Long hospital orientation...

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i graduated in dec. and this past week started my job at a magnet hospital in our area. so far the orientation seems never ending. i feel very fortunate that the staff does so much to make me feel comfortable and prepared for my new role, but the anticipation of getting started is about to kill me! anyone else have the same experience?

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Specializes in Pediatric Emergency Medicine/Trauma.

oh my goodness yes! ours adopted a nursing residency program - 22 weeks of classroom, lectures, and unit training! it went on FOREVER! parts were good, parts were boring, and others pointless. But i guess it proves to help retention so we shall see - i just got out of it in November.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Kep in mind, that being a student and being a nurse are WAY different. I was glad for my long orientation on my unit. It gave me the chance to get acclimated to the real world.

Amy

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Yes orientation for rehab/LTC started the monday after thanksgiving and lasted after christmas. I was so bored out of my mind watching them give meds and treatments then the drawn out charting/paperwork. I was beginning to get to comfortable with them doing everything. Finally went to DON and said let me loose please lol. I'm on the 2 wk on my own and loving it.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I think that it is fair to orient someone at least a month, especially a new grad. I was bored to death during mine as well, but we had two weeks of classroom time and then, new grads were sent for 6 weeks in med-surg before being sent to our actual assignments. I work in a clinic. During my med-surg stint, I shadowed another LPN for about a week, then, was assigned to RNs when it was time to administer medications for myself. I had a different perceptor each day, making it more confusing because the RNs have 12 hour shifts. I would have preferred to be with one person the whole time, preferably an LPN, since I was going to be doing what she was. I never got the piggybacks together, and before I knew it, I was back in the clinic.

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Specializes in LTC.

IN the long run you will be glad for the long orientation. Most people complain that they don't get enough orientation time.

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Hopefully your orientation is more clinical than classroom. If it is, be happy. Take advantage of it by learning all that you can while you have someone to fall back on. You will be on your own soon enough.

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Specializes in Psych.

My orientation was only 2 weeks classroom (and 1 week of that was HR stuff), then 4 weeks on the floor. It was definitely not enough. I think for me a few more weeks would've made the difference but that wasn't really offered to me.

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