“Because I have always worked for real leaders who put their own families first, I can be a good leader, a good employee and a good mom. If I weren’t allowed to be a good mom, I would be a bad leader and a bad employee. I see what they give me, and I try to give it back.” – Melissa Hunt, director of nursing

Nursing > Mentoring and Orientation for Nurses

Supporting Your Work from the Start

The Nurse Orientation Program

Learning from the experience of others is a great way to get acclimated to a new job. Our Preceptor Orientation Program fosters healthy mentor relationships for nurses new to VCUHS.

Within days of becoming a VCUHS nurse, whether as a recent graduate or an experienced nurse new to us, you are paired with a current VCUHS nurse to begin your structured mentorship. In the program, you receive orientation and instruction including classroom time, departmental instruction from Advanced Practice Nurses and learning at the bedside. Your experience is customized to help you learn the skills required to practice on your home unit.

The program is an important priority of our nursing administration and units. It represents a significant commitment of time and energy as well as our dedication to the practice of nursing.

We pioneered many of our work/life balance programs decades ago – long before balance was a trend.

A healthy workforce is a happy workforce … we’ve tapped into our own great health care resources to take care of our own.