Successful Orientees Vs Unsuccessful Orientees

[purplegal]

Based on what you have seen and experienced, what makes some new nurses successful during orientation while others are not? Why do some new nurses have more potential than others?

At my previous nursing job, in which I was not successful during orientation, there was another new grad who was. In fact, there were many new grads that were successful, and it appeared that I was the only new hire that wasn't successful. While I've heard that starting out on a progressive care cardiac unit can be tough on new nurses, and one of my former coworkers even commented to me later that many new grads don't make it on the floor, it obviously can be done. Because it has been. Just not by me.

What I'm trying to figure out is why this other person was successful and I was not. During my orientation, all I kept hearing about was how wonderful this other orientee was, how much progress he was making, and how I simply didn't compare to him. He was brought up frequently during my progress reviews as a comparison. Obviously, they were in favor of him more than me. They never really said specifically what he was doing better, they just said that he was progressing as expected. For them, he was their shining star. They loved him, while the majority of the other nurses wanted me out. Now, they are hiring replacements, and I can't help but wonder what their experiences are going to be like. More than likely, they have more potential than I do, and will probably be more successful. I have kept a list of names of the people that are joining the unit and/or interviewing for it, just so I can see how long they stay. If they make it through orientation, they were obviously better choices than I was, better nurses than I am, better people, really.

But, anyway...what I'm wondering is what makes some new orientees better than others.

Is it...

1. Personality. Can your personality make or break your job?

2. Coworkers. If your coworkers don't like you, is it more likely they will try to get you removed from the unit? Are people more successful when coworkers address issues with them, rather than immediately going to the manager?

3. Preceptors. Do orientees with consistent preceptors with consistent expectations do better than those who have a variety of preceptors? How about preceptor-orientee fit? How important is it that it is a good match, personality wise?

4. Skills and Critical Thinking. What are you, as preceptors and seasoned nurses looking for as far as skills and critical thinking? Is it expected that new nurses will need to be taught certain skills? Certainly there were skills on my old unit that had not been taught in nursing school. How fast would you expect them to be able to learn new things?

5. Fit. Are some people just not a good fit for a certain area/specialty?

5. Other ideas. What else makes someone more successful than someone else?

[Kuriin, BSN, RN]

I had multiple preceptors during my preceptorship while my classmate only had one. My learning experience, I felt, was lacking compared to hers. I am definitely a go-getter...but, I do believe having consistency during orientation is better than being tossed around as people do things differently.

[ladedah1, BSN, RN]

It is impossible to answer your post without first addressing your experience as an orientee…

First off, it was entirely unprofessional of management to openly compare you to another orientee in general, let alone to make this part of your formal evaluation. As mentioned by others, it is highly unlikely to be part of your actual record… mainly due to the fact that you should be held to professional standards… not petty comparisons. The organization with which you oriented was obviously not of the highest caliper – otherwise they would have taken the time to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, work with you on a plan for improvement, and openly discuss why you did or did not meet their needs. (After all, it costs a lot of money to train a new nurse and every effort is usually made to not waste it... ie. to salvage what can be salvaged in an investment).

That being said, it is often easier for people to rationalize external reasons for failure rather than taking personal responsibility for their own. In your own way, you are leading us to answer the way you wish us to… as you were forthcoming about the shortcomings of management in the process and the unfair comparison you were subjected to… but you made no mention at all of what you believe to be your potential weaknesses. Nor did you state what, specifically, you think impressed them about the other orientee over yourself.

I've come to realize that, many times, we ask questions that we already know the answers to; we are just not ready to accept them. If you want to vent about how you feel wronged – do so. There are many instances in which we may find positions where we simply do not fit in as well as the next person… and that is life… we can all relate to that frustration.

To answer your question though, I feel that a lot of it is about honesty. Many times they will get rid of people who disguise their weaknesses with confidence and refuse to admit to their shortcomings… as false confidence can lead to deadly consequences as a nurse. If a person decides not to ask questions, it not only implies arrogance, but puts up a red flag which says I will do something whether I know how to do it or not. I will not ask for help. My pride comes before the well being of the patient and / or organization.” And no one will hire those type of people. Rather, they want you to be confident in admitting that you don't know everything. Heck, which of us does?

Likewise, a lack of confidence may also play a role. No one wants to take on the drama queen or Debbie downer, either. Based on the way you explained your feelings, it almost sounds like you're trying to cook up a pity party, like you're vengeful, or like you're trying to manipulate viewpoints. I'm not saying that that is the true intention behind your words… but if that is how your former coworkers interpreted (or misinterpreted) your personality, then it is possible that this impression caused distrust or dislike.

Please don't think that I'm trying to stir up a reaction… because I'm not. I'm not judging you at all or proclaiming to know the whole situation. This is just my initial impression. I do wish you the best in your future endeavors. :)

[purplegal]

Update on my replacements:

One of them is in her senior year of nursing school and is on my former unit for her immersion experience. Once I found out that she was interviewing for the position, I kept my eyes out, and, sure enough, she is now listed on the unit's webpage as being hired. She's obviously doing well and is a better fit than I was, because why would they hire someone they have already met, if that person was not doing a good job?

As for the other two new people, I don't know much about them, because their names are common and their pictures aren't posted yet.

The other orientee, who made it through orientation, is also still on the floor.

I'll keep you posted.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Update on my replacements:

One of them is in her senior year of nursing school and is on my former unit for her immersion experience. Once I found out that she was interviewing for the position, I kept my eyes out, and, sure enough, she is now listed on the unit's webpage as being hired. She's obviously doing well and is a better fit than I was, because why would they hire someone they have already met, if that person was not doing a good job?

As for the other two new people, I don't know much about them, because their names are common and their pictures aren't posted yet.

The other orientee, who made it through orientation, is also still on the floor.

I'll keep you posted.

To me, it seems kind of creepy that you are tracking this. It's akin to stalking. Saying this as nicely as I can, move on

[Stacey1234]

I can totally relate to your experience. I am currently orienting on a busy surgical floor. We are underfunded and are frequently understaffed. I am having a really hard time finding my stride. Yet the other new hire orienting with me is well on her way and so far has been very successful. She always seems to know what is going on when I am lost. My preceptor is very busy (last shift we had 18 patients to manage, since we were short two RNs, which she says happens often). She was so busy and I felt like I was very little help to her, she didn't give me any patients to care for, I think she didn't want to have to worry about me messing anything up. I don't feel like I am learning what it is like to have a full patient load or even a partial patient load. I have three weeks left of orientation, but I don't feel ready at all. Although I preceptored on a surgical floor. It was on a very organized unit with better nurse/patient ratios. I am finding myself falling apart on this unit. I have my doubts about my ability to be successful on this unit. I am trying my hardest but feel unsupported. My mentor even snapped at me last shift and it was a confidence killer. I'm hoping I can make it by the end of orientation but I don't think this unit is a good fit for me. I guess it happens from what I'm reading in this post

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

To me, it seems kind of creepy that you are tracking this. It's akin to stalking. Saying this as nicely as I can, move on

I have to agree -- creepy and stalkerish.

[sommer0515]

I've had a similar experience. Hired in at the same time as other graduates into a critical care unit but got moved to a telemetry floor after orientation. I had multiple preceptors (one who wasn't teaching me anything, one on day shift when I was working nights and was rude, and my final one who was awesome). The reason cited was that "I wasn't ready to be on my own..." Even though we come out of orientation and still have resource nurses, I was expected to be independent when I've seen where my counterparts work together. Recently, I've received a pt from the unit who had one nurse who charted but another initiated the paper care plan... So much for "independence"

My last night I worked in there, one of the newer nurses and another nurse went for a break for 20 min and the new nurses pt coded (never mind the fact she hadn't charted a VS in 4 hours..) yet, that's apparently a sign of competency. I was bitter for awhile but things like that always come back around. Hang in there OP

[imenid37]

Sadly some established staff are not always receptive to new orientees. There are some graduates who do not make it due to their own lack of initiative, the quality of their education, maturity, or a host of other factors. I get very irritated when our staff lament how they cannot get any help. Then they are impatient or exclude new staff who join the team. They do not always see a connection between their actions and the orientees' lack of success. Of course, the orientee should rise above this, right? It isn't that easy. The fact that you were "baptized by fire" back in 1985 doesn't mean that you need to perpetuate that practice or that it makes for a "great" nurse. It can be very frustrating to work in a hospital where the pay/benefits are less than excellent and the staff are not welcoming. When a newbie is on the unit, the stafff (IMHO) should ask what can we do to help the person be successful, not "How can we TEST this person." If you can, ask for a share day on a unit where you are considering taking a position.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I wonder how many newbies understand that it is up to them to fit into the workplace. It is not up to the workplace -- or the established staff -- to rearrange itself/themselves to suit the newbie.

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

I wanted to comment on the multiple preceptors. While not always ideal, multiple preceptors are very common.

Some people learn effectively with varied approaches, others do not. A preceptor can make or break your experience. Either way, you'll need to adapt to your preceptor. When you're finished orientation, you can do things your way.

It's much easier to just go with the flow. I've had wonderful preceptors and a few that I didn't care for. However, I smiled, kept my mouth shut and adapted to their way of working. My goal was moving forward, rather than creating conflicts with people that I felt might hold me back.

It's just not worth the headache to be "right" sometimes.

^^this! This is a key part of fitting in so that they like you and tell the supervisor that you perform well.

I learned to say, "thank you for showing me that way of doing things." And making sure to do things "that" way.

[Neurotic Student]

I am also one of those who gets passed over for the ostensibly charismatic. I'm charismatic too! In my own quiet way I take some time to open up, but once I do, people seem to enjoy my quirkiness and my hardworking nature. If you are one of the more selectively quiet people, then it will take some time for you to win people over.

Although I've only went to an orientation once, I stayed quiet, listened, and did it the way each preceptor explained (even if it was somewhat different from another preceptor). There really wasn't a "wrong" way, just different ways to do it. In the end when I got off orientation, I put in practice of whatever way I liked/admired from each preceptor. Don't have the preceptor hating on you when you barely got in the door, they will give bad reviews on you (not saying this is the case for you but one of the possibilities). When I was orienting, I think a lot of my preceptors and other staff didn't believe in me. Heck, I didn't even believe in me. I was quiet, my lack of confidence was apparent, hesitant to do tasks on my own, fearful of interacting with pts, and stammering to give answers. Other than that though, I gave them no reason to hate me. :)

They should not compare you to another new grad, everyone advances differently and has different talents. If they compared me to other new hires, I would have been booted long ago. Just an example from my work: I have a staff who is great in talking with pts and deescalating pts but he needs reminding to stop socializing so much and do some paperwork. I'll have another staff who is diligent with the paperwork but is not proactive or take initiative when things don't go smoothly. Some staff will be well-rounded. I just hope that the team assignment is not full of people who are great at paperwork. I surely hope also that it's not going to be a bunch of staff who want to talk all day either. I want a mix of both. I enjoy both ends, it's balancing. Just a thought if you think it's personality/work style that got you the boot.

[purplegal]

I wonder how many newbies understand that it is up to them to fit into the workplace. It is not up to the workplace -- or the established staff -- to rearrange itself/themselves to suit the newbie.

I think most would agree with this. No one is saying that the workplace or staff have to change their ways of doing things, or even be friends with the new person. At the same time, if the unit is truly in need of a new staff member, they should promote an environment in which newcomers can be successful. Trying to maintain consistency in expectations, addressing concerns with the employee in addition to the manager (no one is saying management should not be involved), and avoiding comparisons between new nurses as much as possible. Of course, nurses are only human, so comparing one person to another person is only natural. However, it is unprofessional for them to bring up such comparisons during an employee's progress review. The progress review should be about the particular employee, and that employee only. Other people should not be mentioned, especially if there is no constructive feedback to give in regards to such a comparison. Even so, names of other employees should be avoided. There is a difference between saying "So-and-so has better time management because he or she does this first, and is comfortable delegating. For example, when this person's patient was feeling did, this is what this person did" instead of "The other orientee is progressing as expected, while you are not." The last statement is not useful to new orientees.