What was New Grad Training in the 90's like?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi,

I am in my final semester of an ADN program and have a group project do in about a week. My portion focuses on previous trends in new grad training. I have already spoke with someone that graduated in 1971. I am now looking for information on new grad training in the first half of the 90's. I understand that RN's were being laid off due to cost cutting at this time and can only think that this would effect new grad training.

Any information you can give would be great!

Some questions I have are:

#1 What year did you graduate and start practicing?

#2 How long was your training?

#3 What did your training consist of? Preceptor, classroom, very structured etc.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD

2,315 Posts

Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

1. Graduated Dec. 1992, started practicing Jan. 1993 (ADN program). I was hired to a Stepdown/telemetry unit that took vents, drips (not titrated) but no invasive monitoring devices.

2 &3. My official training was simply the orientation offered to all new RN hires at the hospital; 6 weeks orientation; one week of it was hospital and classroom which was standard for all new hire RN's. Then 5 more weeks of preceptorship. I was expected to take the hospital course on basic dysrhythmias within the first 6 months of employment. That was about 12 hours of classroom.

We would have a rare new grad that would require an extended orientation. Most of the time if a new grad was struggling; they would just wind up quitting after a few months. It was rough.

I am jealous (not in a mean way) of the new grads nowadays with classroom training and 3 month preceptorships. I had this even when I changed specialties a few years ago. I was very impressed with the level of effort to help new grads succeed.

SmilingBluEyes

20,964 Posts

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Graduated 1997. Got a job in L/D right out of school. Orientation consisted of 3 intensive months fulltime on the job with experienced RNs, mostly on dayshift, the BAM out on the floor 3-11 as a charge nurse. Not the best way to go. But this was how it worked in my smallish rural county hospital. I had no choice; take or leave it. I learned a LOT in the 2 years I was there, but it was a real baptism by fire. ALWAYS if you have a choice, look for a hospital that offers residency that includes both classtime and on job training with (preferably) a limited number of nurses who WANT to precept/orient you. And try to ensure that orientation is no less than 6 months. That is optimal. Also can be hard to find, but those residencies DO exist. Good luck, I hope you find your dream.

Trauma Columnist

traumaRUs, MSN, APRN

88 Articles; 21,249 Posts

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Some questions I have are:

#1 What year did you graduate and start practicing? I graduated in 1992 with my LPN and in 1994 with my ADN.

#2 How long was your training? I was originally in what was then-called a 1+1 program: you did your pre-reqs for a year, then did your LPN and then your RN. However, hubby was in the Air Force and we got transferred after my LPN year.

#3 What did your training consist of? Preceptor, classroom, very structured etc. When I graduated with my LPN, I worked in LTC (no hospital jobs available) and my orientation was one week long! Very scary but I was too new to know this was stupid. When I graduated with my ADN, I was still in LTC (no hospital jobs again) and I continued to work as an LPN while waiting for a new- grad RN job in the hospital to open up. It took six months.

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