Residency vs orientation?

[ScrubsAndMacarons, RN]

Hi everyone!

I am a current nursing student who just completed my first clinical this past semester. I met a few nurses who completed a "residency" after graduation. How does this differ than an "orientation" to a unit? All I was able to determine from questioning the nurses is that there are classes they had to take. Is residency something you apply for like a normal job? Does residency look better on a resume? Do you get paid during residency? Is it focused on a specific field? I would love for someone on here to elaborate! Thank you in advance ?

[NICUnLDRN]

I’m assuming your friend accepted a new grad residency position as a nurse. What this means is that while working on whichever unit they were hired for such as med surg, ICU, Labor & delivery, they will have a preceptor or experienced nurse work with them as they settle into their new role as a nurse. Some residency’s offer that they be with their preceptor for at least 4-6 months before they start accepting their own patient assignments. Some also offer different training and certifications needed for their specific unit. It’s just basically added help and training to help new grads transition better into their role. 

Orientation is just what most jobs require for new hires. It can be for anyone who just accepted a position at a hospital. This just goes over different hospital policy’s, uniforms, taxes, parking, badges, where to find supplies, etc. It just helps you get oriented to their hospital and rules regardless of the position your hired for. 

Although your friend accepted a residency position which will be specific to their role and unit they were hired for they still will need to complete a orientation to the hospital to go over policies. They may even get an orientation to the floor they are working on which goes over where to get supplies from, stock room, who to call for help, etc. it’s more generalized whereas with his residency it will be specific to patient care, codes, and passing meds.

Also residency positions are paid and it shouldn’t impact or enhance your resume. It’s simply just a job just tailored to help new grads transition better into their role instead of just throwing them in their and risk possible patients getting hurt or a new nurse getting their license revoked for making a huge mistake. 

[bitter_betsy, BSN]

As a new grad, if you accept a hospital position you will go through "orientation".  You will spend X amount of time orientating to the hospital and hospital policies, and then you will have a preceptor where you orient to your unit.  Time on orientation will depend on the unit - Med Surg may be 6 weeks on your unit where ICU may be 16 weeks.

I accepted a position into a residency program.  I started my job in July, I just got released to be on my own - 5 months later.  I spent the first week in hospital orientation.  Then we spent 2 weeks just following our preceptor (since many in my group didn't have a senior clinical due to covid).  Then we spent 12 weeks with our preceptor.  Then we spent 6 weeks as a nurse with a resource available.  Now we are on our own.

In addition to all the precepting, we had class once a week for the first 12 weeks - with homework - just like school.  Now that we are finished with our orientation, we are now just in the residency program which continues for 1 year.  We have classes 1 time per month that are mandatory for us to attend - again with homework.

While I was on "orientation", I was not able to receive shift differentials, but was paid the "normal" new grad nurse salary.  Now that I am off orientation, I receive shift differential as well.

Residencies are great because they take their time with you and help you really settle into your job.  I think they are especially helpful for critical care units.  

[ScrubsAndMacarons, RN]

Thank you @RN2bJae and @bitter_betsy, BSN for your replies! Greatly cleared things up for me ?

[JKL33]

Got news for you all:

[Nursing] "residency" used to be called:

Orientation.

Now you might think of orientation as only what is known as "general orientation" where you learn about the HR policies, parking, and the general stuff already mentioned by previous poster.

But nursing orientation has meant having a preceptor to work with, classes, and skills training as long as I've been a nurse. It is what people are now calling a residency.

The residency verbiage is more recent and frankly I think it is a ploy to sound more important. If you read various posts/hear a variety of experiences you will find out that "residency" experiences vary widely. They may (or may not) include a primary preceptor, various classes, some sort of project, journal clubs, etc., etc. all the day down to being even worse than what used to be a good nursing orientation. Some of them are tied to contracts where in order to be hired into the residency you will be asked to sign a contract to stay at the site for 18mos-2 years total or else pay back funds ($5k-10K) according to how the employer values their "residency."

I say all of this to simply make the point that it'll be important to find out exactly what is being offered regardless of whether a place touts their "residency" or refers to the new-hire period as an "orientation."