• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Incredible Health

Empowering healthcare professionals to find and do their best work.

  • Nurses
    • Get Hired
    • Career
      • Resume Guide
      • Cover Letter Guide
      • Interview Questions
      • (NEW!) New Grads
      • Job Search Guides & Resources
      • Conferences
      • Licensure
    • Free Nursing CEUs
    • Salaries
      • Salary Estimator
      • Highest-Paying States
      • Highest-Paying Cities
      • Highest-Paying Jobs
    • Discounts
    • Resources
      • Nurses Blog
      • Nurse Advice Q&A
      • Nurse Specialty Quiz
      • Hiring Locations
  • Employers
    • Employers Blog
  • About
    • Reviews
    • Inside Incredible Health
    • Press
    • Careers
    • Contact
  • Browse Jobs
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up

Hospital Orientation for the Experienced Nurse

WRITTEN BY Johanna Galyen
DATE

Aug 01 2019


Hospital orientation isn’t just for new grads. Whether you’ve moved to an entirely new hospital or moved to a new unit/floor, you need to know the lay of the land. Now if they could, most nurses would prefer to skip orientation altogether and just miraculously know where everything is and how the unit flows. But we all know that’s not the case, so here are four things that you can do to help get yourself through your next orientation process. 

Expect the Mundane, but Necessary

HIPAA compliance, fire safety, the color of codes — can all seem obvious until you need them. When you start working at a new hospital, there can be a lot of redundancy in the training. Even in times of short staffing, some hospitals may require you to watch training videos and take tests on fire safety just like new employees do. Instead of tuning out during the lectures, make a game out of trying to figure out how this hospital or unit is different than what you’re used to.

Remember to be Flexible

Nurses are creatures of habit; this is how you save lives. Unfortunately, when working in a new location, your habits and styles of working may need to change to match the new location. This can create some friction between you and the other nurses. It can be difficult, but try to resist the urge to make statements that reflect what you did in other locations. It may insinuate that your old way was better. Just remember: doing things differently, is just that – different! Different doesn’t mean wrong.  

Be the Genuine You

The first few days of meeting people can be awkward, and in your efforts to make a good first impression, it can be easy to overdo it by being too sweet or too polite. The more that you act like the real you, the easier it is for people to get to know who you are. If you aren’t sure about something, just ask. A quick explanation of “this is how I’m used to doing a task, is this right?” will show others that you are willing to be trained in the right way.

Create the Right Kind of Boundaries

The word “no” is one of the hardest words for nurses to use. We all want to appear as good team players and help each other out — and we should do it as much as we can while we are at work. But that is where the boundary has to be drawn. There are times when you are available to work and there are times you are not. Sometimes, as nurses, we need a fresh start (or place) to practice flexibility and create the opportunity for defining and setting the right boundaries for yourself. Communicating clearly to your new colleagues and charge nurses, will set you up for success. Orientating to a new place doesn’t have to be viewed as just a necessity. Remember, that change brings new opportunities! 

​


​

Related articles

  • Cybersecurity and Privacy Tips for Medical Information
    Cybersecurity and Privacy Tips for Medical Information
  • Become a Case Management Nurse in 3 Steps
    Become a Case Management Nurse in 3 Steps
  • Top 17 Nursing Interview Questions, Answers and Tips
    Top 17 Nursing Interview Questions, Answers and Tips
Written by Johanna Galyen

Johanna is a Registered Nurse, blogger, mother of 4 (including two teenagers who are taller than her!), and an avid cruiser of the Caribbean. She’s worked in Telemedicine and the Emergency Room. Her favorite nursing work is with Operation Renewed Hope, an international charitable mission bringing healthcare to rural areas. She’s been to India, Chile, and Albania.

Read more from Johanna

Footer

NURSES

  • Resume Guide
  • Cover Letter
  • Interview Questions
  • Job Search Guides
  • Browse Jobs
  • Salaries
  • New Nurse Graduate Suite
  • Nurse Advice Q&A
  • Nurses Blog
  • Nurse Specialty Quiz
  • Discounts
  • Free Nursing CEUs
  • Wellness Resources

BROWSE JOBS

  • Atlanta
  • Denver
  • Las Vegas
  • Los Angeles
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • San Antonio
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Tampa
  • See all

EMPLOYERS

  • Why Incredible Health
  • How It Works
  • Employers Blog
  • Pricing
  • Free Consultation

COMPANY

  • About
  • Inside Incredible Health
  • Reviews
  • Press
  • Careers
  • Contact & support
[email protected]
​+1 888 410 1479
466 8th Street, San Francisco
California 94103

 

Download on the App Store
Get it on Google Play

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Terms
  • Privacy

Copyright © 2022 · Incredible Health