Orientation usually runs about 12 weeks. That’s a lot of new information, a lot of feedback, and a lot of “I’ll remember that.” You won’t. Nobody does.

Here’s what I’ve seen over ten years in the ICU, trauma, the ER and the OR: when orientation goes sideways, it’s rarely because someone didn’t care. It’s because nothing was written down. The new nurse can’t say what they were taught, the preceptor can’t say what feedback they gave, and a hard week turns into “I just felt lost.”

So I made two journals.

Orientation Survived. Mostly.

This one is for first year nurses. It’s a place to write things down while they’re fresh:

• A skills tracker, so you can see what you’ve done and what you haven’t
• Weekly check-ins for what went well and what you need
• Space to note feedback the day you get it
• Two coloring pages for the weeks that need one

It won’t fix a bad unit. It will give you dates and specifics instead of a vague feeling, and that makes it easier to ask for what you need and to see how far you’ve come.

Get Orientation Survived. Mostly. on Amazon →

Precepting: The Second Job I Didn’t Apply For

This one is for the nurses doing the training. Precepting is a second job nobody put in your description, and feedback you gave on Tuesday is gone by Friday unless it’s written down.

• A weekly feedback log
• An orientation tracker
• Room for teaching notes
• Two coloring pages for you, too

Get Precepting: The Second Job I Didn’t Apply For on Amazon →

Pairs well with a brain sheet

If you’re new on the floor, my free Nurse Brain Sheet keeps report in the same order every shift, and the New Grad Brain Dump is a page for getting the whole shift out of your head before report. New grad? Start with my post on what I wish I knew in my first 90 days.

These journals are general organizing tools, not clinical guidance. Follow your facility’s policies and your preceptor’s direction.