Nursing is a rapidly changing profession known for its fast pace and adaptability. Nurses are often known as the heart of medicine. However, how can we better prepare our new nurses in their orientation to ensure they are happy and competent? Nursing faces a shortage due to patient demand, burn-out, and the exit of tenured nurses from the bedside.

Our unit leadership determined that approximately 15% of new staff to the unit have CVICU experience, 50% have ICU experience, and the remaining are either recent graduates or those transitioning to critical care. To promote nurse retention, comfort and proficiency, as well as collegiality among nurses, we examined our orientation practices. In response we completely changed the educational material provided to new staff, which included:

• Milestones (based on experience)
• Preceptor Quick Guide
• Provider list with images
• Charting Guidelines and How-To’s
• Surgical- and Surgeon-specific Guidelines
• Commonly used drips
• Report Sheets,
• Monitoring Device Guides
• Unit Protocols

After the aforementioned implementation, the survey was disseminated again and resulted in the following:

• 57% of the respondents stated the new material would be more useful in practice;
• 79% rated the information and organization as excellent, user-friendly and straightforward.
• 100% noted that the milestones and information were valuable.
• The overall survey rating was 4.82/5.

By ensuring that the process for orientation is structured, fueled by feedback, and consistent between trainees, we can ensure that our new nurses feel supported and receive the best orientation process. Providing nurses with adequate tools during and after orientation also ensures that our patients receive the highest quality patient care and promotes nurse satisfaction and retention.