I just finished orientation at my current job.

For any new nurse, being on orientation can be a stressful experience. Your preceptor (the person who orients you) can make or break your entire experience. After going through one orientation on this job and now experiencing another while also taking into account the orientation that I received at my previous place of employment, I’ve come to notice some things and I want to share them with you guys. It’s become something that I’m quite interested in pursuing because it’s a critical time for a new nurse, especially if they’re a new graduate nurse. Programs like Nurse Residency are great but do they teach you how to navigate the intricate relationship that you will have with your preceptor(s).

Fortunately for me, I had a great Nurse Mentor in my educator from Nurse Residency. Her name was Christianna and I’m 100% for sure that had it not been for her I would not have made it through my first year as a nurse. I enjoyed being a nurse, but I hated my job. Psychiatric nursing is not for the faint of heart. I hated working five days a week (rotating shifts!!!), and I absolutely hated my commute into the city. I wanted to quit multiple times, but she continued to encourage me. She met with me and we talked about so many things to help manage life on the job and off.

I had great preceptors when I worked in psych. They were easy to talk to, not into micromanaging, and a great resource for questions that I had. They were also very supportive of the fact that I did not want to remain a psych nurse past my first year. When I switched specialties and moved into Labor and Delivery I was oriented twice. Once when I first started to be a baby nurse, which is where I worked until I could transition to actual labor. And now here we are…

As I stated earlier, there are quite a few things I’ve learned/observed over these past 12 weeks of orientation as it pertains to preceptors:

1. If you don’t want to precept, don’t. I cannot stress this enough!!! It doesn’t do the new nurse any good to be taught by someone who has no real interest in teaching and it will show in how they are taught as well as how they perform without you. You may not see it but others definitely will.

2. Having only one preceptor isn’t always the best idea. A lot of people think that having more than one preceptor is difficult because everyone does things differently. For me, it was eye opening. There are so many things that I learned from my main preceptor that other nurses didn’t do or just did differently. Also, some people are just better at explaining things. So I was able to pick what worked for me and I went back to my main preceptor with a better understanding of certain things.

3. If you don’t think your preceptor (or your orientee if you are the preceptor) is a good fit for you, SPEAK UP. When it was suggested to me who my main preceptor would be – I literally was like 😬 oh no. I agreed to learn from her and while I’m glad I did, it did not come easily. It wasn’t until I got a new preceptor that I was able to appreciate all that I had learned because I was actually given the opportunity to apply it.

4. As a preceptor, know your orientee’s orientation schedule. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like it’s just as much the preceptor’s responsibility to know what you’re supposed to be learning during the week as it is the orientee’s. You both should have a schedule and you both should be responsible for what is to be learned.

5. Know when to let go. This one goes both ways. Preceptors need to know when to let go and let their orientees do the work. Orientees need to know when to take initiative and just do it, especially if you feel like you’re capable. You have to cut the cord eventually (L&D joke). The thing I appreciated most about my preceptors in psych and my preceptor as a baby nurse was that they taught me and then they let me go. They were always close by if I got stuck or had questions, but that was it. They weren’t constantly over my shoulder once they saw that I was confident in my skills. That trust was a good feeling for me and I was comforted knowing that I could always call if I truly needed them.

I think these 5 things are a good place to start for now. There’s so much more I could comment on about my orientation as it regards to my unit as a whole. Myself and a few other girls were the first to be oriented under our new nurse educator who is amazing. But there are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out. It was interesting to say the least and I’m so glad it’s over. ✌🏽

Xoxo,

Ash, RN

I’m currently working on an assignment for school. It’s about mentoring. The assignment got me thinking…

What type of mentor do I want to be?

At my last job I had the privilege of being assigned a mentor that was separate from my preceptor (more on that later). By the time my mentor and I knew she was my mentor, I was already over my job and looking for new ones. The person that was chosen to be my mentor was incredibly fit for the job. She was in the process of getting her master’s and a clinical instructor. She was great to work with and a very helpful resource on those stressful days. Had we had the proper mentor/mentee relationship, I think we both would have flourished. I think it would have been good for her to put on her resume or use for the clinical ladder and for me – maybe I wouldn’t have hated my job so much so quickly.

I mentioned earlier that my mentor was not my preceptor. Smartest decision ever! My preceptor trained me on the job for the job. She was also great and a very helpful resource. Preceptors are meant to teach and evaluate your performance as a nurse; the relationship is professional. In the case of mentors, I think the relationship is (or should be) more personal.

Things you should look for in a mentor:

• Someone who listens to you
• Someone who encourages you
• Someone who is willing to push you out of you comfort zone
• Someone who has the ability to look past how THEY feel to help you
• Someone who will hold you accountable
• Someone who does not shy away from providing constructive criticism
• Someone who has the ability to be lead (Some of the best mentors have their own mentor. You cannot be an effective leader if you don’t know how to be lead.)

Those were just some of the things I thought about. I’m interested to know if you guys had a mentor and how they treated you. Were they helpful? Kind? Could they have done or been better? Let me know.

Xoxo,

Ash, RN

https://astoldbyashley.com/2019/02/12/85/

I started a new job about a month ago. Instead of spending my day on the psych unit, I spend my day assessing newborn babies and I absolutely love it.

My last day at my old job was bittersweet. Although I didn’t enjoy what I was doing, I was good at it. Going from doing something you’re good at but hate to do something that you love but know absolutely nothing about has by far been one of the most humbling experiences. But I look forward to going to work which is something that I haven’t felt since becoming a nurse.

It’s a completely different scene and requires a completely different part of my personality than being a psych nurse. When I was talking to my patients I could rely not only on biblical teaching but personal experience. Here, I’m relying on textbooks and the knowledge of those around me who know more and have experienced more than me. I love learning from them. I loved learning from my psych nurses. But, this is different.

I find myself seeking new opportunities to increase my knowledge in every aspect of Labor and Delivery nursing – from labor to the newborn to breastfeeding and so on.

We’ll see where this goes…✌🏽

I graduated nursing school in May 2017, got my license in June and starting working at a very prestigious hospital in October. Fast forward to today – I’m currently looking for new jobs. I’ve only held my current position for about 6 months which in the world of healthcare equates to nothing.

I had thoughts of leaving my job plenty of times in the beginning, but I chucked it up to taking on multiple projects at one time. I had just started working in October and was already planning on going back to school to get my bachelor’s degree. I ended up postponing that until the new year. I had moved out of my parents house in December and was living on my own for the first time. The emotional toll of moving out on my own was incredibly overwhelming. I was broke all the time.

Basically I was emotionally, physically, and financially bankrupt. Being a nurse is an awesome career, but if you don’t truly love what you’re doing as a nurse – this field can definitely burn you out quickly. My first month after being off of orientation, I was mandated to stay over for a second 8 hour shift at least seven times. My unit has been understaffed since I started. Not to mention – it’s an inpatient psychiatric unit!!

When did I know it was time to quit my job?

• When the thought of going to work the next day began to give me so much anxiety that I could not sleep the night before
• When I realized how much my mood significantly changed once I was actually at work
• When I actually stood in front of my coworkers and said “I hate this patient”
• When I found myself being jealous of my friends and their jobs
• When I accepted the fact that I wasn’t truly happy

I made the decision on my way to work this morning that I was going to take this week and begin applying for new jobs. As much as I don’t want to start all the way over somewhere else, it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind. Being a nurse is stressful; I expect that. But if I’m going to be stressed out from a job, I’d much rather be working in a field that I’m truly passionate about.

And y’all, psych ain’t it.

This morning while I was sitting in my car reading my emails, I noticed that each one had the same overall theme: giving your best in the worst situations. So, I also decided that even though I don’t enjoy being a psychiatric nurse, I will strive to be the best nurse I can be here until I get a new job somewhere else.

I walked onto my unit today prepared for it to be a complete mess. Instead, I got a day of downtime where I was able to do this post, update my resume and apply for some new jobs.

We’ll see how it goes✌🏽

I first heard about this book in one of my classes for Nurse Residency. We were asked if we felt comfortable having intense conversations with patients and/or their family. We didn’t get to go in depth about the subject because of time, so I decided that I would find this book and read it on my own time. Luckily, it was assigned as required reading for nursing communications class. I’ll be reading it over the next 8 weeks. Hopefully, I’ll learn some great techniques.