First I want to thank you guys who post here. I have been reading and it's a wonderful web site for students and new nurses. So many questions answered and mysteries solved!
Second I need to ask if anyone has been in a similar situation as I find myself in now and what you did about it.
I have a leadership class and the professor is awful. She gave us no guidance or support with the clinical requirement - on our own, we had 2 days filled with classes to find a preceptor we could follow around for a total of 30 hours in 5 weeks on top of a full summer semester credit load. She wouldn't even give us the list of outside facilities we have a contract with - she read it to us in class so fast no one had time to write them down. We have to keep and submit journals and do endless ridiculous written assignments with final projects at the end.
I made the mistake of winding up with a preceptor in an outside facility who I don't know. It was the specialty I am interested in and there aren't many like it in my area.Everything was fine except that she is a head nurse and busy and seems sometimes to not want me around but her staff all seem to like me and I help them out a lot with tasks they don't want to do and I have been having a positive time.
I had to give the preceptor an evaluation for me and she gave it back and I looked at it when I left and she gave me 1 - on absolutely everything. - The grading is 1 through 5 points with 1 being the worst.
She has never let me help her - I took the initiative to write a note (not meant to be a nurses note) because after she left one day something occurred with cousins fighting over a client and no one was at the nurses station but me. I had no authority to get involved but I did listen and defuse the situation and gave my name and told them why I was there and told them I would inform staff. I got a nasty critical attitude from the nurse manager about my note the next week but no real feedback.
Anyway - when I told the perceptor on Friday I would be back her face fell and rolling her eyes and looking someone who was visiting her as if there was a big secret she said, "Are you learning anything here?!" She never asked me to do anything or gave me any direction on what I should be doing there - never gave me an indication I wasn't doing well in this clinical. I did feed difficult clients and spent time with them and talked to them and walked with them and the clients hug me and kiss me - so I can't be all that terrible.
I wondered she thinks I am planning to pursue a job there after graduation. I am not but they she asked. The director of nursing there asked me when I graduate and I am wondering if my preceptor is jealous and spiteful - I can't tell. (Her staff and the facility love her and she is one of the best they have there).
I want to ask you all...should I...Go back and speak to this woman? I really REALLY do not want to cause she is closed and stubborn (and I don't trust her) and I have already put up with too much.
Should I go to the student counseling office at school? They'll give me some standard counseling but they can't and won't get involved. My professor for this course would be more than happy to blame this on me and fail me - she is a mean person.
I am tempted to fake the evaluation form and hand in a forged signature copy and that thought scares me - why should I be dishonest and risk being thrown out of school and ruining everything when I feel the course and the people I should be looking up to failed, not me? I am graduating at the end of the summer with a BSN and this is really upsetting. Any feedback is very much appreciated. And Thanks Nurses! And best wishes to all of you who are suffering with professors and preceptors from Hell.
