Whats the percentage of new RNs who "make it" after orientation?

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I am a new RN , I start monday with a & week orientation. I graduated in sept 0f 11, i took boards dec29 th, licensed Jan4. started looking for work mid feb. I am also new to this weebsite but I keep reading how alot of new nurses are getting fired after orientation or getting suspended bc of various reasons mostly making mistakes and not being able to "keep up". My question is how many new Rns actually make it after orientation as opposed to the ones who fail. Do you think the number is higher in RNs "making it". I guess im just terrified to start. btw im starting Med/surg Day shift. which from what I read on here is pretty tough.

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should say 7 week orientation.

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58.7 % Just a guess though.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Even if only a low percentage of new nurses "make it", YOUR odds of making it are 100% or 0%. Don't let what you read online scare you. Happy, contented people generally don't come to post about their happiness or success on a bulletin board. They are too busy living their lives. So just take what you read here with a grain of salt and recognize that it is a skewed sampling.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Step-Down.

Don't forget that people come on allnurses quite often to vent. If someone is sitting at home, recently fired, applying to jobs online then they are much more likely to come on here to vent than someone who is happily employed. Most people make it through orientation. If you are at a hospital with a reputable orientation program, they will invest time in making sure you are ready to be a good nurse before "setting you free". You're just feeling pre-first job jitters.

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

During my 1.5 years working in a hospital, a total of 10 new nurses (including me) were hired onto the particular unit I worked on. All 10 of us "made it" (i.e. passed our probationary period). There were quite a few new nurses hired into other units in the same hospital during the same time period, and as far as I know, they all passed probation too.

Of the 47 students who graduated from the same nursing program in the same year as me, I only heard of one who did not pass his probation (and he eventually did find employment elsewhere). Although it's possible this happened to a few other of my fellow graduates without me hearing about it, all of my fellow grads that I'm still in touch with passed their probations except for this one guy. Actually, I did hear of one other nurse who was laid off during her orientation, but it wasn't due to poor performance on her part -- the hospital laid off a bunch of new hires at the same time (she eventually found employment elsewhere, but had to move out of state to find it).

Remember that an employer invests a significant amount of money in training a new nurse. Once they've hired you, they want you to succeed. If you're struggling, they'll generally take steps to try to help you improve before deciding to cut you loose. Although I'm not aware of statistics about this, I believe the number of nurses who are let go during their probation is relatively low -- or at least it seems to be in hospitals in my area.

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I was just wondering, thank you for all the comments. It makes me feel a lil better. I'm just extremely nervous and I do not know what to expect. This is a totally new profession for me. And I completely understand people come on here to vent. Just needed encouragement I guess.

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Specializes in Gerontology.

In my 25 years of Nsg, I know of only 1 person who did not make it through orientation.

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I have never seen a new nurse NOT make it through orientation, but I guess if you really try hard to slack off, you might be the exception to the rule!

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well, Ive heard of several on here. I gues because im not really sure what u can and cant not do as a nurse (losing license) thats has me worried, throughout school I never imagined losing a license or getting fired. I guess i should look on FLs board of nursing to find out what would constitute in a suspension or losinf license other than drugs.

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Specializes in LTC and School Health.

Only 7 weeks of orientation??? Anyway, I digress. The hospital I was hired have their new grads sign a 2 year contract with that hospital and if its' broken the new grad will have to pay back about 4000 dollars.

I think this is only fair as it takes around 20,000 to train one new nurse. That is alot of money! They want to make sure they are putting in a good investment.

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Only 7 weeks of orientation??? Anyway, I digress. The hospital I was hired have their new grads sign a 2 year contract with that hospital and if its' broken the new grad will have to pay back about 4000 dollars. I think this is only fair as it takes around 20,000 to train one new nurse. That is alot of money! They want to make sure they are putting in a good investment.
Why 20,000? I live in northeast FL, every hosp that isnt a internship program is only a 7 wk orientation.
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