Please share orientation ideas!

[Jaysie1]

I am looking for ideas to improve our orientation program for new hires into the Emergency Department. So far, our staff has a two day corporate orientation, followed by a 3 day hospital-wide clinical orientation for techs and RNs. There are so many skills, specialized equipment, and medications (like t-PA) that are ED-specific and I see that it's difficult for preceptors to find time to cover everything while they have a patient assignment. I would like to have a "Welcome to the ED Skills Day" and am looking for ideas (including a better name!).

Do you have a day (or more) where new hires meet with the unit educator before starting with their preceptor? What topics do you cover? What methods do you use (ie: scavenger hunts, lectures, mock codes, etc)?

I look forward to your responses!

[ERRNinMI]

Hi Jaysie!

I have had the task of redesigning our nursing orientation. I know you are asking for ED specific. How about ED Skills and Drills? I suppose you could survey your staff and get an idea of the topic 5 or 10 skills that need to be covered for new hires and set your day up that way. I have incorporated interactive activities, and learning boards, where for the learned board you make the board with all the info and then there is knowledge validation in the form of a quiz at the end. Any type of simulation activity is always good. We are working towards dividing our two day nursing orientation (corporate) into one content day and one skills day. For the skills day we will go over basic skills validations to try and off load some of the demand from the unit. Things like restraints, glucose meter, wound measuring and documentation, IV starts/care, etc. That way the unit orientation and skills can be more unit specific. I work in a centralized education department so I see everyone before they go to their specific facility.

Best of luck! Would love to hear what you come up with!