To my preceptor

Specialties NICU

Published

Just wanted to say thanks for

1. Going directly to the nurse manager to give negative feedback, but over the course of five weeks, never speaking to me directly about any of these issues.

2. Stating to me after two weeks "well I know its been a while since we've done a line change (two weeks to be exact), but do you think you can handle one today?" I step up to the challenge, gather all supplies correctly, take my time to connect all parts then when I proceed to run into a possible mistake (which you did not give me a chance to see, you just intervened) at almost the end of the process, you quickly forget that it has been two weeks since we have done this, I've only done it 0 other times myself, but Thanks, for going to management and telling them untruthfully how you've showed me over and over again, but I'm not maintaining how to do it. Would have been nice to have just made this a teaching moment and we tried it again tomorrow.

3. Thanks for starting the mornings off having little discussion about too much of anything, pretty much making me be have to be proactive to tell you that I can take care of Patient A, or feel left out, because you proceed with taking care of patients (after 3 weeks) without involving me. Thanks for requiring me to involve myself because you just got up for the desk and started doing patient care without any direction for the day.

4. Thanks for telling management that you saw me turn up oxygen on a desating baby without checking the baby first to see if the cannula prongs were in the nose, but you weren't at the bedside and how could you know?

5. Thanks for telling management that I do not show enthusiasm and desire to do my job in the NICU because I do not participate in opportunities on the unit, but you weren't there when I was helping other busy nurses feed their babies, admit their newborns, suction a desating kid (when other nurses around completely ignored what was going on,) prepare and reposition a baby for an xray, because that baby's nurse was off the floor and xray was here, right now. But yet, I do not participate and show motivation.

6. Thanks for not telling management that in a matter of three weeks, I have proactively mastered a type of documentation system that is totally different from my previous experience and have been going through the charts proactively to complete developmental plans of care (after you showed me this process once.)

7. Thanks for not telling management that I consistently ask questions to clarify care that we are doing with these fragile babies as sign that I want to get things right.

8. Thanks for telling management that I did not properly feed a PO/NG tongue tied baby because at the end of our 30 minute feeding time, the baby had only eaten 10ml, I supposedly waited too long to tell you (which really I had an order to proceed otherwise), and before proceeding to NG feed the baby(per order), you then inform me of how to troubleshoot feeding issues with a tongue tied kid (which I had never seen before and was not made aware of in report.) Thanks for telling management I am not maintaining what I am being taught, but for the next three feedings, I utilized your trouble shooting method and the baby successfully ate for the rest of the day.

9. Thanks for not telling management that my preceptee has three weeks left, I will discuss these concerns with her and give her time to correct what I feel as a preceptor, she needs to do better. Thanks preceptor for the opportunity to directly receive constructive criticism during my time of orientation and to make the needed corrections (even though you've seen that I can do this.)

10. Thank you nurse manager for only consider my preceptors perspective, but you quickly forget how when you were on the floor one day, I assisted you with your desating baby who's oxygen you pulled out the wall. Your hands were full and because I saw your alarm going off, I stepped in your room and helped you out.

11. Thank you management for telling me that you are going to trust the word of my tenured experienced preceptor as to all the negative things I have done, but say that I should have asked for a preceptor that was different from my very experienced and tenured preceptor (who you've said has precepted a lot of people) if I feel it wasn't working out.

12. Thank you nursing school for teaching me that if things aren't going perfectly with your preceptor, that instead of adjusting, learning, asking questions, trusting the experience of the person assigned to you, that you should not trust anyone and immediately asked to be assigned to someone else. Why, because clearly when you ask for your teammates to be switched everything will then be perfect.

-Frustrated NICU orientee and new nurse tired of having to read people's minds.

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You sound a lot like myself 24 years ago, when I was on orientation. I think you should work with another nurse or two just so they can asses your level of competency and build on areas of weakness. These nurses are seasoned and respected by their staff, so to have a new nurse come in and start slamming the personnel would not be a good idea. Sometimes there are nurses who forget that they were once a new nurse or perhaps there's a personality conflict. Are you at a teaching hospital? If not, consider it. In order to be a NICU nurse it has to be in your blood, if it's not try another type of nursing. If it is! Be persistent and be positive!! Don't give up! And good luck to you.

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I would need help recognizing personality conflicts. I rarely have problems with people. People may say they have problems with me, but like in this instance, I usually hear from someone else. Just be honest with me and I can adjust or move on.

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Oh my god!!!! This is awful awful awful behaviour! What the hell is your preceptor playing at? Is she the devil reincarnated?

This so called preceptor is stitching you up left, right amd centre. She will ruin your career if you let here. Is that what you want because she is damn well putting your name through mud.

I gather that you have been in orientation for only 5 weeks. That isnt a long time really especially to master the NICU. For new graduate nurses it can take months to pull it all together and even then nobody is perfect.

Do you think she is setting you up to fail with backhanded tactics like conveniently running to the manager at every god given opportunity?

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Keep going hun. Ive been where you have been and its painful. It sounds like she is trying to destroy you.

I really do think you need to change preceptors. I know that you are going to feel like a troublemaker but trust me when i say that you cant continue to carry in like this. Its a mistake that i made unfortunately. I think another person opinion may help. Do you have any nursing assistants on your unit. I find they are the most approachable people on the unit and they can share so much with you. They arent judgemental.

Unfortunately nurse managers will take what the preceptor says like its the holy grail of truth. They arent going to sit their grappling with an experienced nurse so theyll be dragging you into the office. Its not nice.

Continue to ask questions. What the hell is wrong with asking a question. Some nurses dont like being asked questions and look at you like youve got three heads

Damned if you do. Damned if you dont.

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Hey hunny how its going? Any improvements so far? I really feel for you. Xx

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Hey hunny how its going? Any improvements so far? I really feel for you. Xx

I replied to your pm.

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