Hello! Happy May! It’s hard to believe a new month is here already! I am loving the spring weather and all the beauty nature has to offer right now! May is an exciting month for me- it is my first month on the floor of the cardiac unit for orientation. I am so excited (but also nervous!) for this new challenge and adventure.

Two weeks ago I had classroom orientation M-F 8-4. The first day was general hospital orientation where they went over the “big picture” things that everyone at the hospital needed to know. It was a quick overview and everything moved fast. They discussed HIPPA, benefits, hospital mission and values, security, and infection control. I also received my badge which was a very exciting moment!

Tuesday was orientation for all clinical personnel- we had PCTs (patient care technicians), a surgical tech, and nurses in my orientation. Again, they went over a lot of big picture things. Hand hygiene, more HIPPA, basic policy and procedure, customer service skills. That afternoon the PCTs went for computer training and the nurses had guest speakers from wound care and the sepsis coordinator (both nurses). It’s amazing to me how many different roles nurses take in the hospital!

Wednesday and Thursday was nurse orientation. Again- lots of policy and procedures. We learned the basis of the computer system (there is so much to learn!). We also had to take a math test (yes- you read that right! Don’t lose your math skills after graduation!) and also did skill check offs on Foley catheters and central line dsg change/Med admin/ blood draw. Luckily, the environment for these check offs was much less stressful than nursing school.

Friday we were left to do healthstream- which is basically a ton of online training/inservice/certifications. The information was helpful and interesting- but staring at the computer for hours can be exhausting.

Overall- the week was fantastic! I was lucky enough to orient with one of my best friends from nursing school! It was truly divine intervention- we were hired and took NCLEX at different times- yet ended up in the same orientation! There was also only three nurses in orientation- which our educator said is very unusual! It was an amazing learning environment and helped calm two very anxious type A new grads. The educator and other RN in orientation were both 30 plus year nurses and so full of knowledge! My friend and I both feel so blessed to have spent the week with them learning some tips and tricks to being a newbie.

Last week was my first week on the floor. Sunday night was my first night of week 2 on the floor. It was a great first week and the staff was extremely friendly and welcoming. The blog post for my first week on the floor is in the works and will be up tomorrow! Stay tuned!