What to expect during Nursing Program Orientation?

They sent our orientation packet (Davenport in MI) in the mail and we had a few weeks to get it completed. It had what we needed to have completed before a certain date (a few weeks before orientation). It had what vaccines we needed, forms for your physician to complete, BLS class info (if you are not certified), TB test info, scrubs/patches/labcoat info, and the agenda for the orientation. Ours also told us about lunch and the bookstore having our uniforms available for purchase.

Bring a pen and paper. Dress business casual. You probably won't retain everything you go over and that's okay. I just completed my orientation last week, and my head felt like it would explode. Deep breaths, you've worked hard to get to this point. Don't freak yourself out before you have even started. Good luck and congrats :)

If you have questions about your program, write them down now. Don't ask them right away, as many of them will likely be addressed, but you can check them off as you go and ask any remaining questions.

Take a pad and paper, and if allowed, a recording device in case you miss something. Plus, it's always good to have a well documented record of things said during an orientation.

Take some water! :)

Get to know your classmates a bit. Exchange numbers with a few, if you feel comfortable, and you can start working together on things. One thing our class did that was helpful was create a Facebook page so that we could discuss stuff from class or the NCLEX (when the time came). If someone was talking about some study, they could post it on the page for everyone.

Eyes and ears open!

What were the girls wearing? pants and a shirt or casual dresses?

What were the girls wearing? pants and a shirt or casual dresses?

Be you and dress how you would dress professionally :)

Most of my classmates wore casual clothing. However, as our future instructors pointed out, we are entering a profession and should take care in how we dress and present ourselves to others. Business slacks and a nice blouse or dress shirt should be fine. Cardigans and sweaters recommended because that AC can make it quite chilly real fast.

Thank you

I was surprised to hear you all talking about dressing business casual. We have to wear scrubs to our orientation! They call it the nursing "boot camp". It is about 2 weeks before the semester starts.

Really? We hadn't even been told purchase scrubs until we were actually orientation. I wouldn't have minded wearing scrubs. At least then I wouldn't have to fuss over what to wear.

I would say bring a notepad and a pen or pencil to write with and maybe a light sweater just in case they have the A/C blowing like mine did!