A little background on myself, I am a new nurse that had a year experience in a post acute care after graduation. I just got a new job in a hospital finally, acute care just what I needed! I came here so I could continue learning skills on a med surg floor. However it is not going so hot.
I was at the top of my class both in the classroom and on the floor in clinical. I am smart and ready to learn and use my knowledge, I had felt as though I was starting to forget skills and critical thinking so I made the change to get a job in acute care. I had been trying for a while but every where wanted a year experience!
Anyways, my preceptor is a smart nurse but from day one she has been emphasizing all the negatives every day. I make big strides every day but I feel like she has it out for me ! If I make a mistake or I am having trouble seeing the big picture she puts all the blame on me and saying it's going to take her a lot of work to get me up to par. She says these things constantly that kill my confidence and now I don't even want to work there. She wanted to sign me up for extra days after I just worked my three 12 hour shifts in a row because she felt like I needed more time. She always talks about how quickly she caught on and stuff and that her orientation was half the time mine is. I've been on the floor for maybe 8 weeks now and she is taking away any confidence I might have had. She constantly goes around me to do things like call doctors and and do discharge and give meds without me knowing because I'm not up to her speed. She constantly is asking did you do this or this or this, and when I haven't gotten the change to do it all she freaks out because I can't clone myself to meet all her expectations.
I just beg all preceptors to not push the new nurses to do everything at your speed and don't kill their confidence every day by emphasizing all the negatives! I just wish I could have a preceptor that didn't make me feel like a failure every day.
Am I the only one who thinks they should just quit? I feel like 4 years of school has been wasted and now I get to go to work every day just to get told you're a failure. Talk about depression.........
Nobody knew about my grades I came from a different state. I wasn't bragging just making a statement. But I don't see why people would do that in the first place. Just because someone is smart doesn't mean you have to attack them and bring them down. What is wrong with people
Just wait! This is but one example of how nurses treat other nurses on the job. More prevalent in some work settings than others, it can be found to some degree in most places.
Would like to add...not everyone does things the same way, and many times, preceptors want you to do it their way. I have found that the best thing IS to do it their way, take from it and learn your OWN way. Also, in the words of a very wise fellow nurse to a newbie...precepting does not last forever. Take heart in your skills, try not to let the interruptions bother you, and don't let anyone make you feel less than you are.
We deal with people - all kinds of people - and some days it seems like they are all out to get you. One of the most valuable skills - and one guaranteed to make your working life easier - is the ability to manage conflict; to talk with people and effectively iron out disagreements or simply 'agree to disagree' without rancor. This would be a great time to practice. I recommend the book Crucial Conversations - it's a great starting point... Crucial Conversations Book - VitalSmarts
If you are as smart as you say, you will discern what's really important in the messages you are getting from this preceptor. You will realize immediately that it is about excellence in patient care and not about you, and continue in your resolves to grow thicker skin and see it from her viewpoint. Also, if you are receiving validation from others that you are making adequate progress under her strict tutelage, it's not all bad, then, is it? It seems to be working. Give it time and find something to laugh about every day.
If you are as smart as you say, you will discern what's really important in the messages you are getting from this preceptor. You will realize immediately that it is about excellence in patient care and not about you, and continue in your resolves to grow thicker skin and see it from her viewpoint. Also, if you are receiving validation from others that you are making adequate progress under her strict tutelage, it's not all bad, then, is it? It seems to be working. Give it time and find something to laugh about every day.
Well said!!!! I think the OP will be a superb Nurse based on the entire experience. Don't internalize the whole thing....roll with the punches and you will be the expert in the long run.
Nobody knew about my grades I came from a different state. I wasn't bragging just making a statement. But I don't see why people would do that in the first place. Just because someone is smart doesn't mean you have to attack them and bring them down. What is wrong with people
It's not a matter of trying to "bring you down." It's more accurately described (when it's done appropriately and professionally) as helping a new orientee understand that he/she still has much to learn and should be open to learning, despite the past grade-point success. There are folks who fly through nursing school, yet crash & burn when they hit the floor. The orientees who constantly play up their history of high grade-point averages or class rankings often are the ones who crash the hardest, simply because they thought they would sail through orientation the same way they sailed through nursing school.
. She constantly goes around me to do things like call doctors and and do discharge and give meds without me knowing because I'm not up to her speed. She constantly is asking did you do this or this or this, and when I haven't gotten the change to do it all she freaks out because I can't clone myself to meet all her expectations.
I precepted many new nurses. I can tell you that she is calling docs and giving meds without you because she wants to leave on time. When I precept I have to stay as long as my preceptee stays. If I am off at 7, I want to leave at 7 (or as close as I can get). You already know how to call the the doc and give meds. These things you've mentioned are small tasks that she can easily do while you do the bigger tasks that you need to learn. Look at it like she's helping you, particularly if she's contacting a surly doc or giving meds to the sweet old lady who takes 19 pills at every meal. I do agree with others, grow a thicker skin. Once you are on your own you will get it from all sides, not everyone is going to be warm and nurturing. I have had new nurses that I have had to push for their own good. I once had a new nurse who everyday asked me how to put in orders and wanted me to stand there and talk her through it. On week three I made her figure it out on her own, it took her over an hour. She ended up frustrated and crying. May seem cruel but it's a basic function and I'd talked her through it several times a day for two weeks. She probably thinks I'm a big meanie but she did learn how to put in orders that day. If she is verbally abusive that is one thing, if not then do things her way for now. You'll learn how to do what you need to do and later you can make it your own.
I precepted many new nurses. I can tell you that she is calling docs and giving meds without you because she wants to leave on time. When I precept I have to stay as long as my preceptee stays. If I am off at 7, I want to leave at 7 (or as close as I can get).
This was the first thing that popped into my head, as well.
Also -- precepting orientees who are nearly off orientation can be a total snooze fest. Passing a few pills so my orientee can get caught up with charting (thus ensuring that we leave on time) breaks up the monotony of making bed rolls, restocking the med room, and playing Words With Friends on my phone.
2 weeks left.........just hang in there and get through it. where i work you get to give feedback on your preceptor at the end.......be honest. Best of luck.
I'm a relatively new RN (I've been out of nursing school for almost exactly a year), I'm new in the position that I'm currently in (I've been at the hospital for 6 months, but working in this particular position for 6 weeks) annnddd I'm the preceptor of a brand new LPN. So, I can really understand both what it feels like to be the newbie and what it feels like to be the preceptor.
I'm going to tell you - right off the bat, and this has been mentioned before - that the reason why she is "doing orders behind your back" is that she want's to get out of there on time. I'm currently teaching my new LPN about oldschool - from the cart, paper MAR- medication administration for 25 criminally insane residents. You better believe that I pass out meds "behind her back" and administer the emergency medications because 1. I need the med pass to be finished on time, 2. I really don't have the time to let her do them ALL at the pace she is comfortable with (sometimes when they say now, they meant yesterday), and 3. I don't have the time to fill out med variance forms or call for late administration.
I'll say this - I probably come off as rather short at times. I'm overwhelmed and quite frankly extremely frustrated with my unit right now. I came from weekend float where I had experience with the weekend shift on this unit that ran very smoothly and the work was well divided and the team work was spectacular. This is not true for the weekday position. I can never find the nurses I'm working with. They all say "Put the new RN on meds because I'm pregnant and can't do it" or "I need to see my kids during med pass." So that's how I came to be the preceptor of a new LPN (LPN's usually do meds at this facility). So I do meds 4 to 5 days a week (Med Nurse/LPN) and because I'm an RN I also do almost all of the RN duties as well because I can't find my coworkers (I can't tell you how scary it is to find out your patient in restraints has no order to be there ). The office nurse is never in the office- new orders will sit there for hours, the phone will just ring, the charting isn't touched, and patient assessments are not done. And the nurse that always working OT and wants the floor so she cans see her kids- Is never on the floor so the tech's get scared because we need a nurse on the floor to call the shots during crisis intervention. So I just do it... and I feel so burnt out *I* want the PRN Haldol, Benadryl, Ativan.
Moral of the story - attribution bias. It's easy to make up sinister motives behind someone's actions - but most of the time people aren't so calculating. I'm sure your preceptor is less "trying to break your spirit" and more, "overwhelmed by her work and the added work of having an orientee to teach." I know what it feels like to be the learner and the teacher and both have their difficulties. I wish you luck in your new position.
Having oriented nonstop for the last three years i can tell you the number of times my oriented has said "Don't interrupt me while I'm charting" That would be ZERO. Nursing is pretty much one interruption after another all day long. Good nurses remember what they were doing when they got interrupted. (Or they write lots of notes--on my hand, on my report sheet, on pieces of tape, taped to my med cart…)
Agree with the above posters who say the preceptor is just trying to get out on time. While I am letting my orienteers stretch their wings and handle the whole team of patients, things are getting done at a snails pace. If she's still giving AM meds at 11:30, I will try to pick up a little slack.
One last thing--Orienting is darn hard work. You try to walk the line between teaching and micromanaging. I apologized a LOT for accidentally micromanaging. :) You try to find some nice way of saying "Ok so what you have happened if you had actually given that 20mg of hydrazine instead of the 5mg?" without freaking out.
Some newbies I worked with were amazingly easy to orient. Some tried their hardest but didn't pick things up as quickly. I got the same amount of time for both to get them ready to fly. So probably I pushed the second one a lot harder than the first. Because she needed it.
I hope things get better for you. The first six months are the hardest but the good news is you know so much more today than you did two weeks ago. And tomorrow you'll know more than you did today.
). The office nurse is never in the office- new orders will sit there for hours, the phone will just ring, the charting isn't touched, and patient assessments are not done. And the nurse that always working OT and wants the floor so she cans see her kids- Is never on the floor so the tech's get scared because we need a nurse on the floor to call the shots during crisis intervention. So I just do it... and I feel so burnt out *I* want the PRN Haldol, Benadryl, Ativan.
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
Just wait! This is but one example of how nurses treat other nurses on the job. More prevalent in some work settings than others, it can be found to some degree in most places.