students! they have no sympathy!

[EmmaG, RN]

Amen to that. I was precepting a new orientee/GN last week and it was difficult for me to do. I'm only 9 months in myself!! The only reason I did it is because the GN got scheduled on days when the charge nurse felt that all the other "experienced" RNs were not good candidates to orientate. I tried to get out of it but the charge somehow talked me into it.

It was very difficult to step back and let the GN do everything herself though! That's what I instinctively did but I'm glad that I more or less did the right thing. I just stood by while she did the IV pushes and double checked her charting and everything. I tried to guide her in the right directions when I felt she wasn't prioritizing properly. It was hard to keep my mouth shut when she did things in ways that I wouldn't have done them...but I remembered back to when I was a student/GN and how much I hated it when nurses would make me do it "their way." All in all, orientating/precepting was a pretty boring experience. bleh. Nothing special to it (she already had a month of experience on the unit working the day shift but had just switched over to orient on nights).

It's good that you gave her the chance to take it on her own.

When I was orienting at the last hospital I worked, my preceptor and I just did not click at all.

I am organized and methodical in my approach. As I'm listening to report I'm prioritizing my care, making mental notes of who will be my sickest and neediest patients, who needs what done first, supplies I'll need for my shift and so on.

I'm measured and calm, but not necessarily slow. I have it mapped out in my mind what I'm going to do and how to do it.

This particular preceptor seemed to be constantly on the verge of hysteria. As report finished, she'd start rattling off this litany of stuff "we gotta do!!!" And as far as priorities, it was all jumbled together, from getting a pre-op ready to cleaning up the kardexes to signing off orders to taking AM sugars to reading the policy book to administering tube feedings... she would just sit there blurting out all this nonsense.

I spent most of my time saying "I know" as she skittered about telling me "now don't forget about ____" 9 times out of 10, it was something that needed to be done hours later. She would completely obsess over the littlest, most insignificant things, insisting I take care of them now! Often it involved stuff like 'cleaning up' the kardex, while I had patients in rigors spiking temps (actual example).

She'd interrupt me during procedures, bringing me charts --- "We have new orders!!!" Most of the time, I'd already seen the orders and signed them off. I repeatedly had to point out my signature and tell her that yes, I was aware of them.

She was so spastic, she would grab charts from my hand as I was writing notes, take meds from me as I was pouring them, saying "We're running out of tiiiiiiime!"

Um. No we weren't.

It was so frustrating. Thank goodness I was only with her a few days and then on my own. We would have strangled each other had my orientation lasted any longer.

I worked alongside her on the same shift; I noticed that this was her norm, it wasn't just the stress of orienting someone making her frazzled and disorganized. The other staff was aware of this too, which made me wonder why she was chosen to precept the travelers.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I also feel that you will not learn by having someone help you to this degree. I know nursing is hard, and as a new one, it is overwhelming. However, shortly, you will be hanging on your own. You will have to learn to manage time with even more patients and working independently. I used to enjoy when a person basically left me to my own devices after a few days, telling me to come to them when I needed them. What I discovered was after a few days, I didn't need them as often as I thought, and that made me feel great!

Good luck!

[Super Nurse JoshuA]

Yea. The "ask me if you have any question" is the extent of training theyve been trying to give me in the icu.:angryfire

Yea. I remember when I was in clinicals a lot of my class mates often had very many negative things to say about the nurses on the floor in post confrence. I had worked as an aid for awhile and knew how it could be pretty harry at times. I've been concerned to that students will say negative things about me in post confrence to my former clinical instructors. How embarassing would that be???

[EmmaG, RN]

Yea. The "ask me if you have any question" is the extent of training theyve been trying to give me in the icu.:angryfire

Yea. I remember when I was in clinicals a lot of my class mates often had very many negative things to say about the nurses on the floor in post confrence. I had worked as an aid for awhile and knew how it could be pretty harry at times. I've been concerned to that students will say negative things about me in post confrence to my former clinical instructors. How embarassing would that be???

Eh, don't worry about it.

They'll find out what it's really like soon enough :)

[labrador4122, RN]

They were rude, but you didn't know the patient's diagnosis? Not cool. In any case the commentary was uncalled for.

Patty, I'm surprised that pin care took 30 minutes, I would have expected 5-10, with teaching and questions. Hanging an IV med takes less than that. If I was your preceptor I would have encouraged you to do them both yourself. BUT, perhaps your preceptor was held up with something the same way you were. JMO but juggling tasks is also a part of the orientation process. You can work on time management at the same time you work on skills.

Well, it was not just pin care that I was doing, more like, pin care, colostomy bag change, diaper change..... it was a lot of work. And that preceptor honestly should have given the med for the patient that we had together. After all, she tells the patients, "you have two nurses tonight"... umm yeah right, you have one nurse!

[labrador4122, RN]

well, I guess this is how I will learn, just do everything on my own and ask if I need anything.

I just feel like I was learning one way, then three weeks later, I get a brand new preceptor ... so I have to learn a brand new way of doing things.

I would of rather stay with one preceptor. But I guess they do this so we learn from a young nurse, that supposedly does things the right way, then later we learn from a senior nurse who supposedly does things the right way too but with short cuts.

it's a new way to do things. but when they ask me what I think, I will tell them that I would rather stay with just one person.

[yellow finch, BSN, RN]

I hate to focus on this... however you need to know the patient's diagnosis, history, and allergies. These are three top components that would ideally start report. It's like walking into a patient's room with meds and not knowing what they're for. You can't watch over them if you aren't familiar with their disease process. If you don't know something, look it up. With unusual diagnoses I'll even print information up and keep it with the MAR for nurses following me to read. Just be mindful of this when taking report.

Now... aside from that... it's always hard having a preceptor who's there but not completely there for you... the nurse that precepted me in my current unit was sometimes hard to track down or wouldn't allow me to interrupt if he was chatting up a doctor. He's an incredibly strong nurse with years and years of experience but has a desperate need to be known and liked by the doctors. So, he would abandon me frequently to talk to them. Still, if I had a question he had the right answer. The next preceptor (on nights) preferred talking my ear off on odd topics than teaching me anything. It was kind of funny. She had decades of experience but few social skills. Heh. Never hesitate to ask another nurse a question. Most are happy that you value their advice.

[labrador4122, RN]

I hate to focus on this... however you need to know the patient's diagnosis, history, and allergies. These are three top components that would ideally start report. It's like walking into a patient's room with meds and not knowing what they're for. You can't watch over them if you aren't familiar with their disease process. If you don't know something, look it up. With unusual diagnoses I'll even print information up and keep it with the MAR for nurses following me to read. Just be mindful of this when taking report.

Now... aside from that... it's always hard having a preceptor who's there but not completely there for you... the nurse that precepted me in my current unit was sometimes hard to track down or wouldn't allow me to interrupt if he was chatting up a doctor. He's an incredibly strong nurse with years and years of experience but has a desperate need to be known and liked by the doctors. So, he would abandon me frequently to talk to them. Still, if I had a question he had the right answer. The next preceptor (on nights) preferred talking my ear off on odd topics than teaching me anything. It was kind of funny. She had decades of experience but few social skills. Heh. Never hesitate to ask another nurse a question. Most are happy that you value their advice.

well, actually, I did say the right disease. I said "kasai disease" but the nurse looked at me weird..... so I thought that I had mispelled it and said "kasawi" and she looked at me weird again....... then I said "i don't know"

and I should of looked it up before giving report in the morning.

and of course it turned out that the nurse had no idea what the disease was either. and little did I know that she started working there just a few months before me.... so it was like two blind mice telling report to eachother while two nursing students just made little stupid side comments.

well, after that ordeal. I learned. picked myself up, and now I look up EVERYTHING during my down time that I do not know.

one example, I had gotten report fromt he day nurse, that the kid was having an MIBMB (sorry, can't remember the exact abbreviation). and I didn't ask what it was, because that was being done during the dayshift, no me, and I was with my preceptor, so I just figured I would ask her later... and my preceptor didn't know what it was.

so I said, ok, I will look it up, and it was a nuclear scan.

the next day in report, the new day nurse that got the patient asked, what the MIBMB was, and I told her. and report was great, the students were happy that I gave them good report... no rolling their eyes this time.

and now 3/22 I am on my own. doing great. time management great. I get report ready for the dayshift so I know what to say... and I feel good.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Well, it was not just pin care that I was doing, more like, pin care, colostomy bag change, diaper change..... it was a lot of work. And that preceptor honestly should have given the med for the patient that we had together. After all, she tells the patients, "you have two nurses tonight"... umm yeah right, you have one nurse!

Yep I can see how that would take 30 minutes, for sure.

[SoundofMusic]

I think sometimes students in groups will act that way due to inner insecurties more than anything. More than likely, many of these types will not even graduate or will fail NCLEX or something. I saw it happen in my class.

I'd defintitely let their instructor know about it -- we would never have gotten away with it.