What Do You Expect of A Preceptor?

tiredstudentmom · Dec 2, 2010

I think this is a good thread. For those of us that haven't started nursing school just yet (6 wks to go! yay!), this gives us something to ponder and muse upon while we wait to graduate. Thanks.

RNDreamer · Dec 2, 2010

ruby, i am so glad you asked this question.

i really, really try not to act like the "over confident, know it all new grad" that i see experienced nurses complain about on this site. however, i can cannot stand to be treated like i am some delicate flower who can't do anything.

i cannot take have an overbearing preceptor. if it is 12 noon and i have a 2 o'clock med pass, please don't tell me i have it. i know i have a 2 oclock med pass. it's 12. i'm no way near behind.

let me learn from my mistakes. if i go into a room without my supplies, please don't come behind me with them. i won't learn to be prepared if you keep 'hand holding my hand'

if something is going on with my patient, i need to know about it. please don't not tell me, and the first time i hear about it during handover report.`

if you tell me you are going to show me how to do something, don't do it because you couldn't wait for me to take a 5 minute bathroom break. it wasn't even something that had to be done right then and there. it could have waited.

don't do a task/skill, then look at me and say "i guess i should have let you do that" more than once, same skill, even though you know i want to do it.

if i finally come to you and express how i feel, please don't continue to do the things that frustrate me, then laugh as though it's funny. it's not funny to me.

patient care is more important than your need to gossip about your coworkers.

these are the only things i can think of right now that aren't specific enough to identify me if she were reading this.

i feel that i have proven that i know what i know and that i know what i don't know. and most importantly, i know where to find my answers and when to ask for help. and i always ask for help when i need it. but please, let me grow as a nurse.

i've seen an awful lot of posts lately knocking preceptors. and a few posts that seem genuinely to be asking for advice on how to get the most out of your orientation.
so new grads, what do you expect of a preceptor? and do you think your expectations are realistic? what have you learned about the orientation process that you didn't expect?

RNJill · Dec 2, 2010

1) Treat me with some measure of respect and kindness. I can work with different personalities and don't expect everyone to be Pollyanna, but rolling your eyes when I talk, sitting with your back to me at lunch, and frowning at me the whole day is a little much :uhoh3: (thankfully I have had only one preceptor do this and this was during nursing school)

2) Have a reasonable amount of knowledge about patho and why we're doing what we're doing. I find it soooo inspiring to learn from nurses who are really critical thinkers and on top of what's going on with patients!

3) Give me constructive and timely feedback-and preferably deliver it at least somewhat kindly (I'll admit it-I can hide it decently at work, but I'm a little sensitive ). If you think something's wrong and never tell me, there's no way I can fix it!

If a preceptor meets these three criteria, I think they'd be pretty awesome!

RNDreamer · Dec 2, 2010

The only problem that I had with my preceptor was that if she saw I was busy and there was something to be done (which is pretty much always), she would just go ahead and do whatever to "help" me. This was only an issue when it was not communicated back to me what had already been done. This resulted in multiple calls to pharmacy, physicians, duplicate orders entered, etc. It took away good learning opportunities and added frustrations with other members of the patient care team because they weren't sure who they were supposed to communicate with. quote]
EXACTLY, if you do something for me, TELL me! Don't make me make unecessary phone calls just to feel foolish in the end.

Blackheartednurse · Dec 2, 2010

*dont talk behind my back,better yet while I'm standing a few feets away from you.

*dont lie to me stating that you heading to the bathroom while I know that you are going to the manager to get me in trouble

*dont take away my drug book,I'm still learning and dont be surprised that I dont know all the meds in the world (also dont be a hypocrite since you personally confessed to me that when you first started out you didnt know many of the meds on this particular unit)

*dont act like you are an expert on everything (just because you have been in the field for several years-yes not even 10 or twenty years but several) You might be an expert on this particular specialty unit but I caught you several times being uncomfortable with some skills and knowledge (I guess you should have done med-surg first)

*encourage me to ask questions and dont get upset when I ask questions or want to discuss patient's case with you (really I dont know why did you decide to take the preceptor classess when clearly you dont care about teaching)

*smile to me and say hi the first thing in the morning when you see me (it is really rude to just ignore me and proceed to look up the patient's info without any communication,dont you think we should do this together and discuss our plan for the day,no you are not super busy I'm with you for the majority of the time and you always have time to gossip with your friends,take a break,lunch,shop on internet and talk to your mom and a hubby)

UKRNinUSA, RN · Dec 2, 2010

I am precepting a senior student at the moment (for the first time) and it has been helpful to read your comments. I have been wondering if it is possible to teach "multitasking" or does this just come as you feel more comfortable in your new role?

RNDreamer · Dec 2, 2010

I am precepting a senior student at the moment (for the first time) and it has been helpful to read your comments. I have been wondering if it is possible to teach "multitasking" or does this just come as you feel more comfortable in your new role?

I welcome any suggestion on how to better multitask. And I also needed to find MY way of managing my time. Why is it that if a preceptee doesn't want to do it a preceptor's way, then it's because s/he is a know it all and overconfident? Why can't it be that s/he just found a way to do something that worked better for them.

geekgolightly, BSN, RN · Dec 2, 2010

I'd like to just defend all preceptors who watch what you're doing, especially while in a critical care environment. Despite the growing confidence a preceptor may have in a newly minted nurse, that preceptor, if s/he is worth their salt, will watch you like a HAWK, and for good reason. Those patients take a turn for the worse at the smallest unnoticed change. Learn to live with it, until you are almost ready to fly on your own.

Testa Rosa, RN · Dec 2, 2010

I had two awesome preceptors-- learned SO MUCH from these super nurses and hope to repay my debt in kind one day.

One thing that helped is that one of my preceptors and I both did our assesments--mostly together, but sometimes separately--then she left me on my own to pass meds and chart while she kept a watchful eye.

I had until 10:30 pm to input all my assessments, if I wasn't done in the computer and ready for her to review, she would start in to chart on the patient I had not yet charted on.

As I became better at managing my time, she started adding to my plate--admits, discharges, lab issues, med follow up, MD calls, dressing changes, PCA, epidural management, hep drips, special procedures, etc.

This required a lot of extra effort on her part the first couple weeks to ensure I was assessing, medicating and charting to her specs. Soon, she was able to sit hearing distance clicking on when I needed help.

She also made sure we had a high acuity case load, and that pts types were varied and switched up week to week, I didn't realize this until we floated onto another floor and it felt like I was on vacation.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Dec 2, 2010

I think the multitasking comes as you get used to the role, and don't have to think through the rationale and how to do everything. A new nurse has to feel their way through every detail. An experienced nurse has a list of several tasks that she can do on autopilot, while puzzling through how to get the fourth task done efficiently.

I can multitask just great, but if there's an art line to set up/zero I still need to work it through step by step or there is going to be a puddle. I have to mentally stop and concentrate, and I remember orientation when half my day was like that.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 2, 2010

i want a preceptor who wants to be a preceptor and enjoys teaching. i also want someone who is willing to challenge me.
i'd also like it if my preceptor was more than 4 days off orientation.

both of those are reasonable requests. but sometimes we have 7-13 new grads on orientation and there aren't enough preceptors who want to precept to go around. someone who isn't a good teacher gets drafted into precepting. not the ideal situation, but necessary. in that case both the orientee and the preceptor have to make the best of it.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 2, 2010

i am precepting a senior student at the moment (for the first time) and it has been helpful to read your comments. i have been wondering if it is possible to teach "multitasking" or does this just come as you feel more comfortable in your new role?

i'll throw in an opinion here . . . unless the student is very comfortable and very good at both tasks, he or she is probably too new to multitask. multitasking hopefully will come with time, experience and an expanding skillset.