Preceptorship Bliss (or NOT!)

[IntegrityIsTheKey]

I'm finding myself delighted the end is near. This orientation round has tried my patience to the maximum so I'm asking for advice to ward off future issues. I'm an experienced and respected nurse in my area and have trained many over the years- new nurses both old and young, as well as new employees of all ages. This orientee, a very smart person who picks up quickly, who was impressively performing the first eight weeks has become a high maintenance, arrogant delegator with no drive to do meanial tasks. Time management is atrocious despite much encouragement. Debates ensue with teaching or when quizzed or questioned, talks without thought, enjoys "correcting" older nurses in front of colleagues and believes to know more than the truth, dismisses advice. The warning light went off approximately six weeks ago when a procedure was completed by this orientee without my presence. The orientee had never done it before! No harm was done, but what type of person dives head first into a new procedure that could actually cause harm?!?! I'm barely able to be professional at this point and would accept advice to nip this behavior in the bud now (though I don't hold my breath) as well as for future young nurses.

[Triddin]

Some people are of the personality that they know it all, and some people don't know that there is so much that they don't know. Unfortunately it usually takes a mistake for these people to realize this. And still some don't. If you've tried talking to this person and they aren't paying you heed, your only option left is to keep detailed notes about the persons performance and submit them to the manager.

Depending on what the procedure is, I will do them on my own, even if it is my first time, as long as I have read the policy and technique about how to do the procedure and I know what complications to evaluate for.

[JKL33]

Depending on what the procedure is, I will do them on my own, even if it is my first time, as long as I have read the policy and technique about how to do the procedure and I know what complications to evaluate for.

I will not work with an orientee under those terms. If they want to do their assessments or perform basic procedures that we've been over or have at least had a chance to briefly verbally review immediately prior, that's fine. Otherwise, nope. Not because I'm the boss but because I consider it frightening behavior for a variety of reasons and I want nothing to do with it.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

The preceptor is responsible for what the orientee does. Yes, the orientee has their own license and if there is legal liability it's their license at risk. But it sucks to have to explain to management how I wasn't aware of/wasn't able to stop my orientee from doing a procedure on their own when they'd never done it before and there was serious potential for disaster. Really sucks. I'd sit the orientee down and TELL them that. Then I'd tell the manager, the educator, the CNS -- all with appropriate documentation. And I'd advise that the orientation period be extended . . . with a different preceptor. It probably wouldn't help the attitudes you describe, but at least they'd have one more chance to catch on and see the light before they were terminated.