Precepting new nurses

[bklynborn]

How do you help new nurses get organized? I have been working with a nurse who just can't seem to get organized. We have been together for ten shifts and for some reason she is not able to look at the big picture and organize her shift. It seems her skills in prioitizing are lacking and she just can't seem to get it together. I have offered her countless tips which she doesn't use. today I will write out an itinerary and see if she will use it. I have also dropped our pt load.

Any ides are welcome. Thanks.

[RedWeasel, RN]

You sound a lot like me....I tend to do the same thing, the gal I am precepting however tends to fly by the seat of her pants and this seems to find her wasting time and often doubling back only to find that she has already done whatever it was she was planning to do. I think part of her problem is that she was a rehab nurse prior to taking time off and then getting recertified for med-surg. Unfortunately I think she will just have to figure this out on her own. Iwill as her preceptor continue to offer suggestions, and do what ever I can to help her succeed. Liek I said before her skills are good it is more of a time management issue, she doesn't delegate to the NAC and has a hard time asking for help. I am sure that in time she will work this out in time. I did get her orientation extended, so she will end up with more liked 25 shifts. They will end October 1st.

what do you mean because she was a rehab nurse? Just curious. We usually have 7-8 pts so we are very organized. No offense but it sounds demeaning -to me. We work hard and have complicated pts. too. Brain injury, spinal cord, amps, cvas....so just curious ....

[shellsgogreen]

i just finished with my preceptor not too long ago, and she was exceptional.

very organized and patient.

what worked for me, was to make a plan for the day, and check each thing off as it was done. of course this didn't always work, considering the unexpected, but at least i had a sense of the things that needed to get done, and what i had missed before the end of my shift.