no new grad program in our ed

[RNinED]

Hello, I Have Read Several Threads From New Grads In The Ed And I Am Very Excited To Be Getting Fresh New Blood In The Specialty. Having Said That, I Worry About My Ed Hiring A New Grad Since We Have No New Grad Progam Designed To Move Them Through Their First Ever Nursing Experiences Or Even Sufficient Training For Experienced Nurses Looking To Change To Ed. Every Thing I Know I Researched And Obtained Through Classes And Otj Training With A Strong Crew And I Started Out With 3 Years Experience In Micu And Home Health. (and I Still Anfter 3 Years Continually Learn) Even Though We Have No Program In Place And Have Never Before Had A New Grad In Our Ed The New Manager Has Hired One Without Informing Staff Of The Formal Change In Policy. The General Feelings Are Not That She Should Not Be There But That The Manager Should Have Set Something Up Better For Her To Help Her Succeed. We Are Doing Our Best To Support Her And She Will Be On Orientation For As Long As Needed But...we Often Have Docs From Out Of The Area And The Nurses Have To Be Strong Pt Advocates And Know What We Can And Can't Do At Our Critical Access Hospital As Well As Services Avail. In Our Community. It's More Than Doing The Tasks Of Nursing. One Of The Scariest Things Is That This New Rn 2 Mos Into The Orientation Thinks She's Got It And "just Needs To See A Couple Codes." I Love My Community And The People I Serve. I Want More For Them Than For Their Nurse To Think "wow That Subcutaneous Emphasema Feels So Cool" That Pt Did Not Feel Cool And In Fact Was Flown Out With Complications Of Esophageal Rupture. The Boss Won't Listen And The New Rn Thinks She's Got It So The Rest Of Us Feel Unsafe And Unsupported In Her Orientation Process. We Need New Nurses, Period, But First We Need A New Grad Program In Place To Protect Them, The Pts And The Staff. Please Give Me Your Constructive Advice, Info. And Know That We Are Already Supportive And Appropriate With Our New Hire.(not Eatin' Our Young)

[imenid37]

The educator in our ED has one of these type of programs she has organized and it is going pretty well. I am the educator for OB at our hospital, so I do not have firsthand knowledge of it, but I do hear mostly good things. She has them go to different departments, ride the medic unit, have classroom instruction, etc. It is 6 months, I think. She got a template of sorts from whatever the national organization for your specialty is called. She is very active at both the state and national levels. Our hospital is small, about 120 beds and ships out serious traumas and cardiacs. I do not know what your facility is like. I bet she might share it w/ you. If you PM me, I can ask if she would talk to you.

[Kyrshamarks, BSN, RN]

Please do not capitalize every word in the sentence. It makes it immpossible to read in a coherent manner. You will probably get more responses if just typed normally. I could not get thru halfway without it driving me nuts. thanks

[JoshuaAdamsRN]

Ok, you mentioned that you're a critical access hospital so you probably don't have the luxury of the training resources that are available at a more tertiary center. I'm guessing you probably don't have a lot of staff on shift at the same time, either, right? There are nuances about any facility that you don't get through a formal orientation - you just gotta pick it up on the job. And the attitude the new grad has that she's "got it" will dissipate the first time she has a catastrophic near hit with something. Believe me, I've been in the ER for two years, started there before the ink on my license dried, and NEVER EVER would I presume to know everything or exactly what to do in every situation. Constructive, consistent feedback is what will help this new nurse the most.

[RNinED]

Thankyou for writing, I know I sounded off a bit. Did you go through a "new grad" program when you started or just orientation to the unit and facility with check off lists etc.? I wonder how often it occurs that new grads are hired without a program in place. The face of nursing is changing and somewhat for the better but we are losing those that are very experienced and have not replaced the knowledge resource yet.

[JoshuaAdamsRN]

Our new graduate orientation varies slightly from the orientation of new employees who have experience, but basically it's the same idea. They have what is termed "competency based orientation", which is a checklist of skills that are performed. In 12 weeks working fulltime one on one with a preceptor, you are able to accomplish most of what's listen in the CBO. Anything that you don't actually encounter (for example, there were no exams for sexual assault), you're supposed to review the policy and procedure. It's the same for experienced nurses as new grads, except the new grad has a longer orientation and is one-on-one with a preceptor during that time.