Does anyone work for HCA? I need to know how long their orientation is?

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 1, 2003

I have worked for HCA before...the orientation was two days, I believe, from 8-4 or thereabouts. Best of luck to you!

peaceful2100, BSN, RN · Apr 1, 2003

SmilingBluEyes please tell me I was not clear enough in my first post and the 2 days is the general hospital orientation and not the orientation for a medical-surgical unit.

FullMoonMadness · Apr 2, 2003

Depenfds. I have worked at two HCA facilities. In Georgia my orientation was non existent. First night on the floor,eight patients. At my current facility,at least on the unit I work,if you are experirnced,you work with a preceptorfor 12 shifts. If you are a new grad its almost 2 months!!!They don't have the best reputation for orienting or retaining on a company wide basis.good luck

Dr. Kate, BSN, RN · Apr 2, 2003

Hard to tell. Within both corporations I work for the individual hospitals specify the length of new grad orientation. One has a standardized framework for the didactic, but total length is up to the facility and always negotiable depending on the individual new grad.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Apr 2, 2003

They make it as short as possible.

How else can it stay non-profit?

From what I have seen - poor retention practices and poor staffing occur frequently.

But then, there are others that like working for them.

mark_LD_RN · Apr 2, 2003

the ones i worked at orientation was 1 week hospital orientation then depending on what unit you were working on and your expeirence. i have seen ones working with me get up to two months orientation on the floor. just be sure to speak up if you are not comfortable let them know. a good nurse manager will accomodate you. HCA has been great to work for ,for me that is:)

nurseBe · Apr 2, 2003

I work for HCA in California and started right out of school. My orientation was 6 weeks, but because I had to wait for my results of NCLEX it ended up to be about 8 weeks. I was working as an interim permitee. I also did my preceptorship on the same floor so felt prepared to be on my own.

delirium · Apr 2, 2003

I don't know, 6 weeks doesn't sound like an adequate orientation for a new grad. But maybe that's just me.

Mine is 12 weeks with an 8 week transition.

Heather333 · Apr 2, 2003

5 days of hospital orientation ie. policy and procedure, benefits, how to use the computer system, etc. I can only speak from my experience because I went straight into the NICU. My orientation ended up being 12 weeks.

Heather

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 3, 2003

Well good grief, orientation SHOULD Be individualized...some experienced nurses only need a few days to orient to location of things, dr. routines, etc. Others, with no experience may need several weeks. I would ask the MANAGER what the standard orientation involves and how long the average period of orientation is.

mattsmom81 · Apr 5, 2003

HCA does not have it's own standard for orientation...the individual facility and unit does and, as mentioned, it is generally tailored to each new grad. Within limits of staffing of course.

Like all facilities if there are callins you will probably end up pitching in...and in reality I don't ever recall having much real orientation...mostly OJT and teamwork even as a new grad.

I always found I learned faster when I had my own patients vs tagalong. Keep in close communication with your preceptor and manager, don't be afraid to jump in and learn, and you should do fine. :)

HCA is a bottom line for profit corporation but the one I work for has good nursing managers...it makes all the difference. :)