Being a preceptor can be very rewarding. Occasionally though, a preceptee may be dealing with issues that make it difficult for them to progress on their road to success. These difficult situations can also lead to frustration and burnout of you, the preceptor, unless you have the tools and support needed to help your preceptee over these barriers in their path to success.
While every preceptee is different, here are three common difficulties and strategies to help you deal with them.
Difficult Situation 1 – The Over-Anxious Preceptee
The over-anxious preceptee is typically very smart and detail oriented. Unfortunately, this can put them behind because they get lost in the details.
To help them succeed, it is important to stay calm, give feedback privately, and help them prioritize so they can stay on track.
You can also help this preceptee deal with their emotions by asking them at various times throughout the day how they are feeling and how they feel the day is going.
Help them work through their feelings by pointing out what they are doing well, and focusing on the priority for improvement so they don’t become overwhelmed with perfection.
Difficult Situation 2 – The Slow Preceptee
The slow preceptee struggles getting tasks done in a timely manner and they often forget items needed for a task and need to go back and forth getting supplies. How do you deal with them?
First, understand that they are probably worried about making an error. Validate their feelings while also giving them tips and tricks to help them organize and prioritize… but be careful not to do it for them. They need the experience to help them understand what they need to do and give them confidence.
Give them goals with timeframes for getting things done, then review the goals daily (or at least on a regular basis) so that you can ensure you both have the same understanding of how they are progressing.
Difficult Situation 3 – The Over-confident Preceptee
The overconfident preceptee walks in like they own the place. Unfortunately, they don’t know what they don’t know… or they are afraid of what they don’t know and don’t want you to know they don’t know. BOUNDARIES are #1 for this preceptee. Set expectations – let them know that you don’t expect them to know everything at the beginning and you will be more concerned about them and their care if they don’t ask questions.
Ask them questions about their thought process for why they are doing something.
Limit praise when giving constructive feedback – they are likely to only hear what they did well.
Be patient… I know… it’s easy to say but hard to do, but it will take time for this preceptee to become comfortable asking questions. Consistently providing a safe environment for them is one of the best ways to help them along.
Communicate early and frequently with your manager or educator. They need to be aware of the struggles this preceptee is having, and can provide support to help you help them.
All three of these preceptee types may just need a little extra care and attention to progress to where they need to be, however gaining support from your manager and educator is always a good idea.
Happy precepting! And THANKS for all you do!
Want more precepting help? Our Preceptor Program is launching soon. Find out more here.
Special thanks to Rachel Edmondson and her book “A Real-World Guide for the New Nurse Preceptor” for the inspiration for this article. Her book is a fun and easy read with lots of practical advise. You can purchase it on nurseology.com or Amazon.