trainer abandoned meI am training for a job as a Unit Coordinator. The first part of my training was for me to sit beside the experienced Unit Clerk and watch and learn. The second part was for me to try some things on my own. The third part of the training was for the experienced Unit clerk to sit near me and let me do all the work, but to jump in if needed or if I had any questions. So far my training was going great, until yesterday, when the exp unit clerk (Renee) did not sit anywhere near me, left me completely on my own. When I found out where she was, she was in the back of the ER dept, I asked her for a phone number so that if I had any questions or got stuck I could call her. Every time I called that number, the line was busy. This was in the am. Then around lunch time, she disappeared completely, going to lunch without telling me. At this time all hell broke loose and I needed her support, and she was no where to be found, so I was left to my own devices, and I screwed up badly. The nurses were yelling, the DR was yelling, the patients were yelling. She (Rene) appeared and asked me what was happening and then she reprimanded me also for not doing the right thing. I left that day stressed out, miserable and so upset. I am due to go back to work tomorrow, for more third part training, but luckily not with her. Should I tell the manager about my day with Rene? My manager was out of town, but will be back tomorrow???
Advise please?
Or should I just quit? Don't quit just yet! Talk to your boss about this.
Bunzo I'm going to cut and paste word for word what I just said to someone else: There is a big gap between what many employees think "training" is and what it really is. I find this especially with people that are younger and new in their career (don't know if that applies to you or not). In a nutshell, however, in most jobs, this is not like school. You're not getting a personal tutor to be at your beck and call. While a clear schedule of what you're supposed to know at what point would probably be helpful, keep in mind that's going to mean that you are responsible for knowing that information at that point. If you don't gleen that information or if the "trainer" isn't great at explaining, that could backfire. Keep in mind too that people who "train" in situations like this are not professional trainers. They're usually subject matter experts, or often just the guy that's been around for a while and SHOULD know how to do things but may not know how to explain them. It is on you to learn what you need to learn anyway, to ask the right type and amount of questions to the right people at the right time and make it work regardless.
Additionally, in your case, you should not quit unless you have another job in hand. Quitting will be a big hit to your resume and it could take you a long time to explain yourself and find something else.
Tess
All, Welcome to the real world. A lack of trainers and training is common. I would guess that you would need to be very persistent and demanding that you be able to receive some training. Ask to schedule time with someone who seems to have some idea about the job, what the duties are, what your scheduled times for those duties are supposed to be, what the hell you are supposed to know, etc. Since most employers schedule one-deep and refuse to hire adequately, I am guessing that there is no one to actually train you. In this case, like many others, the person told to train you has another job or two or three or four to take care of during your training time. That employee is already knee-deep in job duties and other chaos has no time to help you do anything. Hence, your predicament is quite common everywhere. I have been on both sides of this and neither side benefits from it. Therefore, you will need to yell for training even though there is no one there to do that. Best of luck and keep demanding someone tell you something about the job before you quit, if you want this job at all. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that when someone is half way across the building, unavailable by phone, and not making the status of their presence reasonably known throughout the day, they are not training. I would hope people would be smart enough to understand that if they are told someone will be nearby during the final stage of training to jump in when needed, that someone will be, obviously, nearby during the final stage of training. If OP was fit to be left alone without the previously scheduled training, there would not have been such talk of training. Lookingagain, it appears you have been stuck with someone who is clearly not a team player, and you are seeing the result of this. Even if she WAS that busy, there is no excuse for not letting you know when she would be unavailable at lunch. You MUST talk to your boss about this. Your coworker threw you under the bus while the boss was out of town, and she was not doing her job. You can not let coworkers act like this in the future, and you can not roll over and allow people like her to soil your reputation without a discussion. That being said, keep in mind you sometimes have to pick your fights, and it will be very easy for your boss to try to wash his/her hands of the quickly rather than fairly. I can only guess this would be especially true in an environment where people can make choices that mean life or death for the customer walking, or being carried, through the door. None of us know your exact environment, including the personalities involved. OK, I know exactly what you are talking about. I worked my way through nursing school as a unit secretary or clerk. It is a very stressful job, a very fast paced job, and a job that you absolutely have to know what you're doing. If you have never done this kind of work before you should be getting a lot more training than what you seem to have gotten. Your trainer should never leave your side. Period. It is her responsibility to watch how you do the job, answer your questions, to comment as needed, and to jump in... not to abandon you. Make sure you tell the unit manager what happened to you because the day that you got into trouble was not your fault, but I can guarantee it was reported to the manager that you don't know what you're doing. Every time we have a new clerk in our department we (the nurses) make sure that we are available to answer any questions that may come up. Sometimes it means deciphering a doctor's scribbles into English, sometimes explaining what test or procedure an acronym stands for. The other clerks in the department and elsewhere in the hospital are also there to answer any questions you may have and to help you if you get overwhelmed with admissions or orders. In every hospital I've worked in you are not on the roster as an employee while you are in training, only your trainer is and it is known that she/he is training someone and is not available to float to another department for any other assignments. Your trainer clearly dropped the ball and let you take all the heat for it. Don't let her get away with this. This kind of training is done by another employee with no training in how to train someone. Sometimes they feel inadequate too... like they just barely know the job themselves yet alone how to teach someone else how to do it. During a recent turnover in my department I witnessed new people who had been on the job less than 6 months training new hirees in the job. Don't quit. Yours is an important job. We nurses couldn't do our jobs without you doing yours. Hang in there. In a few more months you'll probably be training someone else!!!!
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that when someone is halfway across the building, unavailable by phone, and not making thestatus of their presence reasonably known throughout the day, they arenot training." Otherwise known as "Slackers".
Good Luck! tb:) | |
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