New grad in med-surg

danigirl58 · May 4, 2006

hi, i am a brand new grad and started 6 weeks ago on a med-surg unit. i was informed during my interview i would have at least 12 wks orientation with a preceptor, more if needed. well, the charge nurses are telling me in another week or so i will be solo. i am scared and dont feel ready. i mentioned this, and they just seem to brush it off, and say you'll be fine. i dont know what else to say, but i have many different precetpors. basically whoever works when i do. thanks for reading!

hate to say it but no one is going to fight for your rights but you.

have a meeting with your unit manager and discuss your situation. on my last night of orientation i had a hell night everything went wrong ... ok instead of sinking i was doing the doggy paddle with a flotation device :) (i could start another rant on the other rn i was with :angryfire but wont lol) granted the section of my unit that i has more acute pt's and not meant for new grads but either way i went to my unit manager and requested more orientation. i got it and hopefully everything will go well and i will be on my own soon.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · May 13, 2006

6 weeks isnt long enough for a new grad. 9-12 is more the norm. But noone ever feels "ready" to be off orientation. Are you covering the full team yet with your preceptor? Are you able to accomplish what you have to, and still be able to keep up with labs and physician rounds?

Having several different preceptors isnt always bad either. It gives you a little different perspective on how to organize and what works better than something else. Sometimes you can combine the best of 2-3 different preceptors and make yourself some great organizational skills.

I would go talk to your manager, tell her you feel you need at least a couple more weeks. With those make sure you are taking the full team, doing the majority of what needs to be done. Ask the preceptor for only what you need for clarification or need help with. She should do nothing but follow you and give suggestions.

You should be fine, but if you have doubts ask for a couple more weeks.

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · May 14, 2006

Hi, I am a brand new grad and started 6 weeks ago on a med-surg unit. I was informed during my interview I would have at least 12 wks orientation with a preceptor, more if needed. Well, the charge nurses are telling me in another week or so I will be solo. I am scared and dont feel ready. I mentioned this, and they just seem to brush it off, and say you'll be fine. I dont know what else to say, but I have many different precetpors. Basically whoever works when I do. Thanks for reading!

Hi again! :) I've been an RN for 10 months now, and when I was on orientation last year, I was in a similiar situation. I had (I counted) 19 different preceptors on the day and evening shift (I trained on days and now work evenings)....no joke...basically any RN who happened to be on that day became my preceptor of the day, because the nurse manager I had at the time was incredibly horrible. She was never, ever around, never available to discuss anything with-such as "Can I have just one preceptor?!!" lol. I used to call her, e-mail her, stick notes under her door (since she always seemed to be away on vacation and was never physically on our unit) to communicate with her, but anyhow....now we have a great new manager thank the lord! :) But hopefully your manager is more adequate than my old one was. If you feel you're not ready to be on your own, sit down and tell her/him this. I had the full promised 12 weeks of orientation and still felt somewhat nervous after those 12 wks, but it helped to have really great, more experienced nurses around me who I knew I could count on for help. But I would definitely voice your concerns that you need more time. Good luck. :)

-Christine