How long was your new employee training?

[Marisette]

How long was your training as a new employee, although not a new graduate?

I just took on a job as a triage nurse and was expected to be on my own in 4 days. This is a new specialty for me and a new EMR. I was informed during my interview that training would depend on my needs, but now, my preceptor tells me, I'm on my own. She just walked away, shouted that I should look at my notes. She tells me that she is going on FMLA and apparently there is no one else to train me in this busy 10 provider practice. There appears to be about 50-100 triage calls which involve mostly med refills in a day, with the occasional walk in patient for triage.

The morale in the office is quite low and the manager is said hide in her office by the medical assist and my trainer. She has been on vacation since I started. The physicians come to me like I should know everything, one has a habit or rolling her eyes. I think this preceptor has been gossiping about me. I feel I did not misrepresent myself when I interviewed. It's hard to learn when the trainer is shouting at you. I did speak to her about this. It looks like I may get 3 more days, don't know.

I would bolt out of there, but returning to my old job is not an option because of the commuting that it involved (home dialysis). I simply can't do it anymore and my previous employer was upset that I was direction challenged and "inflexible". But nurses were asked to move from facility to facility, in addition to patient's home.

Now, I'm stuck drowning in a new job, with a preceptor who has no intention of training and is going on FMLA. I suspect this whole FMLA was scheduled purposely to prove herself indispensable. Moreover, this new employer failed to notify me that conditions had changed and I would not have a trainer prior to my start date. I can handle much of the medical questions, but I'm challenged with the EMR and refills because physicians don't send out many of their medication orders. The OB and Peds cases are new to me. I was told by my preceptor that manager does not know how to triage so she can't help me.

Is it normal to get 4 days training and set off on your own?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

I asked for a manual and the preceptor said there was none, but I think I saw an old dusty book on a counter. Unfortunately, there is almost nothing on the company website., just service advertisement.

You can email the company and explain that you are a new hire in _____ family practice clinic and using___ system. Explain that you've received brief instruction on how to use the system but you require a user manual. The company should be able to email the manual to you or tell you how you can download it for free from their website.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

As an experienced ED RN, I received 9 shifts at a Level 1 for a PRN job. This was an unfamiliar facility and EMR. I felt mostly comfortable after 9, though. :) Just had to learn where everything was! I think that 9 was generous compared to some that I've seen, especially when coming into an unfamiliar (or horrible) EMR.

Then at another hospital system's EDs (two very different EDs in two different hospitals but in the same city), I was supposed to receive 6 shifts in each ED. I think I did 4 at one, then at the first orientation shift at the other ED I was asked if I could just take the four rooms + hall bed of another nurse because she had to leave abruptly for a family emergency. I was like, sure, whatever. They didn't give me anything too crazy and I didn't feel unsafe because I knew I could holler for help — this was one of the best EDs I've ever worked in as far as teamwork goes. I miss that place!

Orientations get shorter and shorter!

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

A real awakening of nursing in 2016. I was licensed in 1988 and it seemed a six week training was the norm back then.

Licensed in 1982. Has one day of orientation to work med-surg and 6 of the 8 hours was learning how to use the 'new' IV pumps. We were expected to be able to hit the floor running. On my second day I was made charge because I was the only RN.

Now I work in SNFs. I make sure the new grads get at least a solid month of training before they're on their own. They don't know much when they first graduate. I'd rather take the time to train them the right way so their first nursing experience is as good as it can be....and they tend to want to stay if they have sufficient training.

[NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN]

First job LTC/SAR (no CNA experience, no RN experience, no nothing except clinicals) gave me two weeks of hot mess getting tossed back and forth between random nurses who had no interest in training me. Then they expected me to float at any of the places 6 units. First proper job (meaning a good facility, not that LTCs aren't real nursing) gave me 6 weeks training for Med/Surg. LTACH gave me 10 shifts in theory, but several were "I'm not supposed to help you, I'm just here to answer questions now" so in reality I'd call it 8, then they expected me to work both the low acuity end AND the high acuity (trached, vented, dependent pts) end. Not enough. Most recent job is a specialized Med/Surg. They claimed a 6 week minimum and said they saw me at 8 weeks when I told them I'm not the fastest out of the gate. I did get 6 weeks, but interrupted by random non-clinical training days, a sick day, two days with a tech because they "didn't have any nurses" and getting tossed around among preceptors. Still a decent orientation, but not at all what they promised. There were two other short-lived jobs but I left after only a few months because I didn't feel safe, and I don't specifically remember how they were on orientation.

Nurses at the LTAC had a chip on their shoulder in general, and one against RNs in particular. They'd boast "My orientation was 'Here are the keys to the med cart." Almost every place I've worked had at least one nurse who would scoff at anything resembling a decent orientation, and it bugs the crap out of me. Orientation is a facility's investment in you, and the orientations I've had have definitely reflected the value the facility does (or doesn't) place on its staff.

Marisette, my thoughts instinctively head toward defensive documentation like taking notes on EVERYTHING so that when they ask you for something new you can reasonably say "I've never been trained for that" and ask for help," and keep a record for yourself of their response. If you've expressed your concern to a relevant person via e-mail, there is a proven record of that if they ever try to claim you're just not functioning at a high enough level and there's nothing they can do. I hope it doesn't turn out that bad though. My experiences have made me a wee bit pessimistic about employers.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

As an experienced ED RN, I received 9 shifts at a Level 1 for a PRN job. This was an unfamiliar facility and EMR. I felt mostly comfortable after 9, though. :) Just had to learn where everything was! I think that 9 was generous compared to some that I've seen, especially when coming into an unfamiliar (or horrible) EMR.

Then at another hospital system's EDs (two very different EDs in two different hospitals but in the same city), I was supposed to receive 6 shifts in each ED. I think I did 4 at one, then at the first orientation shift at the other ED I was asked if I could just take the four rooms + hall bed of another nurse because she had to leave abruptly for a family emergency. I was like, sure, whatever. They didn't give me anything too crazy and I didn't feel unsafe because I knew I could holler for help — this was one of the best EDs I've ever worked in as far as teamwork goes. I miss that place!

Orientations get shorter and shorter!

I'm impressed at your ability to learn so quickly. Perhaps my new employer's orientation is within the norm. However, you were fortunate to have ED experience I'm coming from a dialysis background and the learning curve is quite steep. I don't know, but it may turn out to be more than issues with the EMR. I did not misrepresent myself during the interview and was informed that I would be trained when I stated I feared I did not have ED, OB or pediatric experience. But of course, I did not get anything in writing.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

First job LTC/SAR (no CNA experience, no RN experience, no nothing except clinicals) gave me two weeks of hot mess getting tossed back and forth between random nurses who had no interest in training me. Then they expected me to float at any of the places 6 units. First proper job (meaning a good facility, not that LTCs aren't real nursing) gave me 6 weeks training for Med/Surg. LTACH gave me 10 shifts in theory, but several were "I'm not supposed to help you, I'm just here to answer questions now" so in reality I'd call it 8, then they expected me to work both the low acuity end AND the high acuity (trached, vented, dependent pts) end. Not enough. Most recent job is a specialized Med/Surg. They claimed a 6 week minimum and said they saw me at 8 weeks when I told them I'm not the fastest out of the gate. I did get 6 weeks, but interrupted by random non-clinical training days, a sick day, two days with a tech because they "didn't have any nurses" and getting tossed around among preceptors. Still a decent orientation, but not at all what they promised. There were two other short-lived jobs but I left after only a few months because I didn't feel safe, and I don't specifically remember how they were on orientation.

Nurses at the LTAC had a chip on their shoulder in general, and one against RNs in particular. They'd boast "My orientation was 'Here are the keys to the med cart." Almost every place I've worked had at least one nurse who would scoff at anything resembling a decent orientation, and it bugs the crap out of me. Orientation is a facility's investment in you, and the orientations I've had have definitely reflected the value the facility does (or doesn't) place on its staff.

Marisette, my thoughts instinctively head toward defensive documentation like taking notes on EVERYTHING so that when they ask you for something new you can reasonably say "I've never been trained for that" and ask for help," and keep a record for yourself of their response. If you've expressed your concern to a relevant person via e-mail, there is a proven record of that if they ever try to claim you're just not functioning at a high enough level and there's nothing they can do. I hope it doesn't turn out that bad though. My experiences have made me a wee bit pessimistic about employers.

So true. I don't feel like this company wants to invest in their employees. Perhaps, this explains the overall morale in the place and what I can clearly see is high turnover now. I'm very angry at them for failing to inform me that their only triage nurse was leaving and my training would be limited. I would have stayed at my old job. At least I knew that monster and how to get around it. This experience has made me very pessimistic and I will be very wary of any future employer.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

Licensed in 1982. Has one day of orientation to work med-surg and 6 of the 8 hours was learning how to use the 'new' IV pumps. We were expected to be able to hit the floor running. On my second day I was made charge because I was the only RN.

Now I work in SNFs. I make sure the new grads get at least a solid month of training before they're on their own. They don't know much when they first graduate. I'd rather take the time to train them the right way so their first nursing experience is as good as it can be....and they tend to want to stay if they have sufficient training.

Most definitely. A confident employee is more likely to stay. I dread going in to work and I can't wait to dump them. Even If I become the most efficient triage RN in the nation, I don't think I will stay. I just can't trust them.

[westieluv]

If only companies would realize that they are shooting themselves in the foot when they continuously hire people and then do not give them sufficient time to learn the job. Feeling comfortable and at least passably competent is a major part of job satisfaction in nursing.

This is a scary field when you don't feel like you know what you are doing because unlike a lot of professions, we literally have people's lives in our hands. I think this is a lot of why there is so much turnover/job hopping in nursing, and it also costs employers money to put someone through the hiring process only to have them quit because they are expected to be up to speed after a very brief training period that was not adequate to make them feel comfortable doing the job.

I'm not saying that there isn't a lot of on the job training in nursing, because we are always learning, but something like learning a brand new EMR that we have never laid eyes on before takes time and practice. And then a lot of the time, we are treated like we are stupid or somehow defective because we don't "get it" after being rushed through a few training sessions.

[LARPingRN]

I was trained for a month. However, I work for a new, small facility. When I started, we had

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I received usually a week or less of training--orienting at least once on each unit/shift--then I would be on new hire probation for 90 days.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

If only companies would realize that they are shooting themselves in the foot when they continuously hire people and then do not give them sufficient time to learn the job. Feeling comfortable and at least passably competent is a major part of job satisfaction in nursing.

This is a scary field when you don't feel like you know what you are doing because unlike a lot of professions, we literally have people's lives in our hands. I think this is a lot of why there is so much turnover/job hopping in nursing, and it also costs employers money to put someone through the hiring process only to have them quit because they are expected to be up to speed after a very brief training period that was not adequate to make them feel comfortable doing the job.

I'm not saying that there isn't a lot of on the job training in nursing, because we are always learning, but something like learning a brand new EMR that we have never laid eyes on before takes time and practice. And then a lot of the time, we are treated like we are stupid or somehow defective because we don't "get it" after being rushed through a few training sessions.

Yes, most definitely being treated like I'm stupid is the worst part. I have worked with two different EMR previously, so I don't think I'm that dumb. However, I'm definitely naive to a degree, because I keep asking myself what I could have done differently to get a feel for the environment and business ethics of this new employer. I looked them up on the internet and all seemed ok. I regret not asking to spend a day at the clinic because the quick tour was not enough. Perhaps if I had spend some time there, but regrets won't get me anywhere now. I have looked in you tube and on the internet and have found some instructions on the EMR used, that is not available on the company website. So thanks, for all the good suggestions provided by everyone on this site.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

I received usually a week or less of training--orienting at least once on each unit/shift--then I would be on new hire probation for 90 days.

oh my,