Friday, April 9, 2010

Precepting New Nurses.

I am a preceptor at work. That means that I teach and guide nurses new to my hospital the ways of the hospital. It is something that I take seriously. I want the baby nurses to succeed. I want the "returning to work" nurses to succeed and feel accepted and comfortable, because those nurses have so many outside influences tugging on them. In some ways, it is easier to be a brand new minted nurse than one who has been out of the game for a few years. Experienced nurses can't claim "babyhood" anymore. They have to find the wheelhouse fast. And that is so hard to do. I have learned that I can't make it happen for anyone. I can want and pray and encourage and explain and hope and teach -- but I cannot force anyone into the comfortable place. They have to get there on their own. I am their hand to hold. I am their brain to access. I am their shoulder to lean on, and their person to ask for help. They all know this. But, ultimately, they have to stand on their own, almost from the start. That is what we require of the people who take care of our people. My new-back-to-work nurse is awesome. But she is scared. She used to be an ICU nurse in a small hospital. Now she is a floor nurse on a floor that takes patients WAY more critical than she was used to having. And now she has to care for five at a time. And she has had a lot of days like today. But that is how we are. Still, she has me, and I don't let my babies fail. I just don't.

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