Trina Prescott, RN, joined the pediatric oncology unit of a large university teaching hospital.
Her nurse manager, Lily Yuen, scheduled a lunch with Trina 30 days after she started. Lily had a relaxed conversation with Trina about the first 30 days of her employ- ment. Trina expressed how much she enjoyed her new job, but that she still felt uncomfort- able accessing implanted vascular ports without assistance. Lily makes a note to schedule one-on-one teaching for Trina with a nurse from the IV team. Scheduling a lunch with new employees approximately 30 to 60 days into their employment has improved new employee retention and increased open communication between Lily and her staff.
On-the-Job Instruction The most widely used educational method is on-the-job instruction. This often involves assign- ing new employees to experienced nurse peers, preceptors, or the nurse manager. The learner is expected to learn the job by observing the experienced employee and by performing the actual tasks under supervision.