orientation without preceptor

[jacquilinep]

A month ago, I started working at a LTAC. This is my first RN job without prior experience as a nurse (LVN). I was pretty excited to start working only to find out that I was only given 3 days of shadowing a preceptor. On my second week, I was given my own patient/s with no preceptor. I survived by asking fellow nurses on the floor and the supervisor pulled a nurse out from the floor to oversee what I and another orientee are doing.The following week, they still didn't provide me with any preceptor and was told that if I had questions, I should ask the resource nurse. I was pissed. I have informed them that I was still uncomfortable doing certain procedures and would like to have a preceptor and that it was difficult to hunt down another nurse to ask questions. The only reply I got was, “This is how they want us to do this.”.

I have voiced out my concern to more than 4 supervisors/clinical coordinator and sent the DON an email about how I felt two weeks ago. However, I still havent got a response and they just add more patients each time I work. Do I have the right reason to quit?

[DextersDisciple, BSN, RN]

Run now and don’t look back!

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

You can have any reason you want to quit. Personally, I would have found working in an LTAC very difficult or impossible as a brand new nurse (especially without a strong orientation.) Heck, I wouldn't want to work in a LTAC even now after 20+ years of nursing. Too stressful to have ICU level patients with the increased ratio.

[Nunya, BSN]

Any healthcare facility, whether it be an acute care hospital, LTC or doctor's office, that doesn't give an adequate orientation only cares about one thing... money. Their objective is to get you in there doing a full load of patients as quick as possible. They don't care about safety or the fact that you don't really know what you're doing. Run. And do a Yelp and/or a Glassdoor rating.

[Amshaka]

You should have at least 6 weeks orientation as a new RN and a preceptor. You might want to get out now. Your license is at risk so is your sanity