Preceptor is SO BAD!

[Guest606]

Hi All,

I'm a new graduate nurse who just started in the ICU and on my third shift tomorrow with my preceptor. She's been there for 7 years and everyone was telling me how lucky I am to be precepted by her before I even met her so I was excited.

Come to find out, I feel more disoriented with her than actually oriented. She took her ADDERALL right in the middle of my first shift around noon in front of me, doesn't follow policy or procedures and does things the way she wants, leaves me out of almost everything and doesn't explain anything unless I ask and even when I do ask she just says and I *** you not "this is what the government says to do", tells me I can do whatever I want, didn't introduce me to anyone on the unit, dumped urine down the sink instead of the toilet, didn't sterile glove when changing a central line dressing, doesn't tell me why or what she's doing and is doing everything HERSELF instead of having me lift a finger. When I asked her when I can do medications, assessments, or anything she just said "Yeah I guess you can do this" I just looked at her in disbelief and just went to the bathroom and cried. She is very OCD and needs things done her way and I did notice she is very thorough and does go above and beyond for the patients we had but she's a lunatic! When SHE was giving report to the night nurse during the end of our shift, I just stood there. The night nurse coming on even said "who is this" because I was just standing there like a lost puppy. She gave report, she could tell I was hypertensive and angry with her for leaving me out once again and apologized and promised we will go through everything.

I told my peers/previous classmates about this and they thought I was joking. They said to stick it out since it'll only be the third day and she has a good reputation for a reason. My thought process is I only get one orientation and I'm eager to learn and be the best nurse so I don't want to waste another second with this joke of a preceptor. I'm not amused. I'm not impressed. Should I ask the manager for a new preceptor? Good grief all I wanted was structure, to be included, more focus, just anything at this point!!!

[Emergent, RN]

7 minutes ago, Pixie.RN said:

If it's a handwashing sink, it shouldn't have urine poured in it. I know, it probably all ends up in the same place! Lol

Hands are dirtier than urine. Also, no one rubs their hands on the sink basin I certainly hope.

[Emergent, RN]

1 hour ago, Jedrnurse said:

Some people get skeeved out when you then start to do the dishes immediately afterwards. ?

I hope no one is washing dishes in a hospital sink!

[Emergent, RN]

Regarding the shameful taking of Adderall in front of someone, she needs it obviously so she can notice that someone is in the room watching her faux pas of brazenly pouring urine down a sink, which is obviously a breach of etiquette, along with failing to introduce her preceptee.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, Emergent said:

I hope no one is washing dishes in a hospital sink!

In a the hospital world where male urinals can be used as flower vases, you never know...?

[Emergent, RN]

A good way to put a person who fails to introduce you properly to shame is to politely introduce yourself. Be extra courteous, that will spotlight their lack of manners and you'll look gracious.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

2 hours ago, Emergent said:

Hands are dirtier than urine. Also, no one rubs their hands on the sink basin I certainly hope.

Seriously, though, patients have died from infections that have been traced back to nurses dumping patient waste down a sink. There have been outbreaks of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica and also Shigella from improper disposal into sinks. The things you learn in hospital epidemiology! Yuck.

[CharleeFoxtrot, BSN, RN]

8 hours ago, Emergent said:

A good way to put a person who fails to introduce you properly to shame is to politely introduce yourself. Be extra courteous, that will spotlight their lack of manners and you'll look gracious.

...or spotlight the fact they are like me and horrible with names ? I can't tell you how many times over the decades I've fumbled over introducing new people. Now I just fess up and call it a senior moment when I ask my orientees to introduce themselves.

[TitaniumPlates]

17 hours ago, Jedrnurse said:

Two shifts in and already hitting snowflake-crying mode? In reaction to the statement "Yeah, I guess you can do this."??

Oy.

jed it was a devils advocate statement...the possible point of view of the preceptor.

the piling on isn't helpful and it only starts to prove that nurses look for weakness and attack. like hyenas.

OP has gotten really decent advice without the crappy clique engine revving up to decimate whatever confidence she might have had.

[TitaniumPlates]

13 hours ago, Pixie.RN said:

Seriously, though, patients have died from infections that have been traced back to nurses dumping patient waste down a sink. There have been outbreaks of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica and also Shigella from improper disposal into sinks. The things you learn in hospital epidemiology! Yuck.

exactly this.

the nurses here acting like OP is some type of abberant because she has a problem with spreading disease...says far, far, FAR more about the nurses making the demeaning and condescending remarks than it does about OP.

OP....not everyone was brought up properly to know it's disgusting and unsanitary to dump urine where you wash your hands or quickly get a patient a cup of water. My mother raised me in a house, and even some animals know you don't defecate where you might eat from. I don't live or work in a barn, and I would expect that as a patient that may be immunocompromised or post surgical, I would have a nurse that has the sense God gave a cat. It's pure laziness on the part of the nurse...and I for one would not take their queue on anything from that point on.

[TitaniumPlates]

The point here I think is that if OP's preceptor is lazy and rogue for tiny, insignificant things, what is she doing for huge things?

Whomever compared dumping a urine bag in the sink to doing what is effective in a code scenario....FALSE EQUIVALENCY. What are you doing prioritizing dumping urine in a sink when your patient is coding? No such thing. Don't compare the two.

I have been a part of a unit where someone is just SO LOVED!!!!! OMG!!!! SHE IS THE GREATEST!!! And nothing could be further from the truth. Remember the old joke...opinions are just like buttholes....everybody has one.

About the Adderall. So. I am a patient who witnesses this, but I have no context. What then? Is my nurse taking my drugs? Is she taking aspirin or adderall or xanax or oxycontin?

yeah. i do expect someone to take their private rituals to a private area. no nurse needs ADDERALL so emergently that they cannot excuse themselves to go get a deink of water and privately pop their meds. I call bullshite. again...it says far far mire about this preceptor's lazy atritude that anything goes and nothing matters. it matters.

OP, be discerning is what you need to take away from this preceptor and the advice you are getting on how to cope. I think you should stick it out for at least until you are off precepting. watch other nurses...get away and go observe others as often as you can. learn the charting inside and out get your assessments down to 15 minutes or less. step in feont of this preceptor when getting or giving report...interject as often as possible with questions. make her answer you and notice in her amphetamine fueled state that you are there to learn from her.

and yes. Adderall is an amphetamine....just legalized.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

25 minutes ago, TitaniumPlates said:

jed it was a devils advocate statement...the possible point of view of the preceptor.

the piling on isn't helpful and it only starts to prove that nurses look for weakness and attack. like hyenas.

OP has gotten really decent advice without the crappy clique engine revving up to decimate whatever confidence she might have had.

I'm not sure what you mean about the devil's advocate statement. I was referring to something the OP wrote as an historical event.

Regarding your criticism of my criticism: I disagree. The tone of the OP had an edge of entitlement and attack. I'm glad that someone else posted a hypothetical from what could be the preceptor's view of things. On top of that, adults (especially nurses) should be able to withstand two shifts of perceived discomfort without breaking down in the bathroom.

I have had my own new grad experience with veteran ICU nurses and believe, (counting in the experiences of nurses from numerous posts over the years) that on the whole, nurses in that specialty may be more difficult to get along with than in other ones. There, I said it. (I also now think that it's foolish to hire new grads into ICU positions, but that's a different story.) So I'm sympathetic to the new nurse to a point.

I won't address your hyena and crappy clique engine comments, as that would divert this thread in a whole other direction.

[TitaniumPlates]

i agree jed. she does have an attitude of entitlement. not attack, because she is frustrated and frightened. she needs GUIDANCE and LEADERSHIP. not attacks and the "i am the attitude adjustment police".

give her decent, relevant advice or like my momma taught me...keep it to yourself. its not helping the new nurses cope or integrate.

she is scared. i was where she is. i got the craptacular preceptor who told me to "get in there!!" in my first trauma...no guidance, no help, only attack and criticism afterwards.and he was a 10 year veteran who was just SO LOVED and respected.

help her. that is what she has reached out for. there is a way to redirect her without calling her names and being demeaning.