4 weeks?!

offlabel · Aug 28, 2016

Why is 5 weeks so unreasonable? 12 weeks seems excessive to me. Not what they told you, got that. Not a good thing, but 5 weeks for a motivated, smart person should be OK, IMO. It isn't as if you won't have experienced people to bounce stuff off of once you finish your orientation.

PCnurse88 · Aug 30, 2016

I agree, 4 weeks is a horrible thing for a new grad. It's not nearly enough time to learn everything you need to do, nor enough time for you to feel comfortable on the unit. That being said... I wouldn't quit. I would use those 4 weeks to immerse myself in the world of nursing. I myself was on new grad orientation (on a medsurg/psych unit) for 6 weeks, 32hours per week. It didn't feel like enough but I studied my old textbooks, bought some review books (that I still use 3 years later) and asked even the dumbest of questions. Make friends with your coworkers, find our whose expertise is where, and know how to access your policies and procedures. Befriend the educators.

As someone who transferred from medsurg/tele to cardiac stepdown, it's been A LOT of studying, even with experience! I would not quit this job. I have had 4 different orientations (newgrad, my new medsurg job, transferring to CSDU, and at my per diem) and not a single one of them was anywhere near what I was told they would be.

However, since you asked... yes, you have to put this job on your resume. You've been paid by them therefore they will show up on a background check.

offlabel · Sep 1, 2016

I think it's a real mistake to believe that an orientation is intended to be an all inclusive training program for a particular unit. Putting that notion forth just leads to unrealistic expectations on the part of the new nurse and the unit.

The real learning occurs once the ties are cut and the new nurse starts taking patients. The idea that someone could be completely and adequately prepared for a Tele unit in even 12 weeks isn't reasonable using that logic.

New nurses should be scheduled on days so there are plenty of resources around to help, but after more than a month of hand holding, it's time to leave the nest.

Nurse_JackieVA, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2016

I think you should give it a try. They could have you paired with a strong preceptor and if you make the most out of it, it could be a great experience then after the orientation is done keep asking questions and get help when you need it. The first year is going to be the greatest learning curve anyway.

If you're resigning and giving them your two weeks notice then I would put this on your resume but be prepared to be asked some tough questions during interviews - have some answers that don't put yourself or that hospital in a bad light.

Stcroix, ASN, PhD, RN · Dec 22, 2016

Many good points made here. The one I haven't heard much about is the patients. I know that at 4 weeks in if I had been cut loose on my own my patients would have gotten to short end of the stick. I don't think they were in jeopardy because I would ask if I didn't know, but because of being in the 'deep end' so early (especially on a tele floor) I would have very little time to spend with them. At four weeks I was so inefficient that common tasks took me twice as long as they should. Heck, I barely understood where things were on the unit. No, four weeks is not adequate at all. Only you, OP, can decide if you should go for it.