Why are preceptors negative towards nurses they are teaching?

I've been a nurse for about 4 years now but this is my first real floor nursing job. I am 4 weeks into precepting on a MedSurg floor and I'm just wondering...

Why is it that preceptors generally tend to be negative towards nurses they are teaching?

My preceptor has tried to throw me to the wolves since day 1. Every time I've asked her for help or tried to explain that I was in over my head she just tells me that I need to feel this stress and doesn't help me at all.

This overall experience has been miserable but I have been trying to be a trooper and stick it out.

I had my first mini review with my manager today that overall went well she said she definitely saw me progressing and said I was doing pretty good. She said she was going to switch my preceptor for my last couple of weeks so that I can learn some different techniques ... and, get a different point of view.

I think that's a great idea even if I thought my preceptor was wonderful it's always good to have more than one perspective.

At the end of a very very long shift after 3 straight days my preceptor tells me that I'm going to work with somebody else next week. She proceeds to tell me that it's because there are certain things that I'm just not picking up from her and that maybe I will be able to pick it up from the other person.

A nice way of saying I wasn't doing well and that it was somehow my fault.

I'm just wondering why is it that nurses tend to eat their young?

Why can't they just be a little bit more patient and understanding that things take time and that I'm not going to be at 100% so early in the game. Why can't they stop for a second and put themselves back in the shoes of being brand-new on a MedSurg floor when it's very busy and there's 10 million things going on and you feel a little overwhelmed??

[Libby1987]

You can do whatever you want but I would offer, do it with less verbiage and defenseness. No offense but I stopped reading after the first couple of explanations. That's not what you want when you want to be heard.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

Nurses who eat other nurses, young, old----, they don't discriminate. Because when someone is an A-whole they just do it to make themselves feel better. There is plenty of "old" nurse eating going on too. A lot of good, older and experienced nurses are being forced out of jobs because "they cost too much" (read: they make too much money and have topped out on their wage increases). Also, older nurses tend not to take crap from Administration.

It's not just a "young eating" thing.

One more thing: this is a much-discussed subject, so do yourself a favor and use the search feature. You will find a lot of interesting discussion, varying from the old complaint of NETY and why some don't even believe in the phenomenon.

I love this! haha Especially the "old nurse eating"...

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

You may have left out some of the details of your experience like exactly how she was not being fair to you. I thought what she said was pretty fair. It is possible, of course, that maybe there were one or two things you just weren't picking up as well as she hoped. Giving you another preceptor was the right thing to do. When I first oriented at my first hospital, I had several different preceptors. All were good and helpful. Orienting isn't easy for preceptor or orientee...but you received a good review....so, I think you should be happy. Hospital nursing is the most challenging, in my personal opinion. Good luck!