Orientations woes, Vent (long)

NIGHTWOLF87 · Jun 21, 2009

first, let me say congrats for being a new gn! secondly, i am sorry that you are having a less than stellar orientation on your unit. when i first graduated, my first job was at the hospital that i did my last semester of clincials at. i worked on a medical/oncology floor. the nice thing about it was i already knew the routine of the floor and the nurse's, so that was a big help when i was orienting. but once i was off orientation and on my own...wow...i would get an average of 10-12 patients, plus admissions, plus discharges...it was a time management nightmare at first, but once i got more experience and confidence, it was like, "ok, is that all you can throw at me?" but with experience, comes confidence, and you will learn to adjust. if not, then i would recommmend that you look for another unit. i now work in nicu, and our orientation has been recently changed to 6 months: 3 months in level ii and 3 months in level iii. even when i started here, over 3 1/2 years ago, my orientation was 12 weeks, even though i already had experience (been an rn for almost 7 years now). it is great only have 1-2 patients in level iii and only 3-4 in level ii. just try to hang in there and you can do it. just have faith and confidence in yourself and don't let them see that they are getting to you. some nurses that i have seen in my past experience like to feed on the weak, so to speak. don't let them get to you! keep your chin up and keep fighting the good fight! good luck and again, congrats on becoming a gn! :yeah:

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Jun 21, 2009

Sounds like a bad situation to me, too.

SlightlyMental_RN · Jun 21, 2009

:chair: Holy cr*p! You poor thing! My orientation (so far) is kind of confusing, as they aren't sure where they want to place me. That, and I feel like I have no clue how to work the computer system. :typing But I would take those kind of worries any day over the stress that you must be experiencing. I'm so sorry to hear that it's going like this for you. Perhaps one of the board moderators can move this thread to an area where more experienced nurses will read it and give you some advice and encouragement? In the meantime, :icon_hug:.

NurseKitten, MSN, RN · Jun 21, 2009

No, no, no....this is NOT right. Please start looking elsewhere, in another facility. They have thrown you to the wolves, and that is not right. Nurse have a reputation for eating their young, but this is ridiculous. You are a nurse, you have choices as to the work environment. As part of your interview, you get it IN WRITING that you have at least 8 weeks on orientation. If not 12.

Hang in there, and don't take it lying down. Take your power back. And come talk to us any time.

Kiky87 · Jun 23, 2009

This is absolutely NOT normal. If things aren't going to change I would seriously, seriously consider leaving. Most new grad programs for medical and/or surgical floors are 12 weeks and they slowly ease you into having more patients. Never should you have a preceptor who has only 2 more months experience than you! This all sounds like a recipe for disaster.

monkeyadale · Jun 28, 2009

I would like to thank each of you for your response and for just confirming for me that this is in fact a crappy situation. I have been doing some investigating and basically found out the floor I am on is always training new grads because no one stays, they have very few home staff most are floats and they will basically take anyone with a pulse. It is very frustrating to learn this now. I did clinicals at this hospital (different floor) and when I talked with the manager and the nurses everyone told me what a smart choice I had made and that I was going to love it. Grrr. It has been a very rough few days. I cannot just quit becuz my family desperately needs the money, so I am just going to look around for something else and hopefully something will come up soon. I feel a little guilty griping about my job when I read so many posts on here from new grads who cannot even find one, but this floor is just not the right one for me.

nrsgnerd · Jun 28, 2009

Oh, my friend....you just worked your tail off to get your degree and license and they are putting not just the patients at risk because of your load and lack of orientation but they are putting your license on the line....get the heck out of there as soon as you can. The last thing you need is to lose your license before you even get started....everywhere I know of gives 8-12 weeks of orientation and I'm starting in a CCU in a week and I get 16 weeks....no no no no no no....you stand up and protect yourself! You sound really smart and like your working your buns off to give good care but this is not fair to anyone, especiallly the patients! My best to you, your in my prayers!

nicolegrow · Jul 4, 2009

No, it is not like that everywhere. The facility you work at is putting patient safety on the line. You should never do anything that you are not comfortable with!

If you stay at this facility you must speak up. Have you talked to your Nurse Manager about the Nurse Aid not giving you vitals? It is your responsibility not only to konw the vitals, but also to report a Nurse Aid who is not following delegated tasks. You need some open comunication lines. The situation that you have described is unethical.

Whatever you decide remember to keep a cool head and be professional, no matter how frustrating it may be.

Kittyfeet · Jul 5, 2009

That sounds really, really dangerous to me. You need to protect your patients and your license!

E.R. Rookie · Jul 5, 2009

That is BS and you need to call your recruiter. In our orientation they gave us a list of about 5 people to call if theres an issue.

I feel for you and you sound very strong. Im sure you can get thru it but you dont need to. You could easily burn out. Someone could get hurt. Let us know what happens.