New nurses struggle with Epic software during orientation
10 posts across 2 communities in the last 60 days; 90% from r/nursing.
“Hello everyone! I started a job at a psych hospital as a new graduate but my orientation is only 12 days (4 weeks). This seems awfully low for orientation especially for a new graduate. How do I go about this? I'm not sure if I'll be ready to be on my own after only 4 weeks. Any…”
“I just wanted to point out that an obvious problem here is that you were programming pressors on a critically ill patient as a new grad on orientation... unsupervised by your preceptor by the sound of it? So much of the blame here falls on your unit leadership, your unit…”
“Does anyone else get overwhelmed by all the features & extra things to do in charting & other tech? I came from a hospital that used a simpler system. I am now training on a system that has more features, but I find it to be so overwhelming. I am not against technology, but I…”
Several new nurses express frustration and difficulty learning Epic, the electronic medical record system, during their orientation period. Preceptors seem impatient and unwilling to provide adequate support, leaving new hires feeling overwhelmed and potentially leading to early termination of their employment. Some feel the two-week orientation is insufficient for mastering the software.
SOURCES (19)
“A 12 day orientation as a new grad is fucking insane. [re: I made a huge med error and now I’m cooked]”
“Hello everyone! I started a job at a psych hospital as a new graduate but my orientation is only 12 days (4 weeks). This seems awfully low for orientation especially for a new graduate. How do I go about this? I'm not sure if I'll be ready to be on my own after only 4 weeks. Any advice is appreciated submitted by /u/Crazykatbish [link] [comments]”
“I just wanted to point out that an obvious problem here is that you were programming pressors on a critically ill patient as a new grad on orientation... unsupervised by your preceptor by the sound of it? So much of the blame here falls on your unit leadership, your unit culture, and absolutely your preceptor. No matter how great you are, the entire point of an orientation is that you're being supervised.”
“"It wasn't the right fit for me." We've had many nurses transfer to our unit after failing at another, it happens. Fortunately we have an amazing unit and most thrive here after their transfer. Be honest but not detailed and come in with the attitude that you'll succeed at the new unit. You've got this!”
“We just had our first Epic training today and I'm skeered and afeared. The workflow is so different. I don't know how I'm going to handle this. -PGY-22 submitted by /u/MikeGinnyMD [link] [comments]”
“I just want to start off saying that I am off to a bad start during orientation. Things like taking initiative--contacting the doctors about certain orders. I am critically thinking when it comes to meds but i guess its not enough because my managers want me to improve on it. Another thing is passing meds on time (which i do try), my coworkers to tell me to not worry about the timing because safety matters. I feel so conflicted, tired, unhappy. The managers are great, they try to help me be succ”
“Does anyone else get overwhelmed by all the features & extra things to do in charting & other tech? I came from a hospital that used a simpler system. I am now training on a system that has more features, but I find it to be so overwhelming. I am not against technology, but I definitely like simpler. Maybe I will come to like it, I’m not sure. anyone else like me who just wants it to be as simple as it needs to be? like I low key would prefer simple phones instead of smartphones. s”
“it’s just not what i’m used to. i used epic for two years in nursing school, so reverting to something that’s way older is going to be a challenge. i’m sure i’ll catch on, but by the time i learn this system, they’ll be installing the new EHR. so there’s just a lot of learning ahead for me haha”
“i honestly had no idea what to expect. i was trained on epic at all the hospitals i had clinicals at. i’m honestly just baffled, but i better start learning fast because it already looks so confusing 😭💔 it could be worse though. it could be paper. submitted by /u/Exotic-Coconut-8573 [link] [comments]”
“That is the hardest part for a lot of people cause it was the same for me when i was first learning”
“My older post: https://www.reddit.com/r/nursing/s/lWC4MCaWpn I spoke with the manager. I got a different preceptor. She was really kind and patient. But she also recommended that I get more orientation days. I spoke with my director and they’re only willing to extend my orientation by 2 WEEKS (6 shifts) for a total of 4 WEEKS (12 shifts) orientation to ICU. I said that’s not gonna be enough for me and I don’t want to commit and say yes now, only to have this conversation again in 2 weeks. I aske”
“Hi everybody! I got hired for night shifts on a psych unit. My worry is that I only get 3 days of orientation. 3 days seems like very little for a new grad, is that a normal amount of orientation days???? submitted by /u/Maximum_Reaction7968 [link] [comments]”
“Some nurse Preceptor so they dont have to do anything. 6 days of orientation is stupid, even with ICU experience most places have a few weeks between all the classes, videos. Your supervisor also did not set you up for success. Sorry you had such a bad experience. The great thing about nursing is you can pretty much go anywhere.”
“We give six weeks of orientation for nurses with same-unit experience. (The training for extra critical stuff like EVDs is separate and comes much later.) If you were doing a normal 0.9, four weeks would be a little light. Since you're part time you're getting even fewer shifts than that. It's going to be rough. On the other hand, you have already worked on the unit, so you'll already know a lot about the workflow and the policies, and where to physically find everything. That ma”
“She’s friends with everyone tho and everyone loves her so maybe it’s just me 😅 I know it’s frustrating to orient someone, I’m just overwhelmed but trying my best”
“To be fair she taught me a lot. I guess she was frustrated because she had to teach me more than the other orientees because I’m new to epic (and basically everything. Literally new to the US too lol). For example, we had an order to place OGT and foley. I kindly asked her to show me first then I’ll return demo because I’m not familiar with the equipment and their protocol. She loudly sighed, rolled her eyes, and said well it should be the same in the Philippines, how do you not know basic nursi”
“I feel like the standards are way out of line here. It's not your fault you're struggling, you don't have any support with what sounded like a heavy pair. Two weeks of orientation is insane to me. I did an internal transfer between ICUs and had three months of orientation, which is standard with all new hires in our ICUs. Is there any way you can ask for more time to familiarize yourself with the technology at least?”