Resources >> Browse Articles >> On the Job
4 Preceptor Personality Types
Prisca Smith | Scrubs Magazine
The “Teacher”
1. First off is the “Teacher.” This nurse knows it all and loves sharing it with an orientee. S/he is loved by her coworkers and especially management because S/he will take on any orientee under any circumstances and try to teach the newbie the ropes. The only issue with “the teacher” is that s/he is often a perfectionist type (OK, all nurses are perfectionists, but s/he is extreme) and harbors some stress created by the dualism involved in teaching perfect practice while caring perfectly for patients. In other words, the teacher can snap at any moment. And watch out, because it will be a crack heard around the world, everyone will know about it, and the fallout can be severe.
My “teacher” preceptor cracked so hard she had to take a week off work. She was orienting another nurse who made a med error that was life threatening and WHAM, the “teacher” lost it big time.
My “teacher” preceptor cracked so hard she had to take a week off work. She was orienting another nurse who made a med error that was life threatening and WHAM, the “teacher” lost it big time.
kd_aman
over 2 years ago
72 comments
My hospital gives preceptor pay; they just have to write it in a time clock edit log. I do have to say that I experienced a preceptor that did a lot of the work and didn't teach me stuff, or sometimes she did let me do stuff but rushed me through it and sometimes even took over. I also felt like when I asked questions she didn't answer them in the way I was looking for - she was too rushed to make sure she was getting at what I needed to know. Also I felt she was very critical. So I got a new preceptor, actually 2 cause my main preceptor is part time, but she was the only one available where I will be working, right now. I really like both of them now. They are both "co-worker" style.