Innovative Orientation Sets Nurses Up for Success

The challenge of a new job is absorbing and beginning to understand the organization’s culture processes and practices. Not every career, however, can have such a direct impact on the lives and well-being of others as nursing. 

The Center for Professional Practice and Innovation at Newport Hospital strives to ensure that all its newly hired nurses  get a comprehensive and supportive orientation to help foster their success and meet the hospital’s commitment to zero harm in patient care.

CPPI has existed in different forms through the years at Newport, and in its previous incarnation was known as the education office. The center was redesigned in early 2017 to better reflect the strategic goals of the hospital, handling orientation for new nurses and professional development for existing staff. 

The orientation is designed to meet the needs of both recent grads and experienced nurses who are new to the hospital. New hires pair up with a preceptor, and can typically spend 8 to 12 weeks working under supervision. A three-day orientation session begins the experience, covering regulatory requirements, Lifespan and Newport Hospital policies and practices, environments of care, and more.

“Our goal is for our new nurses to be successful, and depending upon where they come from, their needs can vary, so the program is custom-fit to every nurse,” says Clinical Innovation Specialist Elizabeth Bryand, R.N.. 

The assigned preceptor and new nurse are scheduled together to facilitate a thorough, careful transition to independence. The preceptor can easily identify strengths over time and allow more autonomy in those areas, while working on areas that need shoring up.

During the orientation period, the new nurse attends meetings every two weeks with the preceptor, the unit manager, and Bryand, who acts as a facilitator.

Bryand says, “We try to make sure that they are getting what they need. That involves figuring out what they know, what they feel they need more of, and how we can help them get there.”