New Grad at VA hospital.

[arabella205]

hello all. So I am being offered a position in a tele/medsurg floor. I asked the nurse manager how long the orientation is for new nurses. She told me 6 weeks. Is 6 weeks enough for me to learn what I needed to learn over there. I am a new grad RN with no experience and I heard from somewhere else that you need at least 1 year to be fully competent in telemetry nursing. I am also concerned about the nurse patient ratio which is 8:1. My other issue is that I only have an ASN degree so basically I am going to be paid less and there are no potential for me to advance unless I pursue a BSN or higher. any advice? is the VA even worth it?

[just_cause, BSN, RN]

First off - congrats on your job with the VA. I would talk to the nursing manager on the success of the 6 week orientation and also try to talk to nurses who arrived and did similar transition. If possible ask your manager to speak with someone who did this - say it is a concern as you might be eager to work with them but want to ensure this will be a successful transition for you and them.

Federal jobs base pay based on your education level - so perhaps it is now a hinderance it could prove beneficial in the long term as it will drive you, through financial incentive to pursue bachelors and maybe a masters, some people with a masters in nursing might be paid as much as an RN and feel as frustrated in the civilian world... where your future is at least clear cut.

Last - I think the population of working to support warriors and heroes is an honrable deed and should be rewarding :)

v/r