Nay's Note by Naomi James, MSN RN CPAN CNEcl
September 2022
Did you just start a job? Are you about to start a job? Do you know what to expect during the onboarding process and how to prepare for Orientation? Let's talk about it.
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New Hire Orientation
New Hire Orientation is a requirement for any nurse starting a new job. The orientation process is tedious and requires a time commitment according to the onboarding program of the facility.
One of the main reasons that orientation take a long time, for nurses, is due to the separate processes of orientation. Let's dive deeper into these two orientation tracks.
- The General Employee Orientation and The Clinical Nursing Orientation
Nurses are held to a different employee standard due to direct patient care responsibilities and clinical licensure competencies. Therefore, there is typically a clinical nursing orientation that is separate from all other employees and in addition to the general employee onboarding.
Nurses onboarding to a new job should expect to devote a minimum of 2 weeks to be an official employee. During those two weeks, they will have at least one 8-hour day of in-person employee orientation where they are acclimated to the purpose and mission of the facility, the general employee bylaws and standards, and basic employee information such as where to park and completing a timecard. Additionally, the RN should expect to have a skills orientation day or a clinical nursing education day. On that skills day, the RN will most likely meet the nurse educators of the facility and be tasked to practice and perform pertinent RN skills that promote optimal patient safety in every in-patient department of the health facility.
General Orientation
Remember that general orientation is a basic requirement for every employee of the facility no matter what their hired role is. General orientation will typically provide information that is useful to every employee to ensure that employees are meeting the standards and regulations of the mission of the company. General orientation, typically, lasts for an 8-hour work day (possibly 2 days) and is hosted by an HR representative with possible guest appearances from the compliance/safety officer, hospital educator, CEO or Executive director, CNO, etc.
Clinical Orientation
Know that Clinical Orientation is performance and competency-based. You may feel like a nursing student back in skills lab or sim lab again. The education staff of the facility is going to be watching you, evaluating your performance, and giving you some form of feedback. Additionally, the staff should be resourceful and helpful if you have forgotten some skills or need some assistance with improving the skill methods. However, don't panic about clinical orientation - you are already an employee - and the educators aren't there to fail you. They are there to ensure that you are ready to perform bedside patient care at the facility and safely take care of patients.
However, I completely understand that there can be some worry and anxiety about what to expect on clinical orientation day.
........ So here are some tips to be prepared:
- Wear scrubs (if allowed)
- Bring your stethoscope
- Expect to see simulation manikins, simulation arms or upper body parts, and simulation areas that look like hospital rooms
- Review skills such as iv start, central line dressing change, foley insertion, donning PPE, etc.
- Be prepared to be a team player and possibly work with a partner or in a group
- Ask questions and save any handouts, print-outs, or documents in a clinical orientation folder or in the "clinical orientation" tab of your onboarding binder.
Listen, Getting Prepared for the Day is the KEY to a successful orientation and onboarding process. If you watched my YouTube video then you know my recommendation for preparedness is.....
THE NEW HIRE BINDER!!!!
Yes, that's right! You can buy a binder, I recommend the Avery-Heavy Duty 3 ring binder 1"-One Touch slant ring (less then $7 on Amazon). Yet, you can buy any binder that you see fit. Regardless of your binder choice, I STRONGLY SUGGEST that you also buy dividers with labeling tabs and make these 5 tabs for your binder:
- New Hire/Onboarding Information
- Payroll/Benefits
- Clinical Orientation
- Contacts
- Employee Access
In the New Hire/Onboarding Information Tab you should place general "New hire" information-to include introductory emails and information from the nurse recruiter or HR specialist that made initial contact with you to interview for the job and offer you the position.
In the Payroll Tab this is where time card info, paystubs, employee pay schedules, W4 & W2 info, and any other money information goes. You can also put benefit information in this tab, but I feel like your benefits package could be extensive and you may need a separate folder for all of the information regarding your benefits. This tab should focus on the money and making sure you know what to do and who to call if the money looks "funny."
In the Clinical Orientation Tab you should have information that is Specific to Nursing Orientation, modules to complete, TASKS TO PERFORM, the next skills fair date, etc.
Under the Contacts Tab you should have phone numbers and office locations of supervisors, HR, security, nurse educators, the DON, etc. Additionally, it may be easier if you copy and paste contact information (from email stamps that you received) into a word document so that you have all the contacts on one page.
In the Employee Access Tab you can put your Employee ID number, break room codes, computer log in information, employee email information, employee training information. Eventhough, some people may be concerned about possible security breaching by putting access information in a binder. Ultimately, the binder should only be viewed by you and should not be shared with others. But, if you really see a concern, you can also put your employee access information in a saved email in your personal email account, you can put it in your google drive, or on your cellphone if you have password lock apps on your cell device.
Alright so you have your binder ready, you have some basic information about orientation, now lets talk about the TASKS List! Yes, as a new hire, whether you are a seasoned nurse or new grad you are going to have plenty of tasks to complete before you can start working the units. Some of your tasks may include going to security to get your employee badge and parking clearance, setting up training with IT for the EHR and computer system as well as getting your computer access codes and log-ins, going to clinical orientation and confirming your Unit specific orientation date or dates, completing any checklists and orientation paperwork, and completing those lovely (extensive) training modules.
The good news is that all of your tasks should be paid for as part of your orientation time and you should be on the clock when you do them. However, your facility may not be very organized with communicating how long or time consuming the tasks are. Therefore, your BINDER will help with organization for you to check tasks off as you get it done and keep up with due dates and deadlines.
FOR THE NEW GRAD
Be prepared to complete a lot of tasks. Be aware that your onboarding experience may be extensive and extend over the time span of 3 to 6 months. You may have more stuff to do during onboarding than the nurse sitting beside you and that could be just because of the fact that you are a new grad and the nurse next to you isn't. The new graduate nurse needs multiple unit specific orientation days, they need intense training to equipment used on the unit, they need mentorship or preceptorship, and will be required to complete more learning modules than a seasoned nurse. Try and enjoy the process. Even though, it may seem long. IT IS NECESSARY! And, unfortunately, it will most likely be the last time that you will receive so much one-to-one attention in your career. So take it for all that it's worth and prepare yourself for all of the requirements.
FOR THE SEASONED NURSE
Be prepared to get working within two weeks to a month after your hire date. I completely understand that you want to get started right away and that you've been a nurse for quite some time. But you are still subject to the general onboarding process of every registered nurse entering a new facility. You still have to complete training modules. You still have to go to Cerner Training even if you have used Cerner in a previous job. You still have to schedule a unit training day and have a preceptor sign your training form. It can be tedious. Yet, you can rest assured that all of your orientation requirements should be compensated and quality orientation pay can always be a good motivator for completing the onboarding process.
The best part of it all is that once you are done being onboarding and oriented to the facility, you are ready to work. If you are full-time employee then this is finally and officially your new work-home for the foreseeable future. If you are a seasonal, travel, or pro employee then this is your new play place to snatch up some quality shift work and staff nurse pay. Either way, brace yourself for impact. The reality is that onboarding takes some time out of your busy schedule. The dates and commitment obligations aren't always flexible and you can feel a little overwhelmed with all of the new information that you are being given. Don't Panic! Have your binder ready, come prepared, and check in with your mentor along the way.
Listen, Orienting and Onboarding to a new job can be overwhelming. You really need to talk with a nurse who can help you with tips, tools, resources, and guidance for success at your new job. My Mentoring and Coaching style is designed to help you improve in your nursing career and reach your fullest professional potential.
I became a Nurse Educator so that I could help build better nurses one professional development service at a time! Let's Connect! CLICK the link below to schedule your FREE Mentoring consultation with me today!
My mentorship program is designed to provide guidance to the New Grad nurse settling into clinical practice and navigate the challenges of being a novice in the nursing profession.
Head over to my website to get more information and get started in the mentorship program!
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