I’m currently in phlebotomy clinicals and I’m trying to figure out if this is normal or if one of my preceptors is just doing too much.
I have one preceptor who is helpful, professional, and actually teaches me. She shows me how to use the equipment, explains the workflow, lets me practice when it’s appropriate, and corrects me without making it weird.
But another preceptor has been making the environment feel uncomfortable. She’ll correct me once, which is fine, but then she’ll call me back over later and repeat the same correction again with extra commentary. It makes it feel less like teaching and more like she’s trying to put me in my place.
For example, the system/server went down and there weren’t patients for me to draw at that moment. A staff member was looking at the server, and I walked into the room to see what was going on. The server is in another draw room where patients also get blood drawn, so it wasn’t like I went into a random restricted area or somewhere completely unrelated to phlebotomy. My preceptor called me back and told me I didn’t need to be back there. I said okay and stayed seated. Then later she called me over again and repeated it, saying I don’t know the ins and outs of the place. I get that I’m a student and should stay where I’m told, but repeating it after I already complied felt unnecessary.
She also brought up a patient interaction from earlier. I accidentally referred to someone as elderly because I misunderstood the situation and thought a walker belonged to her. I meant it sympathetically, like older people shouldn’t have to work so hard. I apologized immediately, and the patient said it was okay. I understand I should be more careful with comments like that, but my preceptor kept bringing it up like I had done something horrible.
What bothers me is that this same preceptor has made personal comments and had personal conversations in front of patients about IUDS and birth control , so the correction feels hypocritical.
She also gatekeeps certain things from me. For example, if I ask whether a patient is okay with a hand draw, she won’t let me do it, but then she’ll go do the hand draw herself. Another preceptor allows me to practice more and actually teaches me through it, so the difference is really noticeable.
I’m not saying I’m perfect. I’m a student, and I know I’m still learning. I’m fine with being corrected. But I don’t like being corrected in a way that feels repetitive, personal, or like I’m being treated as a problem instead of a student.
Has anyone else dealt with a clinical preceptor like this? How did you get through it without letting it mess with your confidence?