How long is the new grad orientation at your hospital? What about experienced nurses?

[Niki_RN]

Hi! I want to get a poll on length of new grad and experienced nurses orientation program.

I know this has been posted before, but the post I found was in 2005. I'm sure things have changed since then.

Me:

The first hospital I worked at, they offer 3 months of orientation for new grads. First 4 weeks is purely classroom (which I thought was useless), and 8 weeks of preceptorship on the floor. Then you're on your own. This is on a MedSurg/neuro tele floor.

The second hospital I work at, since they consider me to have some experience, they offer orientation with a coach but there's no set time frame. It could range from a week to a month depending on how well I am able to adapt. This is on a MedSurg Tele floor.

[klone, MSN, RN]

At the last two hospitals I've worked at, they've had new grad residency programs which last one year.

For experienced nurses starting a new job in an area they've worked in before, a couple shifts.

[Clovery]

I work a MedSurg/Tele floor in a LTAC hospital. New grads and nurses with no hospital experience (like those coming from LTC) get 12 weeks orientation. The first week is classroom about general hospital policies, learning the EHR, doing required in-services and product/equipment training. Then you train with a preceptor but during the first month there are different classes you attend like telemetry, IV certification, wound care. You also spend a day each with a Respiratory Therapist, the Wound Care Nurse, the monitor tech, and PT/OT. Experienced nurses usually get 4 to 6 weeks with a preceptor in addition to any required classes. As a new grad coming to this unit, I felt 12 weeks was just barely enough.

[PRNketamine]

As a new grad for the picu I had 1 month classroom and 2 months preceptorship. That is the same for experienced nurses coming to our unit. The only people who get less are travelers have 1 day orientation.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Hmm I'm not sure what the new grads get at my current hospital b/c my unit has so few new grads. When I oriented they treated me as one with no ICU experience even though I have, b/c I had been out of the ICU for several years. I got 32 shifts, plus classroom classes.

The LTACH I most recently left gave new hires...sit down...five shifts w/ a preceptor on the floor, plus one w/ an RT and one w/ the WOCN. We also had some classes on things like EKG interpretation, chronic critical illness, sepsis, delirium, etc. They didn't hire new grads, but still even for an experienced RN those few days on the floor barely felt like scratching the surface of what we needed to know. The first couple of months I felt like I was underwater and had to ask for help a TON. (Clovery, you'll know what I mean!)

When I was a new grad, the hospital I was at at the time had a program like yours. We had three months' official orientation, and for a while after that they would pair us w/ a resource nurse that we could ask questions of. The charge nurses were all very helpful also. That was in 2003.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

At my current facility, new grads get 12 weeks. Experienced nurses get a variable orientation based on performance during orientation. I started here in my specialty after 15 months of working as a nurse. I was cut loose after two days.

[zeus&lincoln]

Depends on the unit-

CVICU/NICU- 16 weeks + classroom time and certification classes

ED/ PCU/ ICUs- 12-14 weeks + classroom time and certification classes

Medsurg- 8 weeks + classroom time and certification classes

All GNs are followed and considered GNs for one year.

[nynursey_]

12 weeks: 1-2 classroom time spent learning basics of the hospital policies, roles and responsibilities, and various other important tidbits r/t the specific hospital itself. Then 2-12 spent paired with an actual preceptor who has > or = a year of experience on the unit you're hired to.

I work on an AC medical inpatient unit at a large teaching hospital.