Questionable Preceptor

[MagicalBunny]

I am currently a student doing my capstone/transition to practice on a medsurg floor and will graduate in about 3 weeks. This is my first time being back in the hospital since COVID hit. I have not been in the hospital or seen a real patient in about 4 months. I have told my preceptor this and have asked her to be patient with me. I am assigned to the same preceptor for 11 12 hour shifts. This is my first time seeing certain skills, equipment, etc. For example, my first day on the unit was the first time that I have seen drains (penrose, JP) and I asked her if she could explain what it is and how to drain it because my school did not teach us about them. My preceptor responded with "How have you not seen this before?" She asked me to do a central line blood draw as well which my school also did not cover how to do so I told my preceptor if she could could explain to me how to do it as I go because I have never done one before and she rolled her eyes and said "Just watch me do it" but did not explain what she was doing when performing the skill. She also told me to push meds no matter what it is over about a minute, which seems unsafe to me. She was annoyed with me when I was pushing the meds too slow and I explained to her that the drug book said to push it over a certain number of minutes which is why I was going slow. When I have questions she gives me very short vague responses and seems irritated that I do not know certain things. My preceptor has not really taught me anything and makes me feel like I cannot ask questions due to her vague replies. It is just frustrating because I was looking forward to be with a preceptor and potentially getting a job on the unit after graduation. Is there something I can do to make my experience better?

[londonflo]

1 hour ago, Nurse SMS said:

I have never seen a hospital give extra pay for precepting nursing students - only newly hired staff. Interesting.

The State Nurse Practice Act for teaching in this state must allow for this. I wonder if the credentials of the preceptor are sent in? In my state I have seen the BSN programs 'drop' a student off for a preceptor to supervise. The is a faculty member who stops by but the staff nurse, for the most part, supervises. I wonder about the International College of Health Sciences who has the PN to Associate RN  program students find their own preceptors in their local area. Who is really held accountable for a student's learning and evaluation? 

This is off the topic but I had a horrible experience with a Master's student from one of the big for-profits who in the 8 weeks I had her on her clinical practicum come once on time for clinical - otherwise not a few minutes late but hours. It was really disruptive because I had to stop to brief her and we were in the full swing of things. When I called her professor I was told:  she has children, is working a travel position several hours from her home (drives there and back daily) and is going to school fulltime. I was essentially told 'give her some slack'. When I asked for the course objectives so I could find out what I was going to evaluate her on and have any kind of documentation, I was told those would be sent by another department when I was to complete them in several weeks.

When I took a planned clinical day off,  adjunct  X covered who was a graduate of the same for profit school. The MS student promptly changed to that person's clinical and I received a snippy note from the professor that X was a 'better fit for the practicum.' Thank God!  (BTW) on the first day with her 'new' preceptor I was told by another faculty that the MS student showed up hours late and was seaching for her new clinical area. From what I can see she has never been hired in a faculty position. And adjunct X (who also wouldn't follow our guidelines)  has interviewed but not gotten any full time  faculty work in the area. -