Preceptor burnout

[QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP]

*WARNING* NOT A PLEASANT POST AHEAD.

I've searched, and most of the topics on this discussion are from new grads bemoaning their preceptors and not much about how hard it is to have to mentor new grads, sometimes for months at a time, almost seemingly non stop as the unit goes through staff like regular people go through underwear in a week.

Quite frankly, it's hard as heck to mentor and try and teach someone completely from scratch while still being expected to manage the team. You're forced to slow down from your normal pace, stop and explain every thing you usually do as second nature, and worst of all, deal with the swinging moods of your preceptee day after day. No I do not know everything, and I'm sick of the disrespect I can feel oozing from your pores.

I am burned out. I want to work alone. I hate that my manager has volunteered me to precept. I have NEVER asked to. I'm assuming most nurses want to precept and ask to do so. Maybe I'm wrong on that part. The few shifts these days I work myself are a godsend.

I know a lot love it, but it's not for me. I wish others on my unit were forced to take on a little more responsibility from time to time.

/end rant

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

I precepted every new hire nurse, and I did it while I was in charge for 20 years. I felt it was an honor to train the newbies....and they all succeeded. We learned from each other.

If you are not up to that.. feel free to tell management.. you are NOT going to do it.

However, YOUR job description states.. you will precept as needed.

Yes, it's hard. Share your knowledge and mentor your fellow nurses.

[Purple_roses]

As a new grad, I really feel that it's absolutely ok for you to feel this way. And you should be able to express those frustrations somewhere. Not everyone is going to love teaching, and that's very much ok.

As far as the disrespectful preceptee goes...don't take that from her. Let her know that you don't appreciate it and that it needs to change.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Tell your manager EXACTLY how you feel.

I personally loved precepting- but am not unsympathetic to those who don't love it. Nobody benefits by you being forced to precept.

[Meeshie]

I can tell you that everyone on my floor is volun-told that they will precept. There are few volunteers. Your assumption that most ask might not be correct. Still, can you talk to the head of your education for the floor and let them know that you need a break from precepting? Even if you can't refuse forever, asking for a break sounds really reasonable..

[amzyRN]

If you hate it you should tell your manager you'd like to switch with other people. You shouldn't have to be the only one to have to do it. That would get tiring. Precepting can be really cool because you get to see someone grow as a result of your teaching which can be rewarding. Plus there's usually a little extra pay too.

[QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP]

I can tell you that everyone on my floor is volun-told that they will precept. There are few volunteers. Your assumption that most ask might not be correct. Still, can you talk to the head of your education for the floor and let them know that you need a break from precepting? Even if you can't refuse forever, asking for a break sounds really reasonable..

I'm definitely asking for a break after this current run. I'm not the only one on my floor that does it, but there are only a small handful of us, and my manager hires many people at once. as I said in my OP, I would appreciate it if some others that have been there just as long as I have would be volun-told to do it at least a few times. There would be less burn out on nursing units if jobs like charge nurse, and preceptor were rotated.

[Libby1987]

I've precepted a lot, enjoyed it and was still exhausted so I hear you. I always got substantial breaks between new preceptees, essential.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I feel like not only should we be allowed to decline having a student/new grad but that it is imperative that if we aren't up to it for any reason at all, we have a responsibility to say so. Nobody benefits if the preceptor isn't feelin' it. Not the patients. Not the student/new grad. Not the preceptor. I think to shame or deny the difficulty of this is detrimental. Not everyone wants to, likes to or has the ability to teach. That is not a character flaw.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

As a nursing assistant, I precepted a new float nursing assistant and I was surprised at how exhausted I was at the end of the day when all I really was doing was explaining things and teaching a little here and there (and this was for someone who was fairly squared away and almost ready to be on their own). I can't even imagine a brand-spanking-new nurse.

Precepting back to back (to back to back to back -- EEK) is definitely not ideal!! I'm a new grad and, while I'm not entirely not excited to take on nursing students (we start at the student level and then work up to precepting new grads), I know where you're coming from. Nurses I currently work with who went to my school that taught clinicals encourage me to consider getting ready to teach clinicals at our alma mater. Uhhh..........nursing students these days can be a uniquely infuriating, irrationally high-strung, entitled group of people (I blame it on the competitiveness of nursing school itself -- they all think they're smart enough to be doctors). Unfortunately, a taste of that seemed to carry over into my residency cohort. So, I can only imagine having to put up with the "ugh, what do you mean you don't know the rationale for why we need 3 mls of blood for a type and screen?" crowd.

With that said, thank you for how much you have already done and I think it's time to hang up the precepting hat for a good long while.

And, no, I don't think too many people are clamoring to precept new grads. We are a uniquely exhausting group.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

I feel like not only should we be allowed to decline having a student/new grad but that it is imperative that if we aren't up to it for any reason at all, we have a responsibility to say so. Nobody benefits if the preceptor isn't feelin' it. Not the patients. Not the student/new grad. Not the preceptor. I think to shame or deny the difficulty of this is detrimental. Not everyone wants to, likes to or has the ability to teach. That is not a character flaw.

This needs 1,000 likes. Life happens and sometimes a preceptor might just not be having it all together to take a newbie under his/her wing. This is okay and it should be understood. If you're being trained by someone going through a divorce or who just lost someone close to them or is having home life problems (or, the opposite, like planning a wedding, getting ready to have a baby, etc.), you're going to have a bad time.

[llg, PhD, RN]

While I would love it if all preceptors were volunteers ... a lot of departments don't have that luxury. On many units, there wouldn't be enough preceptors to get the job done. And if there wasn't anyone who wanted to precept, the unit could never hire anyone new. That just wouldn't work.

So if you work for a unit that has plenty of preceptors and can rely on volunteers only, that's great. If not, then you should be expected to do your fair share even if it is something you don't enjoy doing. Sometimes, there are patients that NO one wants to take care of -- so we take turns. Sometimes, there are shifts that no one wants to work -- so we take turns. We all have parts of our job that we don't like doing. All we can ask is that we share those burdens fairly and that everyone takes their fair share of turns doing the unpopular work.

Precepting is a necessary piece of work that must be done. If your unit does not have enough volunteers, you need to step up and do your fair share of that unpopular work. But hopefully, you can get a bit of a break between orientees. That's really all you can ask.