pdxpedsrn

Wow I have had patients like this lady! The sad thing is I think these people are mentally ill. First of all to allow yourself to become so obese that you can no longer care for yourself you have to be severely depressed or mentally ill. Can you imagine what this lady's life is like when she isn't in the hospital? What kind of squalor does she live in? I think these people view the hospital as a place to escape their lives. No bill collectors calling, no food rotting in the sink among the dirty dishes. No moldy carpet and urine soaked mattress. And when they get admited to the hospital and they get that call light they think "OK I'm going to get all I can out of this...." Ughh! They don't get any better, they just keep getting worse. And the same few people that are this way cycle through in an endless loop. And it is hard to find time for your "normal" patients because of the way this one patient is dominating your time! This is one of the reasons I don't miss adult med/surg! I do pediatrics now & it is so much better! Kids make better patients! And they actually respond to treatment! They get better & go home! Now that I work peds I can almost always say I genuinely like all my patients! When I was on adults I almost always had at least one patient that was dysfuntional! OMG I'm so glad I don't work in the adult world anymore!!

Wow it sounds like you and your preceptor need to have a talk! I would suggest asking for a meeting with her away from work. There are to many issues to resolve during a busy shift. It sounds like your needs are not being met. Maybe it is a simple case of different communication styles. Where I work the orientee and the preceptor meet before the shift to set goals. Then again after the shift to discuss how things went. Throughout the process the orientee is encouraged to provide feedback to the preceptor. If your preceptor is not available to help you with new experiences like central line dressing changes and chest tubes that is a cause for concern! Are you being given a larger pt load because there are two of you? I would hope not. Or is your preceptor expected to serve as a resource to other nurses on the unit? Again, I would hope not! My experience has been that central line dressing changes are definately a sterile proceedure. Looking up your hospital policy was exactly the right thing to do! The bottom line is this orientation is for YOU. Make sure you get the most out of it. I would suggest having a talk with your preceptor away from work ASAP. These conversations are always difficult. However, I think you did a good job in your post of stating the problem objectively. When you talk to your preceptor I would state some things that she has done that you appreciated, and then state what has been lacking in non threatening, objective terms. Use examples and be specific. If she is not receptive to your concerns AND willing to work with you to improve your orientation, I would definately talk to your manager. Good luck with your nursing career. It sounds to me like you are motivated and conscientious- two very good qualities in a new RN!