What does your hospital provide for ICU orientation?

[fsutallyrn]

Just wondering what ICU orientation is like for other hospitals similar to mine. We have three adult ICU's. One neuro, one cardiac and one that takes cardiovascular surgical, other surgical, and medical patients. After general hospital nursing orientation nurses report to their unit. They are assigned a preceptor. They work with the preceptor for about 16 weeks (give or take a week or two depending on the person). We have them take an ECG interpretation class, moderate sedation class, crisis prevention class, ACLS, 4 hours of trauma, and complete ECCO within the first year of employment. During the first 16 weeks or so of orientation we have them go to the cath lab and get signed off on taking out sheaths, have a day with IVT, a day with RT's to go over vent/bipap etc, send them to OR to watch a CABG, and maybe to endo if we don't have a procedure in one of the rooms during their orientation. In addition we just added classes that start every 6 months that review our equipment allowing hands on training, and review of certain policies, procedures, and paperwork that we use in our hospital. Is there anything else we could be doing? Many still feel like they are not getting what they need in terms of education after their first year. Also they still feel somewhat incompetent. Is this normal? Also, even after all that orientation we still have new nurses attempting to calculate their levophed in mcg/kg/min? What do you guys use for continuing education? Do you have ICU specific cont ed provided to you?

[meandragonbrett]

Hospital orientation. Critical Care courses, BLS, ACLS, vent courses, LVAD courses, IABP courses, EKG course, and a 12-lead course. 12 weeks with a preceptor then you're let go.

[Ophelia78]

We have a 2 week hospital orientation. Then 10-18 weeks on the floor with a preceptor. I had a year experience in another smaller ICU already- I'm getting 10. We have 3 days of ICU class, 3 days of critical care class, BLS, PALS, ACLS, ECG if needed, 8 hours with RT, then "self-learning packets" on different equipment and ABGs.

[nurseabc123]

1 day hospital orientation, 3 day nursing orientation (includes BLS, documentation, mandatories, medication test, age-appropriate nursing care, sedation protocols, central lines/picc lines/a-lines, airway management with the CRNAs, infection control, intro to gift of life/organ donation, and some other things), 1 day computer training, 80 hour of classes on various ICU topics (IABP, vents, hemodynamics, ECG, CRRT, mock codes, titrating pressors, care of cardiac pts/respiratory pts., mods, etc.), ACLS, PALS, and up to 14 weeks of orientation (based on individual needs) -- at the end each intern must present a case study and pass a critical care exam.