete, and a patient was left to sit with a temperature of 104F for several hours. What would your response be? Talk to the nurse, or go up the chain of command?