S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 4 3
W
hen I'm Queen of the World, new-job orientation will be
department-specific. I don't know a thing about ICU or ER,
nor do I need to, yet I just endured an incredibly stressful
week of orientation at my latest hospital assignment learning about
departments in which I'll never work.
Orientations weren't always so disorienting. Back in the day, you
spent 2 to 3 days getting to know your particular department.
Sometimes they'd show you a filmstrip (remember those?) or a video
representing the services of care. You'd get a bunch of hole-punched
handouts about your unit's policies. You were supposed to keep these
papers in a binder, but they usually wound up creased, crumpled and
Disorientation
Onboarding at a new hospital can be as tortuous as waterboarding.
Behind Closed Doors
Paula Watkins, RN
• DISORIENTING Tips on how to survive
a really stressful week of orientation.
