orientation

Published

Specializes in telemetry, icu, med/surg, peds.

About how long is nursing orientation on a psych unit?? I have already been a med/surg/tele nurse for 4 years, but I know the assessments and treatments are a little bit different. Any further info. would be much appreciated.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psychiatric, rehab.

Depends on the facility. I was a new grad and got one week and then became charge nurse, so there you go.

The main difference is that I have found that nurses new to the psych field tend to forget that they are now treating the mind. They tend to document very well on the physical interventions but without a single word about what is going on pschiatrically with the patients.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in telemetry, icu, med/surg, peds.

EEK! One week orientation? Were you a brand new nurse or had you already been a nurse in another area? I am getting ready to apply at a residential facility. I just want to wait till after the first of the year because I actually have xmas eve and xmas day off this year where I work which is a rarity! Thanks for the input! :yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Depends entirely on the individual facility. There is a lot of variation. Most places I've encountered have had minimal, what-I-would-consider-inadequate orientation. They "go through the motions" of doing the bare minimum, then stick you out on the floor, without much consideration of how different psychiatric nursing is from nursing in med-surg settings, and how little preparation in psychiatric nursing most people get in nursing school now.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in General adult inpatient psychiatry.

As a new grad I had 2 weeks of classroom time and 10 weeks working with a preceptor. Travel nurses get a week and I think new hires with experience get maybe a month.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
As a new grad I had 2 weeks of classroom time and 10 weeks working with a preceptor. Travel nurses get a week and I think new hires with experience get maybe a month.

The facility at which I'm working currently (which I certainly would not recommend to anyone, but it's the only psych facility in the area) hires new graduates, gives them a couple weeks of classes (most of which is the general/overall orientation to the entire "healthcare system"), maybe a week or so with a "preceptor," and then expects them to be on their own. They're still officially "on orientation" for three months, but it's just on paper.

There's a lot of variation out there ...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in psychiatric, rehab.

I was just out of school. The orientation I got was one day of orientation to the facility itself and then the one week following other rns. There was little rhyme or reason to it and then I was tossed out on my own. The only thing that saved me was I used to be a highschool teacher and classroom management was already ingrained.

Needless to say it wasn't the smoothest transition.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

All nurses get 10 days of orientation where I'm working. Doesn't matter if you're a new nurse or have years of RN experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in General adult inpatient psychiatry.
The facility at which I'm working currently (which I certainly would not recommend to anyone, but it's the only psych facility in the area) hires new graduates, gives them a couple weeks of classes (most of which is the general/overall orientation to the entire "healthcare system"), maybe a week or so with a "preceptor," and then expects them to be on their own. They're still officially "on orientation" for three months, but it's just on paper.

There's a lot of variation out there ...

After about a month or so, my preceptor pretty much stood back and let me take control. I think I would have needed more if I hadn't been a psych tech for a year before graduating NS.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I got 7 shifts of orientation, plus 2 days of general facility orientation.

I'd have to say the majority of my orientation was spent learning the processes of running the unit, but not really learning the actual nursing aspect of things (i.e. clinical judgment, when to medicate, etc.). So, I'm kind of teaching that to myself as I go now, and praying that no crises occur while I'm on. Although, I do ask my techs a lot of questions, they are very helpful in that regard, except for the judgments re: medications of course.

Even though I'm the only nurse on my unit when I work, I do feel that I can easily reach out for help from other units and the supervisor if I need, so that is a plus I guess.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

4 weeks for us. The nurses follow the charge RN some days and the milieu RN other days. After orientation, they aren't put in charge for another month or so.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, EMS.

Wow! I'm getting 6 months..but I work at a very reknowned psychiatric clinic. I was very blessed to land this job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion