how long was your orientation if you were experienced in that field of nursing?

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

Say, for ex, that you worked Labor and Delivery at one hospital. Then, you work at another hospital in Labor and Delivery.... how long was your orientation? i mean, you know your stuff, but the hospital routines, computers, way they do things, etc are different ?

[ocean waves]

Hello. The length of my required orientation going from one neonatal intensive care unit to another was only about two weeks because they needed staff help right away. Part of that time was in required general hospital orientation meetings (general policies, explanation of benefit package, intro to key staff administrative staff). The other portion of orientation was working in the unit with an assigned staff member. Then I was "cut loose" to work with patients and was given a "competency skill list" form which I was to have checked off by co-workers within a couple of weeks. Best wishes!

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

I work in the OR, and used to travel as well. My orientation to a new hospital was one week. As the previous poster had experienced, I was also given one week of actual hospital orientation that included all of the benefit packages, rules and regs, policies and competencies. It may seem like a short time, but my nurse educator asked me if I wanted more time, so it may very well be in your court as to how much time you get.

[tablefor9, RN]

Travel RN= see one, do one, teach one (3 days)

Other...2 weeks and a competency checklist which I had 90 days to turn in.

[AggieQT]

I just got off orientation... I was experienced in a Pediatric ER and went to a Level I trauma center with both adults/kids... I got 6 weeks... others are getting between 4-8 depending on how many years experience they have. Good Luck!

[elprup, BSN, RN]

Definitely an eye opener. Especially when as a new grad we are expected

to function as an experienced nurse within a similar amount of time. Doesn't

make sense.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I work at a rehab hospital. Nurses who are experienced in rehab would usually get two to three weeks of floor orientation.

I also work at a nursing home/LTC facility. An experienced LTC nurse would receive about two to three days of orientation in the area where I live.

[Caffeine_IV]

If I recall, when experienced nurses have come to our unit...they had about 3 weeks of orientation maybe a little more.

I've done LTC at two facilities and like TheCommuter noted...I had about 2 days of orientation after a year experience at one.

[elkpark]

Twice in my career, I've been in a situation where I had one day of official "orientation" on the floor, but then, because someone else called in, was expected to just carry my share of the workload and function independently on the second day, and the remainder of the "orientation" just seemed to evaporate. Both these experiences were in small hospitals with pretty limited nursing education departments and pretty low standards ...

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

Experience in med-surg with 8, 12 hr shifts of orientation in an LTAC.

At another per diem position I received 6, 12 hr shifts for another med-surg position at a different hospital.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

Say, for ex, that you worked Labor and Delivery at one hospital. Then, you work at another hospital in Labor and Delivery.... how long was your orientation? i mean, you know your stuff, but the hospital routines, computers, way they do things, etc are different ?

my ED orientation was 12 weeks!! Ugh!!! I suggested they tailor the orientation to the needs (and requests) of that nurse. Usually it should focus on policies and procedures (and oodles of nonsense paperwork) of that facility and that department. Nursing is nursing is nursing, so just get down to the brass tacks of how it is done where YOU are and orientation could be so much more beneficial. I felt it was overkill, since within those 12 weeks, I was taking my own patient assignment for 11 of the weeks. Getting down the computer system, admission process, residents jobs/students/ where the floors are/what units require tele transport RN's/ how to get to the cath lab, etc. was what takes time... not patient care. I find that once off of orientation, then the questions arise.... and that never ends anyway. Always learning.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Say, for ex, that you worked Labor and Delivery at one hospital. Then, you work at another hospital in Labor and Delivery.... how long was your orientation? i mean, you know your stuff, but the hospital routines, computers, way they do things, etc are different ?

One shift in each area: postpartum, admit (taking care of the baby in the first hours after it's born), and L&D.

To me, this was sufficient. I just needed to know where I could find the supplies, how to use the computer charting, how they do things WRT calling docs, receiving orders, etc. Everything else, I just asked as I went along. I would have been bored stupid if my orientation had been longer than three shifts.