You landed a nursing job! Congratulations! Now, you must make sure that you get the most our of your job orientation. This is your chance to gain the knowledge to either float or sink when it is time to fly on your own! Below are a few tips that will help you get the most out of your orientation.

• If your nursing preceptor/mentor is negative, lazy, incompetent, hateful, etc. PLEASE go to your nursing director/manager and request a new preceptor/mentor immediately! This is YOUR job orientation and it is imperative that you get the most out of it! Do not accept less!
• It may help to keep a journal of the things you are seeing and learning each day during orientation and post orientation. This may help you put the BIGGER picture together.
• Ask lots and lots of questions! Ask multiple nurses the same questions. Everyone has a different perspective. Don't forget to ask doctor's, physician assistant's and nurse practitioner's questions. They serve as a great resource with a wealth of knowledge (most of them will not hesitate to take the time to answer your questions).
• Sometimes you don't always have time during work hours to get the full answers you are looking for. If you have questions or would like more information about a specific disease process, procedure, etc. Write your question down and look it up at home that night.
• Subscribe to a nursing journal. Nursing journals are full of useful and up to date information.
• If your orientation is nearing an end and you truly do not feel prepared, share this with your nursing director and request more orientation time.

These tips not only apply to new graduate nurses, but to anyone starting a new nursing position. Congrats on your new position and good luck!

"Many nurses point to stress, lack of supervision, and poor on-the-job training as their reasons for leaving the field." Follow this link to read the rest of this article- http://www.newamerica.net/blog/new-health-dialogue/2009/quality-job-training-lowers-turnover-rate-nurses-10151