Where did you do your Grad Year?

[joannep]

Hi everyone,

I am always hearing lots of stories from nurses about their grad years.

Some say they had a great year and are still working there, others say it was the worst time of their lives.

I'd like to hear about your grad year, where you did it and was it a great year where you learn't lots and were well supported; or was it just horrible, maybe you didn't finish the year it was that bad.

Did you have a grad year that allowed rotations into specialty areas?

If so, which areas did you rotate through? Were they your original requests, or what you were allocated.

And finally, would you recommend where you did your grad year to other novice nurses?

Here's your chance to let us know, "the good, the bad and the ugly" of your grad year.

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

It's a while now since I did it (!) - 1997. I did it at Mornington Peninsula Hospital at Frankston. We got to choose 3 specialty areas we'd be interested in rotating to, and a few were selected based on your ranking in an interview.

I did 4 months orthopedic surgical ward, 4 months in ICU, and 4 months in geriatric rehab. I continued to work in the ICU throughout my rehab rotation, and then carried on to another hospital to do a postgrad critical care course the following year.

I enjoyed my grad year. We worked 4 x 8hr shifts and had classes on the 5th day each week. Being in ICU, I had to do extra modules in arterial lines, central lines, ventilators, ABGs etc.

I can't say I'd recommend the grad year/hospital, because a lot of things can change in 11 years, and I just don't know what it's like there now.

[joannep]

It certainly seems that grads are looking at what the hospital can offer them in their grad year in the way of specialist rotations and what the hospitals can offer in specialist education following their grad year.