Think I've Done All I Can for This Person?

Published

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I've been precepting a new OR tech for close to 6 months now. Every 3 months for the first year, everyone gets an evaluation. The first week of March, is the new tech's turn. She's had 3 preceptors, who are also involved in the evaluation, by talking to the supervisor first, which means i'll have to do that too.

Why i'm dreading it is that i'm not going to have much positive to say. While she can set up a table and tray ok, she forgets a lot of things for cases, and someone has to run out at the last minute and get whatever she forgot (part of her training is for her to get stuff herself before she scrubs, and by now she should have a better grasp on this).

BUT, the biggest issue is this. She's very emotional. While i'm not saying she should be a hard***, she is sniffling and crying (quietly) over practically every case, and it's been like this since the first week. We get pts. for cancer removal, PEGs, trachs, central lines, etc. who don't look very good, and yes this is sad, but she's bawling over every single case. Why this is a problem is that she's so distracted by being this upset, that any surgeon is asking 3 and 4 times for something, and she's not paying attention to what he's saying, or what's even going on. Which makes it really hard for them to do their job, which is not good for the pt.

I've explained this to her, i've asked a million questions to her, thinking, ok, this stuff is hard for anyone starting out, maybe this is reminding her of someone, wondering if there was other reasons aside from the pt.'s condition that this is going on (boy, have i tried, sheesh). She says "no i just think it's so sad that people are in this shape". I recommended the in-house employee counselor, but she refuses to go.

I'll have to tell the supervisor that this girl just isn't focused, and it's an issue. Some things get to people more than others, but if it's affecting how someone does their job, i can't really lie and say she's doing a good job. The 3 month evaluation addressed all of this, and nothing's changed in 3 more months.

I've tried talking, till i've sounded like a broken record, and i feel like i've helped as much as i can. The other 2 preceptors are dealing with the same issues with her, and we're probably going to wind up saying the same things.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice.

Short answer - Yep. Time to finish. The red flag, to me, is her apparent inability to see for herself that the job is a bad fit right now. It may be that a reality check is the best you can do for her. JMHO - Heron

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I know exactly how you feel.

We have a new employee on my job, she's been there about 3 months now.

She's just not doing very well.

We trained her, and she went with another nurse for about a month until she felt comfortable going out on med rounds alone.

But she is also very emotional, cries alot.....if she can't find something, a person's med or treatment medication, she cries. If it isn't there, we can order it and get it delivered out right away, but she cries about it.

She also has some health problems. She has some stomach problems, and she gets sick, vomits, gets dizzy, hot, sweaty, etc.

I think it could be anxiety and a feeling of being overwhelmed on this job.

We do have a difficult job of administering meds to about 120 people divided up between 2 or 3 nurses.

She's not picking up any speed either. Our 4:00 med round is very light....not heavy at all. It takes her 3 hours to complete this round. I can do that round in a little over an hour.

Her shift is 5 hours/day/20 hours/week.....to help with that 8pm hard med round. That gives us 3 nurses, but she's unable to pull her share. Just the other night she got sick and 2 other nurses had to go finish her med pass for her, so she could go home.

Of course I've been on this job 26 years.....I've practically grown up with it.

Been there thru all of it, ups and downs.

But EVERY other nurse who comes to work with us is able to pick up speed and do this job.....but this one can't.

The DON is going to talk to her next week about her health problems and the demands of the job. I don't know what's going to happen.

I don't want to see anyone lose their job, but I know we need some dependable help.

Good luck with yours.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

That's our problem. I just don't feel that when someone has to be asked repeatedly for something, and they don't have a hearing problem, is that dependable, especially in the urgent situations (vast majority of cranies we do are on accident victims, and we all know that's not pretty). God help it if she's on a case and a gusher is nicked. For some miracle, that hasn't happened on the cases i've scrubbed with her.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.

Geezh! I don't know what else anyone could do......I agree this position is not for her.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Not everyone can work OR. You do no favors to the employee or the unit if you overlook these inadequacies. Marie, I've read enough of your threads to know you are fair and have high professional standards. I know you'll do the right thing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Oh, yeah, time for her to find a different role in nursing. Sheesh......it's sad sometimes when someone is in surgery, but to cry all the time? Um.....to put it mildly I don't think the OR is her cup of tea. :rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow, what a challange, she sounds like she isn't cut out for the really tough stuff, maybe she needs to be in a wellness, preventitive care setting. It's good that she has a heart and compassion, it's just not a good place for the tender hearted.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If open cases are too much for her perhaps she do lap chole's, lap gastric bypass, lap prostates, and maybe some "lumps & bumps". Don't know if this will be fair in terms of staffing--- what are your numbers like? If you guys have teams maybe this person could do those cases.:imbar If this is a CST I think the OR is the only option unlike RN/LPN

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Progressive Care.

what do you mean by tech? Like, is she a nurse who can find a different setting to work in or is she trained specifically as a scrub tech who can work in just OR? In FL scrub techs go through a 10 (?) month program before they can be certified and if this girl did go through a program, why did her instructors not catch this behavior?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

She is a scrub tech in training, not a CST or a nurse.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
If open cases are too much for her perhaps she do lap chole's, lap gastric bypass, lap prostates, and maybe some "lumps & bumps". Don't know if this will be fair in terms of staffing--- what are your numbers like?

Gastric bypass has the same effect.

It wouldn't be really fair to others if she's only assigned to certain cases just because she's emotional.

Not to mention a year from now when she (would) start taking weekend and night call, you don't get to pick what you want to do then.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment