My first year was spent looking for work

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Finally land a job thank goodness in the ER. But I must say the cost cutting is quite bad. General Nursing Orientation was a joke. One day crammed with information that really did not make a difference. I did not do my clinicals with this hospital so I am unfamiliar with everything there. I have not received any training on IV pumps, no software training, no training on their medication dispenser, just go to the unit totally cold with no information.... This is a huge hospital system with 32,000 employees. I was quite surprised and disappointed. On top of all this I finished school a year ago I have had no hospital experience since that time. They have you do 7 shifts on a different unit to get your feet wet and get your skills back on track, then you go to the unit where you were hired. I am in a new grad residency program for 9 weeks, which is a joke, you meet 4 hours a week in a classroom, and discuss things that are not a priority for a new graduate. We need assessment, priority, time organization and clincals skills sharpened. Hospitals are not yet adjusting to the fact grads have been out of clinicals for several months if not a year or more. Its amazing how fast everything has changed for nurse graduates in such a short time.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Congratulations on landing a job - your persistence paid off.

Although I'm not familiar with your specific situation, I hope I can provide a bit of perspective for you. The content of orientation programs (both general orientation & nursing orientation) is pretty much dictated by regulatory requirements rather than individual needs or even the needs of your hospital. There is a lot of 'stuff' that is required by Medicare Conditions of Participation, Joint Commission, etc. Job-specific things are generally not covered until department-level orientation.

The current trend in nursing orientation is for orientees to take more responsibility for the process. This means less hand-holding & less 'classroom' with an educator and more hands-on with a preceptor. FYI, just-in-time training on equipment is actually the best method of training because when you get to apply the knew knowledge/skill right away, there is less chance of forgetting.

Since you are in a formal residency, you should have been given some sort of documentation that outlines what is supposed to happen during your program. This should include a list of goals that should be accomplished, and (very important) how the outcomes will be measured. There should also be a "skills checklist" that lists all of the technical skills you need to master. Take the time to review these documents so that you really understand them. It is critical that you have a very clear understanding of the criteria that will be used to validate your competency. Ask questions about anything you do not understand. Review all the documentation at least once a week to make sure your progress is documented & that it accurately reflects what you are accomplishing during your residency.

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It's way more important that they match you up with a good preceptor. Have they done that?

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Thank you for clarifying what is going on with current nursing orientations today. This approach definitely places much more pressure on the new nurse especially with regards to the type of preceptor you have. I will finally meet and work with my emergency room preceptor today. I am looking forward to my first shift in the ER.

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This sort of treatment of new nurses was a major factor that pushed me into the military after graduation.

And you *really* got to want it to get into the military as a nurse these days. They are flooded with applications.

Sorry to hear your hospital is being so irresponsible about training and orienting you! Speak with your unit manager and tell them you need more time for orientation or let them know you might not be able to take a full patient load just yet and be safe about it.

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Specializes in Geriatric.

Thats a year worth of unpaid work....LOL. I ts14 months and still looking. All the clinical skills unused, no one wants to hire a lpn with less than a year working experienc. Its so depressing. I have done home health for nine years with agencies(7 yrs with 1) and even they won't hiring me untill i have a yr exp. Any tips i would like some assistance please. Loosing it before i use it(skills)

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

I would suggest dialysis centers or homehealth for chronic ill special needs kids, those agencies are always desperate for new staff. Or I would obtain your RN as quickly as possilbe, the future role of LPNs does not look very well.

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Specializes in Geriatric.

Thanks for the tip. i worked with a hh agencies(7 yrs with 1) and they won't hire me until i obtain atleast 1yr of working experience. I am strongly considering RN, but would like to get some experience under my belt as well as income.

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Specializes in Home Care.
Or I would obtain your RN as quickly as possilbe, the future role of LPNs does not look very well.

Your statement applies to hospitals, not to LTC, skilled nursing, hospice, home health, community health and more.

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juli it does depend on the area, in mine, use of LPNs is rare in any facility. You would have to go far off from the metro areas to find any.

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