Orientation for newly-minted grad

[yonalinz]

I have recently graduated with an associate degree, and have had no prior CNA or experience prior to nursing school. I have been getting certifications, such as PALS, ACLS, NRP, and have been volunteering in the community clinic. I was unable to make the grade to be hired by a SNF. I found that 8 shifts (to learn the facility, documentation, 30 patients, and regimens, the med cart) was not enough orientation to do what they required in 8 hrs, with no overtime allowed. They said they didn't want to give me anymore orientation time and that I wasn't fast enough. All I heard was that I had to go faster. I feel that I could have done it with more supportive training, but there was no organized training. I feel kinda miserable about my struggle for that job, but I am wondering what information is there about orientating to SNFs. This experience was not much like anything I ever had in nursing school. I wish I could have pushed through, but everything seemed rushed and overwhelming for me. I felt that my individual needs for training were more, or were they excessive? What is orienting to SNFs like for others? What info is there about this?

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I have not worked in SNF, but I am a staff educator and can tell you that all orientation is fast-paced anymore because you are more valuable on the floor taking patients. I do not think 8 shifts was adequate for a new grad. The good news is you have SOME experience now. Draw from that and move on.

[LPNsimbi]

I had a month long orientation on all 3 shifts. I found it completely overwhelming, and I was most definately slow. I did feel the month was sufficient to get me to a point where I could handle everything, though I did skip lunch a few times. I had the benefit of being oriented by the DON half the time though, and she was an excellent teacher. I think 2 or 3 of my days on orientation were simply completing admissions for all of the nurses so that I felt comfortable with the admission process - A GREAT HELP! As a fresh grad, most places will give you a longer orientation though I'm not positive what the standard length of time is.

[BroomQueen]

From your post it sounds like they hired you, let you go through orientation, then let you go because you were not "fast enough" and only gave you 8 days orientation as a new grad? What shift were you working and what specific areas did you find that you weren't going "fast enough" or having difficulty the most in? I was a cna for a SNF for 2 years when I grad they gave me 2 weeks all 3 shifts then through me on teh floor, luckily since I had been working there I got the nurses to show me alo while i was still a cna. I found it very overwhelming at 1st, time managment is HUGE and I'm still learning some of the paper work and it's been almost 6 months. From the sounds of it they didn't want to dedicate their time into training you and probably shouldn't have hired a new grad in teh 1st place. Not all facilities are like that though, don't give up. Next job you get, get a list of required job duties for that shift and make a checklist, of course there's goingto be more than that to do but I found that extremely helpful in the begining, kept me from running around so much. Good luck! :)

[jennifers]

I'm not sure what a SNF is...But only one and a half weeks of orientation is not very nice! That is not good especially for a new grad. I got 12 weeks orientation as a new grad.

[mmm333, LVN]

Any other SNF should now look at you as "(new grad) + (3 week SNF residency)" and therefore easier to train than a newly minted grad without the experience you had.

Dismiss the blow to your ego and uncloud your vision. Can you not see that this experience was valuable and that somebody else paid for this training? Move on with the knowledge you gained. You should be able to walk into another SNF better prepared. Impatient employers waste their money training people and giving up on them so soon.