Scared To Ask For A Letter Of Recommendation

[peach2218, CNA]

I am graduating in 8 days (holy *** is this even real?!) and I have 10 out of 105 hours left to finish up.  I am precepting in the NICU and I absolutely love it, it's such a nice change from the adult trauma unit I work on as an aide. I think I'm doing relatively well and I haven't screwed anything up. I've been on time, I ask questions, I do what's asked of me, and I'm gaining confidence with giving report and talking to parents. 

I'm planning on applying for a residency position in the NICU in the Summer after I give birth, and all RN residents have to bring 2 letters of recommendation to the interviews. I already have one from a nursing school mentor, but I think that a letter from my preceptor might really give me a leg up into the unit. The thing is I'm scared that she'll say no. What if she doesn't think I'm cut out for NICU and just hasn't told me yet? Should I ask her on Saturday, my last day there, or should I just wait until I'm finished precepting and send her a professional email thanking her for the opportunity and asking her if she'd be willing to write one? 

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I would ask your Preceptor during your last day, to give you a "brutally honest" opinion of your performance during your preceptorship. You want them to give you a true opinion, not an answer in order to not hurt your feelings. If they give you a favorable answer, then ask if they could give you a letter of recommendation.

[Lunatunagirl, CNA]

I would ask in person how they think you did, like NICU guys said. Then let them know you enjoyed this position and plan to pursue it and that it would mean a lot to have a rec letter from them. Good luck!

[NursingMentorPRN, BSN, MSN, NP, CNM]

First of all,  it's pretty common to doubt your abilities and only remember the times you messed up. I think more than likely, your preceptor would be happy to write you a letter of recommendation. I agree with the two other responses. Talk to your preceptor about your overall performance face to face before emailing a request for a letter of recommendation.
Hopefully you've been communicating with your preceptor about your interest in working in the NICU throughout your time with them. If not, I'd suggest you do next time you see them. I think it's helpful if a recommender "sees it coming." (They might put more of an effort into noticing specific things or it might give them time to reflect on if they think you are a good fit for the NICU.) When you ask for their honest evaluation, if you aren't getting concrete answers, consider directly asking what they think you do well and one thing you can improve on. I think in most cases, you should be able to tell based on these responses. If the conversation goes well, I'd ask write there and then if they would consider writing you a letter of recommendation in the future. Assuming they say yes, I'd still send that thank you email and let them know how much the experience has impacted you and THEN send a request for a letter of recommendation. I like keeping the gratitude for the experience separate from the ask. That's just me though. Everyone handles this sort of thing differently. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.