I am due to begin precepting a new nurse to the ED next Monday. I have been an ED nurse for about 2.5 years, feel confient that I contribute well to my unit.
Our ED has no educator, and no formal precepting course. We were recently assigned a new director, so hopefully there will be some changes. We have seen a great deal of turnover in the past few years, most from new grads that were hired and very overwhelmed.
I *do not* want my preceptee to be one of those new grads. I am excited about this opportunity, but also very very nervous. I feel it is a big responsibility & that I owe her a lot in terms of education & making her feel welcome.
Soo...any tips for me? I want to make her some type of resource that includes our commonly used forms, as well as general information regarding how our unit runs, how to request vacation, etc... but am not quite sure how to format it. I was given the go-ahead by our management to create some type of resource & was told that if it works out well for us, it will be used for all new grads.
I just finished my 4 month consolidation in a very busy emerg...I'll try and pass on a few things I liked and disliked without writing a novel:
Likes;)
My preceptor introduced me to everybody. Told them my name, why I was there and what I was expected to be doing.
During the first week or two I was able to jump into everything. If there was a concious sedation, I was there, if there was a code, I was there, stitches, foleys, lumbar punctures the works, I was there. It didn't matter who the nurse or the doc was, I would squeeze in, ask permission to watch and keep out of the way. If there was something I could do (vitals, gopher etc) I would go ahead and do it. If it was beyond my scope, I tried to speak up. This allowed me to a)meet everyone b)learn the common procedures and routines and c)learn where everything was. After two weeks I had my fix of straight adrenaline and was prepped to stick with just my patients.
My nurse was constantly asking good questions. When asked "Why do we give plavix, asa and metropolol to an MI?" it wasn't enough to say blood thinner and blood pressure, I was expected to know how they acted and why...
I was passed around from nurse to nurse on different shifts. The majority of the time I was with my preceptor but sometimes I would go with someone else. This allowed a whole other perspective and some people are just better at teaching some things than others.
I developed and was allowed to develop GRADUAL independence...and it felt great.
Dislikes
When I went to see a patient with my preceptor and she wouldn't introduce me after introducing herself...I'm just the creepy guy in the corner.
Being rushed. I understand its an ED, but I'm fresh out of the box...I still have that new nurse smell! I need some extra time to figure out meds, do assessments and get my stuff ready for an IV start...please be patient!
Having said the previous, I'm not a child...I can take criticism and accept it as a learning experience. I didn't like it when a nurse "told" on me to my preceptor rather than speaking to me directly.
I'm sure there is more, but I hope that helps. I had a great experience in the ED and it definitley sparked my love for nursing.
AirforceRN, RN
611 Posts
I just finished my 4 month consolidation in a very busy emerg...I'll try and pass on a few things I liked and disliked without writing a novel:
Likes;)
Dislikes
I'm sure there is more, but I hope that helps. I had a great experience in the ED and it definitley sparked my love for nursing.