Orientation and length of time

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi,

Ok, so I'm in my first year of nursing. This is a second carreer for me and I really don't know anything about how various branches of the health care field organize their orientation. Mine seems to be a bit screwed up. I have to say that I didn't start out "solid footing". I was hired in November and after the third day at work, at a different location, I fell and broke my ankle in three places. So, after surgery and a lengthy recovery, I was cleared to go back to work (they held my job for me :) ) and returned in March. I work Part-time in a very rural hospital. It's an 18 bed facility so we see it all.

I haven't gotten much feedback during my orientation. we are supposed to do written evaluation on ourselves and our preceptors every week, and our preceptor is supposed to be doing a written evaluation of our progress every week. Well, my preceptor hadn't been doing hers. So, after 6 weeks, I finally get a stack of evaluations and they would have been really helpful if I had had them sooner.

My last day of orientation was supposed to be last Thursday. In fact, it was that day that my preceptor got a stack of papers that told her what we should be doing on week 1, week 2, week 3,....... That was also the day that I got a large three ring binder with a lot of orientation materials that I happen to know that other nurses orienting recieved the first day of their training. So what am I to think when I get a call today saying that they would like to have me on orientation for two more weeks?

I feel like I have this huge L plastered in the middle of my forehead. Other nurses are off orientation already but I know that they have also had previous LPN experience and have worked for the facility for a number of years too. It still makes me feel like a loser.

I love my job, I just want to do it on my own and not have someone watching me all the time. :crying2: There are times when it all makes me mad and times when I feel like there isn't anything I can do, and times when I know that I've found the right place because the working atmosphere itself is so great and that is why I took the job in the first place.

Thanks for letting me ramble on and spill my guts. Hopefully I'll be a little more up tomorrow.

Anna

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Specializes in LDRP.

They are being very unprofessional. Do you have other prospective hosptials you could look at? It just sounds very unorganized, not giving you things on time, etc.

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They are being very unprofessional. Do you have other prospective hosptials you could look at? It just sounds very unorganized, not giving you things on time, etc.

Being in a rural area the choices are limited. Our local community hospital eat their young and so I didn't even attempt to apply there. There is another hospital that I was interested in but the timing was bad. I just want to really get this straightened out, put in my first year, and then maybe move on. I'm in Northeast Iowa so Mayo Clinic isn't that far away, and Wisconsin is even closer. Gundersen Lutheran is in La Crosse. Besides that, once you cross the boarder, you are guarenteed at least $4 more an hour because Iowa is 50th in the nation for nursing pay. Until then, I am trying not to feel like a 12year old. Especially when I'm 41.

Anna

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Don't worry about the extra time in orientation, you are still getting paid for it, and you just have more time before you have to be out on your own. Look at it as a blessing.............. :)

As you have stated, the others were wither LPNs in a previous life, or they have been there for years already. I know that you are looking forward to being on your own, but your real training is only going to begin now. Take advantage of everything that is offered to you. And this is from one with many, many years of experience................actually TMTC (too many to count)

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Don't worry about the extra time in orientation, you are still getting paid for it, and you just have more time before you have to be out on your own. Look at it as a blessing.............. :)

As you have stated, the others were wither LPNs in a previous life, or they have been there for years already. I know that you are looking forward to being on your own, but your real training is only going to begin now. Take advantage of everything that is offered to you. And this is from one with many, many years of experience................actually TMTC (too many to count)

Thanks Suzanne,

I think that a lot of us in our first year need some reasuring and yours came at a very good time. I've been thinking about all of this and I've been wondering if it would have been different if I hadn't have broken my ankle. It seems that the length of time on recovery maybe had an effect on their organization of my orientation. They may have had all the ducks in the row back in November and after three months of recouperation, some of the ducks could have wandered off.

All of this just hit me very hard. I'm just hoping that when I go back into work on Thursday I can have this resolved in my mind so that I can do my work and not worry about this orientation thing.

Anna

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Hi. Fellow new nurse here, have been a nurse for 9 months now.

Just wanted to send a hug and tell you not to worry about having to do 2 weeks more of orientation. It makes a huge difference to work as an LPN prior and also to having worked there, as organizational skills are a major part of the transition to being a new nurse. Just hang in there and take advantage of the extra 2 weeks. Good luck to you! You will do fine!

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Specializes in Med/Surge.

Hi Anna-

I know you are anxious to start and "be on your own", but, if it were me and I were in your shoes I would be thanking the powers that be to give you an xtra 2 weeks.

My orientation was supposed to last 6 weeks and I was told last week that it would only be 3..............bummer :o :angryfire

Try to soak in as much of the information that you can in the next two weeks and really make it work for you.

Good luck-

GrinRN

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I want to thank all of you. I took a couple days to change my attitude and disapointment into positive outlooks and opportunities. And it was in part due to your kind words and wisdom. It is very strange that I post replies to people on this forum and say things that I need to hear myself. But sometimes it needs to come from someone else.

We've had a low enough cences the last two days that my preceptor and I have been able to talk about the whole orientation experience. She and I have very different organizational skills. We now both acknowledge this and understand that we will never thrive on the other's system. So, we are going to spend the time perfecting what works for me rather than me trying to fit her style into my day. Sounds better already.

I have realized that I have a long time to be a nurse. I don't have to be disappointed in my performance just yet. Or ever. Thank you all who have posted here.

Anna

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Has anyone else experienced this? An older nurse trying to make you feel bad says "I had to be a charge nurse and have 10 patients on my first week!"

Well, I exaggerated a little...

But it reminds of grandpa's "I walked 10 miles in the snow to get to school" story.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.
Don't worry about the extra time in orientation, you are still getting paid for it, and you just have more time before you have to be out on your own. Look at it as a blessing.............. :)

As you have stated, the others were wither LPNs in a previous life, or they have been there for years already. I know that you are looking forward to being on your own, but your real training is only going to begin now. Take advantage of everything that is offered to you. And this is from one with many, many years of experience................actually TMTC (too many to count)

Really, take advantage of it...I was a CNA at the hospital I work at now for about a year and had been for 18 mos before at another.....I just got my license 5/31/05 and have been in day classes at our facility (HR and policy classes that they want you to take before orienting on the floor). They just came up to me this morning and said a) after you sit in class all day, you will need to work a 12 hour shift tonight, tomorrow night and Sunday night (after 8 hour a day classes every day this week), and b) how many patients do you feel like you can take, to which I replied I had never been on the floor, and was then told c) that I would be taking a group Saturday night and would have to take one Sunday night also and may have to do charge role. I about poohed down my leg to say the least-as this is our head nursing supervisor that told me this. While working tonight, another supervisor asked a) why am I working after being here all week, and sent me home to rest and b) under NO circumstances would I or should I be doing any nursing without orientation! She said if I wish to work the rest of the weekend, I could come in and orient or stay home and rest. I chose orienting.....she told me that I should take all the orientation that I could, and she was going to rip the head sup a new one!!!!!:) Take all the orientation time that you can get-it's gimme time.....

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(after 8 hour a day classes every day this week), and b) how many patients do you feel like you can take, to which I replied I had never been on the floor, and was then told c) that I would be taking a group Saturday night and would have to take one Sunday night also and may have to do charge role. I about poohed down my leg to say the least)

:) At least you are being honest about it.

Usually when I got the "10 miles uphill in the snow" stories they would tell me they had NO problems when they were new because they were soooooo good and smart.

It was meant to intimidate me and make me feel small.:stone

I have made a promise to myself to never do that to a newbie. :rolleyes:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.

[quote name=nurscee

:) At least you are being honest about it.

Usually when I got the "10 miles uphill in the snow" stories they would tell me they had NO problems when they were new because they were soooooo good and smart.

It was meant to intimidate me and make me feel small.:stone

I have made a promise to myself to never do that to a newbie. :rolleyes:

I am smart enough to know I ain't that daggone good or that daggone smart:rotfl:

Happy holiday weekend to all!:balloons:

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