Orientation as a NEW Grad how long?

[gelousstudent]

What is the standard time for Orientation as a NEW grad? The facility that I will be working hired a new grad and she was only on orientation for 4 weeks? Another 3.5 weeks? And the reason that was given was our floor was soooo short staffed there was not enough help. Both nurses went to the supervisor and told her they wanted more time, but it was not given. I am scared to death come June and graduating and passing my NCLEX that once I am out there . . What is the normal or average time???

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

I got two weeks.

[whipping girl in 07, RN]

Back in the olden days, when I was a new grad, we got 6 weeks orientation on the floors, 12 weeks in critical care areas (ICU and ER). I had a friend who went into the OR internship as a new grad, and it was 6 months. She graduated a semester behind me. At that time, in that hospital, they weren't hiring new grads into PACU and Cath Lab, and my class was only the second that had been offered positions as new grads in ICU and ER.

I oriented 6 weeks on days, 6 weeks on nights. I was supposed to have 2 preceptors on days, 2 on nights, but my first preceptor was sick the first 2 weeks of my orientation, and I was doing so well with Darren, who was supposed to just have me the second half of my day shift orientation, that Dianne just kept us together for the whole day shift experience. He was an INCREDIBLE preceptor, and I learned so much from him. My preceptors on nights were great too. I had a good experience. I worked the same schedule as my preceptor, including weekend rotation.

When I moved here, I worked part time at both hospitals in town and there are huge differences between how they orient new grads. One has 6 month internships, with classes for all the interns and then specific ones for specialty areas. I don't know whether it really helps with retention because some managers just look at how long someone's been there to choose them as a preceptor, without taking into account whether they want to do it. They are starting to require preceptor training and updates yearly based on feedback from the new grad interns. I'm glad they are listening.

On the other hand, the other hospital offers 6 weeks on the floors and 12 weeks in the units. Except it's 8 hour shifts, weekdays only, usually a different preceptor every day (sometimes with arguements about who has to do it today). There was more than one time that I came into work to find I had an orientee because no one else wanted to do it. The new grads never get a feel for what it's really like to work in the ICU until they are off orientation, which to me is too late. In my opinion, the poor orientation led to a huge learning curve for the new grad and left them at a huge disadvantage when they were on their own. And it really hurt moral among the more experienced staff on nights because you felt like you had to watch your patients and theirs too. I did not like being the "go-to" person when I only had a couple of years experience myself. It made me very nervous. I was ecstatic when a day shift position.