I start next week!

Are you referring to orientation to the facility.. or your orientation to the unit?

Either way, it"s NOT a good start for a newbie. At the very LEAST you would need a one month orientation ( on the unit ) before you are responsible for the care you deliver.

Will they have you on the floor on orientation? I have seen employees start in between general orientation cycles that have started on the floor with their preceptor. Then, when general orientation comes around again, they go to the general orientation. Then from there they do whatever they have left for their orientation. As long as you are going to be with a preceptor and orienting, it may not be a bad thing. It will give you an opportunity to see what the unit is like and then ask plenty of questions during the general orientation period.

If you are able, when you get your schedule, find out if you will be with the same preceptor the whole time. If so, on your first shift together, talk to them about a plan for your orientation period. Ask them what the normal patient load is and then make goals for when you will be at that point. If you have to have a different preceptor throughout your orientation, make sure you are up front with each of that at the start of your shift about what you have and haven't done so far. Try to be as proactive as you can in getting the best orientation you can. Good luck!

I'm assuming that you would still start out working with a preceptor. Typically orientation is a lot of hours of facility policy and procedure, not really job training. If you are not starting with a preceptor then I wouldn't start. You need on the floor orientation. If you don't know the answer to that question, I would call the DON and clarify.

She wants to start me on the floor with a preceptor first. Im not sure what this entails or what shift but I will find out soon. Orientation I know consists of 15 shifts (whenever you are available to complete those shifts) I am supposed to be a night shift part time and I will have different preceptors each time. A shift consists of 8 hours. They hire alot of new grads at this facility which is good and bad because you get your experience and it proves that seeing a previous new grad gives some inspiration that in a few months I will be doing the same thing they are doing by myself.