Teaching hospital vs regular hospital for new grad?

[procrastinator911, BSN, RN]

Hi all,

I will be graduating in May with my BSN and will be looking for a job in Maryland (baltimore, bowie, laurel, silver spring, and anne arundel area). I really want the best learning transition from student to nurse. Should I focus primarily on teaching hospitals? Or will I be able to make a smooth transition in a regular hospital? And this may be a dumb question but are teaching hospitals the only hospitals that have new grad nurse residency programs?

thanks

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

In the US, hospitals that serve as the primary clinical site for a MEDICAL school are designated as "teaching hospitals". Please note that this designation has NO correlation with hospitals that provide Nursing or allied health clinical practicums, although these programs may also be present also. Since those hospitals derive significant (financial, marketing & possibly research) benefit from their medical school association, administrative decisions and operations are heavily influenced by this 'partnership'..... pretty much everything is designed to keep the med school happy. Although it is not a simple 'either/or' proposition, this type of environment is not one that automatically results in a strong and positive environment for nursing practice. So - "Teaching hospital" does not indicate a positive environment for nursing practice.

Formal new-grad transition programs are expensive, but they are certainly not limited to teaching hospitals - they can be found in any type of organization that can afford to have one. Please keep an open mind as you do your Job Search. If a facility hires new grads, they will have some sort of process intended to provide support for them. The process may be individualized rather than group-oriented so they may not have a formal program. There are advantages to each. For instance, in a formal program you have access to peer support from other new grads in the group but in an individualized orientation, you would receive more one-on-one support and are less likely to have to deal with multiple preceptors. You can always discuss this as part of the interview process.

Congratulations on being so close to crossing that important graduation milestone. Best of luck on launching your career!

[Kdrenee]

As HouTx said, the teaching hospitals are teaching hospitals for med students, not nurses. I was once told on this site that a teaching hospital may not be best for a new nurse because the med students often will do some of the things nurses do in regular hospitals as part of their learning, so the nurses won't get to do as much. That might cause the nurse to lose skills.

I once had an interview at a teaching hospital in Houston, and the hospital was amazing! I was truly intrigued by it, and wanted to be a part of it so bad. After hearing that advice (and plus the other job offer I had was 5 minutes down the road, and the teaching hopital was 45 and the pay was the same) I took another job offer at a small hospital in a rural area outside of Houston. I must admit, I sometimes regret not taking the other job just because I feel like it was a very different environment and I would have got to see alot more. It is what it is, so you just have to figure out what will be best for you.

[Candyn]

I work as a teaching hospital and it is not true that nurses will lose skills. Think about it, dr skills are different than nurses' skills.I personally like started as teaching hospital because I have residents available in the hospital all the times...even at night...instead of having to worry about calling dr when they sleep. It is easier to have them come to see your pts too

[procrastinator911, BSN, RN]

thank u all for ur thoughts on the subject

[pugmom79]

I have heard, even on this site, that a new nurse can lose skills. I think it depends in the specialty. In ob what I have heard is the med students do pretty much all the vag exams. So this critical skill to a new nurse is one that they don't get to practice often.

Good luck what you decide! Every hospital will have its pros/cons, and the above is about the extent of what I know about teaching hospitals.

[RNnicu42]

I got a job in a teaching hospital as my first acute care. I have been working at the hospital for about 10 months and I couldn't be happier. I really like working with the residents. I work night shift so having someone around 24/7 to consult with is great. Also, since it is a teaching hospital, it is very condusive to learning. I always feel comfortable asking questions, whether to my co-nurses or the residents. Also, since we are the largest hospital in the area we get some really sick patients which provides me well rounded experience. I cannot compare experiences because I have never worked in a smaller community hospital, but I can definitely reccomend a teaching hospital as a new grad. Good Luck!

[Orange Tree]

When I interviewed for my current job, they were very interested in whether or not I had come from a teaching hospital. They said newer nurses who come from teaching hospitals are often "behind" their peers because they've been able to call a doctor up to see problem patients instead of assessing and intervening on their own. I don't know how true it is, but at the very least, I'd imagine there are exceptions to the "rule".

[procrastinator911, BSN, RN]

When I interviewed for my current job, they were very interested in whether or not I had come from a teaching hospital. They said newer nurses who come from teaching hospitals are often "behind" their peers because they've been able to call a doctor up to see problem patients instead of assessing and intervening on their own. I don't know how true it is, but at the very least, I'd imagine there are exceptions to the "rule".

hmmm, interesting!!!! Thanks