I have been an OR nurse for almost 7 years. I became burnt out and decided to move into the ED. My current preceptor (who has been an RN for 9 months) has become increasingly annoyed with me.
I have not made any medication errors or caused any patient harm, but she complains to my manager that I am asking the same questions over and over and that there also seems to be a "disconnect" in my brain. She reports that I am slow and cannot prioritize.
The last straw occurred when (under her supervision), I began to start an OG tube. I have only seen one done before and had mistakenly assumed that all OG tubes were marked at approximately the 60 mark. She corrected me and showed me how to measure.
In hindsight, I realize how stupid this was, but at the moment I thought this was right. She went straight to my manager and explained the situation (she has been in his office constantly complaining about my questions with charting).
He has now moved me to a new preceptor but states that "this is my last chance".
I am terrified. I feel that she simply does not like me, but maybe I am not right for the ER?
Please give me some advice. I am very concerned. Thank you ❤️
No one should be shamed because of the questions they ask. As a preceptor that's my job to answer all your questions. In fact, I get concerned when a the nurse I'm precepting doesn't ask questions.
Nurses new to the job aren't going to know everything and that's why there is an orientation period to learn. You will make mistakes, you will be wrong.
I corrected the nurse I'm precepting on something the other day that she got wrong but I surely didn't run to the manager to tattle. Good grief.
Anyway, good luck with the new preceptor and good thing you have a plan B.
Someone with only 9 months of ER experience is a novice and should not be orienting someone else.
Completely absurd to state that a new nurse should be precepting. What a disaster. Is that just a cover up for not having any experienced staff left? My inner cynic is working overtime these days.
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.
9 hours ago, Rate your pain said:
Completely absurd to state that a new nurse should be precepting. What a disaster. Is that just a cover up for not having any experienced staff left?
That's exactly what it is. In my ICU, we have a new nurse with eight months experience precepting, and a nurse that moved from the med-surg floor precepting SIX WEEKS off orientation. It's not fair to new nurses still building their own practice to make them precept. And it's DEFINITELY not fair to the nurses being precepted. We have travelers precepting, and nurses that have numerous medication errors and complaints precepting. There are only four nurses on night shift with more than a year of experience. Everyone else is a traveler or new. It's awful. And basic things are being missed in the process. Not good for patients.
And another brilliant idea of our management is to have one preceptor with two orientees. They said it will help them learn from each other. WHAT?!?! Stupidness.
In my ICU, we have a new nurse with eight months experience precepting, and a nurse that moved from the med-surg floor precepting SIX WEEKS off orientation.
Oh, yes, well that is because the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else--An especially useful philosophy when there's no one else there who could do it anyway. ?
I agree that this is a huge transition. My manager said that " he thinks that it is good for the new nurses to precept so that they gain confidence".
I may be in the wrong department. I just want a fair shot at success.
Tell me you do not know how to be a manager without telling me you do not know how to be a manager ?
What a horrible situation for you. I am getting ready to start a new position also. I am gping from LTAC nursing to IMC in an acute hospital. I am more worried about my orientation than anything else. I hope your orientation goes better with the new preceptor. Good luck! ?
Specializes in Maternal Newborn and Denials Management.
I am a nurse of 30 years and have precepted quite a few nurses-those with experience and those fresh out of school. Every preceptee I oriented had a list of skills that were to be observed by me the preceptor. As a preceptor I never assumed someone knew how to perform a skill. I would always discuss with my preceptee the skill we were going to do using our hospital policy/procedure guide. Then we would gather any supplies we needed and go to the patient's bedside. Then we would do the skill together. After the skill was completed, I would discuss with my preceptee what I observed and give feedback. It sounds like the ED manager assumed because you have experience you would not need much "training" which is a huge error on their part. In my opinion managers should always plan for more orientation and if it is not needed then adjust accordingly.
I wouldn't take that "last chance" . You were placed in a very strange orientation. There is no way a nurse of 9 months should be a preceptor. I think she is hypercritical of YOU, because she is still unsure of herself. In a proper orientation, the preceptor gives a weekly written report on the orinetee's progress. They do not run to the manager everytime they think they see a problem.
Also, management is not supportive.. and THAT will not change. You are already on his radar.
Specializes in Post Acute, Home, Inpatient, Hospice/Pall Care.
That is no place I would want to work. To keep your sanity and license safe, I’d say find something else, ASAP. They don’t sound supportive and they sound toxic and unprofessional. People project their issues on to others, remember it’s not you, it’s them. I think success in a career largely depends on your team and their support. I don’t let those negative nurses steal your confidence, they aren’t worth it!
I have been a nurse for over 35 years and have seen this kind of thing over and over! I feel like they are setting you up to fail, not because of anything you’ve done, but because you don’t fit their preconceived ideas of what an ED nurse is supposed to be like! I have heard other nurses comment on nurses in other departments, saying they don’t know how a Real nurse works, etc. I’m glad that you have an exit strategy, because frankly I don’t think they will give you a fair shake. ED nurses are a territorial bunch. They don’t mind if you come and “help” them out once in a while, but they will make you walk through fire to become one of them. Good Luck to you!
My manager said that " he thinks that it is good for the new nurses to precept so that they gain confidence".
Get out of there as fast as you can. It's your "manager" that sux. If you're not comfortable w your skill level, get training. My best preceptors had at least 20 yrs or more. They didn't get their confidence by whining to someone pretending to be a manager about someone with little or no experience in the dept they were trying to get up to speed in that they were supposed to be instructing having normal new grad issues. OR and ER are two different planets. Cheese and rice.
Tweety, BSN, RN
36,304 Posts
No one should be shamed because of the questions they ask. As a preceptor that's my job to answer all your questions. In fact, I get concerned when a the nurse I'm precepting doesn't ask questions.
Nurses new to the job aren't going to know everything and that's why there is an orientation period to learn. You will make mistakes, you will be wrong.
I corrected the nurse I'm precepting on something the other day that she got wrong but I surely didn't run to the manager to tattle. Good grief.
Anyway, good luck with the new preceptor and good thing you have a plan B.
Someone with only 9 months of ER experience is a novice and should not be orienting someone else.