I am a new grad RN and was recently hired by an agency. I've been doing 'sitting' assignments until I get trained on the hospital's computer system. Once that is complete, I will start working the floor. My concern is the agency does not offer any type of orientation with the hospital or facility, just the computer training. Is this a common thing between facilities and agencies? Shouldn't there be some type of orientation to cover policies and procedures? What if one of my patients codes and I don't know where the crash cart is? Or am I worrying about this too much? I worked so hard to get my license, I don't wanna screw up and lose it. Sigh....I hate being the new kid on the block.

Hello and welcome to the site!

Being a new grad and starting a new job is difficult. It seems strange that the agency does not offer at least a day of orientation. I have never worked with an agency, but I would think most would offer some orientation.

Hopefully other agency nurses will offer input on this. In the meantime......be sure to read through some of the threads in this forum.

Here is an article that might be helpful. Agency Nursing

Good luck! Be sure to come back and let us know how things are going.

Thank you for your response. That article is very helpful! It helped confirm a few suspicions as well. Looks like I have my research cut out for me. Thanks again!

You are welcome. Glad the article helped!

Hang in there. It WILL get better.

Honestly, I'm surprised an agency picked you up as a new grad RN (unless you were a prior LVN and then I could kind of see it). They usually don't touch new grads because they're not going to teach you anything nursing-related. I've always had to prove my competency in my specialty for any agency assignments.

My orientations have always covered the unit's P&P, where things are, how they do things, the daily routine, etc. I got at least one shift of orientation for each unit I was assigned to. I also find it very odd that they aren't offering you any orientation to the facility...

And IMO, it also seems kind of sketchy. Are they actually planning to move you beyond being a sitter into a RN position?

I would proceed with extreme caution. While I understand how desperate things are for new grads, don't take something that you are ill prepared for, especially if the only training you are getting is in the computer system. Remember that if anything happens on an agency assignment, YOU and not the agency is the one held accountable in the eyes of the BON. You'd better find and become friends with a staff nurse and fast, becuase you're going to need a mentor to go to for guidance and help with nursing issues.

Good luck.

Basically your orientation should extend to "what is different here than other hospitals you've worked at." A tour should show you where the crash carts are, what the codes to the doors are, when the cafeteria's open. Do not expect them to tell you anything about nursing -- that's why they are paying twice as much for you as for the staff nurses. Honestly, not to be mean, I am surprised that they hired a new grad RN.

They might hand you a policies and procedures booklet and have you sign a paper that you read it -- and it may include instructions for procedures. For example, mine includes how to insert and care for a central line. But that doesn't make me certified to insert a PICC, and if I didn't know how to care for one I wouldn't have learned it from this piece of paper! (Though it does tell me that facility policy is to waste 10ccs and flush with 20cc saline after a lab draw, while other hospitals may have a different rule.)

The reason that hospitals don't give a lot of orientation to agency nurses is that even though you may be paid less for orientation time (I know I am), the agency still bills you out the same. So the facility is paying "nursing" money for time you're spending in class. Again, you need to be solid in the nursing skills of the specialty you're working in, whether it's med/surg or PCU, before working an agency, because they are not going to teach you.

As an LVN doing agency work in a LTC attached to a local hospital, my orientation consisted of "This is your med cart, here are your keys, and this is your hall." The rest was up to me. As has been stated, agency nurses are expected to be just that, nurses. How things actually get done may vary from place to place, but the nursing process remains the same no matter where you are practicing it. I bet it takes you less than 6 shifts to have it all down pat. Just remember, you paid the fare to take this ride. Enjoy it!