Sorry this is soooo long, but please help!: It is probably premature to start this thread
before my interview, but I am very concerned about what my orientation may be like. I am a new grad and I have my first interview scheduled with an urgent care facility. From my understanding they see a wide variety of illnesses, including issues that patients should probably present to the emergency department for. My orientation is only 30 days, and of course during my interview I will ask about the possibility of an extension if I am not ready. I do not think they have employed many new grad nurses in the past. Ideally I would have started my career in a hospital setting. The urgent care center pays well, but I would prefer to work for minimum wage in the hospital setting for my first year, in an RN residency program, or a thorough orientation. My last clinical experience was almost 5months ago, and although I did well in clinicals, and I was as comfortable with my assessments as a student could be, I feel out of practice, and I feel like I have forgotten my theory and about a lot of pathophysiology! I feel like I don't know the answers to things that I should that my friends/family ask me. The new grad programs in my area hospitals have thorough orientations varying from 3-12 months. The new grads in the hospitals work with a preceptor for several months, each shift doing their assessments and interventions together, classroom time in place of one clinical shift per week, workshops, etc. Again, I will inquire more about the orientation during my interview, but if the staff at this urgent care center are not used to new grads, what are they going to think about having to do assessments with me, which is a basic of the nursing process? I will be honest that I do not feel confident in myself yet, as a new grad. I did well in clinical and passed my NCLEX first time with 75 questions, but I do not
feel like an RN. I know that in most settings people often have questions after orientation, and I am not afraid to ask for help when I am uncertain about things, but I do not want to put the patient OR my license at risk. When you enter a specialty, they reinforce teaching of the common dx, but in the E.D or urgent care, you don't know what you will see! There are so many different diseases out there, and I feel like I need to understand all of them! 30 days just seems to be so much shorter than the several months orientation offered in other settings. Well I can go on and on with my insecurities, but this has been long enough lol. Any thoughts?
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