Questions from a New Nurse

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

Hey everyone! I'm a new nurse and I was wondering, if I come to work early, would it be "okay" for me to go in and assess my patients before the start of shift and before report is given?

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed because my preceptor is overbearing and impatient to me. She'd ask me a question and assume I don't know, she passes judgement on people too quickly. I'd answer the question correctly and then she'd say, "no, it's..." and then repeat the exact same thing I just said. I don't like it because many times I feel like it's a power struggle or an ego battle she's attempting to play. What makes it worse is that because I see the way she gossips about other people (because she gossips ALOT about other nurses), I feel like she's gossiping about me too. So I just don't feel comfortable talking to her and asking her for help because I feel like she's judging me and gossiping about me to other nurses. She knows what to do for her and her patients, but when it comes to other nurses, she's intolerant.

Did anyone else have this kind of experience as new nurses with preceptors? How did you handle it?

[Bringonthenight]

It sounds like the preceptor is the problem not you.

Don't let her attitude towards you make you want to come in really early and start work. I always reccomend a new grad to come in 5-15 mins before report to make a plan for the shift, but actually going in and assessing before you get report is silly and potentially dangerous.

Can you talk to your manager about swapping preceptors?

Being a new grad is tough, hang in there it gets better :)

[kayern]

First of all, that nurse should not be a preceptor if she indeed is impatient. My goodness, new nurses need nurturing not belittling. Yeah she may know all the answers but her job as a preceptor is to teach and answer questions. I tell my new nurses the only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask. I encourage them to ask, ask, ask and then ask again. Your preceptor sounds like one of those who "eat their young". See your manager and ask for a change. Your manager should already know this person is a "gossip" and should NOT EVER let her precept and shame on that Manager for letting an impatient gossiping nurse precept!

[HyperSaurus, RN, BSN]

Don't go in an see the patients before you are on the clock. That is just setting yourself up for legal issues.