Nursing Department Orientations

[kcondran]

I am looking for information on nursing departmental orientations - most hospital orientations are pretty much cookie cutter from my experience but I am given the responsibility of putting together a departmental program at the facility I have worked at for 6 months as a staff nurse. I believe that there should be a different orientation period and format for new grads vs experienced grads but none between contract vs agency vs staff. Please knock holes in this thinking or support it!!

Tell me what you liked best about your departmental orientation and what you thought was a real "YUCK"! I am particularly interested in Med-Surg but want input from everyone no matter the assignment.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[cbreezen482]

I am looking for information on nursing departmental orientations - most hospital orientations are pretty much cookie cutter from my experience but I am given the responsibility of putting together a departmental program at the facility I have worked at for 6 months as a staff nurse. I believe that there should be a different orientation period and format for new grads vs experienced grads but none between contract vs agency vs staff. Please knock holes in this thinking or support it!!

Tell me what you liked best about your departmental orientation and what you thought was a real "YUCK"! I am particularly interested in Med-Surg but want input from everyone no matter the assignment.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

To put it bluntly, my orientation to the Med/Surg unit I just left sucked! They hired 5 of us as new grads, all to work nights. They were in such a bind to get us on the floor due to being short staffed, we got like maybe 2 weeks of orientation on days. Then we were fed to the wolves! My first night on night orientation, I took 9 patients by myself and was told to just "ask questions" if I had any. They made several of the new night nurses charge RN's after only a couple months on the floor. Talk about dangerous and overwhelming!

[AuntMeggie]

I haven't started yet (my orientation starts Monday) but it sounds awesome. It's more of an intership and we have classroom days where we learn about common illnesses in the NICU and other stuff. I think it's going to make the transition from student to RN much easier than just throwing us in head first.