I almost got myself into trouble on my last shift (night duty) of preceptorship last Friday-night/Saturday-morning, and I could have failed as a result.
My preceptor decided to let the matter pass anyway. She knew from previous observations that I do assess my patients, and felt that I knew what I was doing, and thus there was no risk to the patient's safety. She decided that the problem was that I was too comfortable in the specific task such that I had forgotten that I am still playing the student role currently. [Personally I simply thought that I had forgotten, but when my preceptor analyzed the situation with me, I realized that her analysis was probably more accurate.]
My preceptor decided to let the matter pass anyway. She knew from previous observations that I do assess my patients, and felt that I knew what I was doing, and thus there was no risk to the patient's safety. She decided that the problem was that I was too comfortable in the specific task such that I had forgotten that I am still playing the student role currently. [Personally I simply thought that I had forgotten, but when my preceptor analyzed the situation with me, I realized that her analysis was probably more accurate.]
Note: Whenever my classmates talked about the final preceptorship during previous semesters, we all agreed with the advice, "Never quarrel with your preceptor, try to get along." After all, we had heard rumours of students who did not get along with their preceptors and had problems during the preceptorship. Thus we were all worried about the luck of the draw on who we would get as a preceptor.
I am really grateful to have RN HH as my preceptor. I thank my lucky stars each time I think about it, especially when I compare to the horrors of my initiation into nursing in Singapore. RN HH is awesome! She not only taught me the finer techniques of nursing skills and time management, but also guided me on "negotiating" the workplace dynamics and understanding the stakeholders in the healthcare industry. I am really freaking lucky! I hope my lucky star continues to shine on me. Meanwhile, I keep thanking HH in my heart and hope that she will achieve her goals in nursing. [I also completed an "Evaluation of Learning Experience" feedback form to the health authority (where my preceptorship was done), expressing how RN HH is an awesome preceptor and also my appreciation of the supportive collegial environment.
p.s. AP passed her preceptorship too! This calls for a celebration!
p.s. AP passed her preceptorship too! This calls for a celebration!
Good day here too!
ReplyDeleteCould you recall your memory and say how may night duties did you have during your perceptorship? How long is that preceptorship?
Hi Kristina,
DeleteIf I recall correctly, preceptorship was for 128hours, i.e. 11 x 12-hour shifts or 16 x 8-hour shifts.
We are expected to divide the shifts evenly. For 12-hour shifts, do 5 or 6 day-shifts and the rest night shifts.
For 8-hour shifts, do 5 of each day (e.g. 7am-3pm), evening (e.g. 3pm-11pm) and night (e.g. 11pm-7am) shifts, plus typically 1 orientation shift (e.g. 8am-4pm).
The actual arrangement varies, depending on the unit that you'll be assigned to for preceptorship and how you can match your preceptor's schedule so that you can finish the entire preceptorship within the allocated timeframe.
Cheers, WD.
Oh, thanks a lot for you response. So there is no chance to escape from night shifts, as I see :(
ReplyDeleteYup, the idea is to experience a range of shift hours, just like a typical full-time employed nurse.
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