I recently transferred from a telemetry unit to the emergency department. my preceptor is very nice and very sweet but I feel like I'm not learning anything from her. and other nurses in the department are plainly rude, though they have alot of wisdom I would like to dig into. I am increasingly getting the impression that I just need to keep my mouth shut, keep my head down, and hope for the best. But it's very uncomfortable for me. I just don't know what to do, I feel like I'm in a bad situation. I need help and support... stories, tips or whatever... somebody talk to me.
Sarah
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March 17th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Sarah,
I would go to your preceptor and address your concerns with her honestly. Tell her how you are feeling in a non judgmental way and ask if she can give you more suggestions throughout the shift. My unit had a orientation packet with a checklist of things I needed to know. If your ED has something like that, that might help you be more cofortable. There are other posts on this site about preceptors that have good tips. Also, it just takes time! So do your best and try not to be hard on yourself. Good luck!
March 18th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Sarah,
Speaking as someone who just finished an ED orientation, you really need to do something about the situation because you’ll want to know as much as possible before you’re on your own. I had a really rough orientation, and I finally spoke up to my preceptor and i actually really helped. After I talked to her about the problems I was feeling she felt more like I was really trying to learn and that I really wanted to be there which she respected and I felt like I got a lot more out of my orientation after that.
If your preceptor doesn’t want to listen I would try to talk to the ED manager and ask if you could possibly get a new preceptor that would be more willing to teach you. Just make sure you don’t bad mouth the old one cause that could bite you in the butt later 🙂
Good luck!
March 24th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
It sounds like some of what you need is confidence.
-Is there an area that you feel like you can function with confidence?
-Can you identify where your difficulties are? patient assessment? medications? general routines?
What to do first?
Have you asked your preceptor her opinion on your strengths and weaknesses?
Get some perspective and then get focused.
Share your concerns with the preceptor and then with the preceptor and the nurse manager in a meeting —
Hope this helps –things can move quickly in an ER and becoming comfortable and confident takes time. As far as other staff try building relationships –offer your help with their work without looking for anything in return.