Shared Phase 1 and Phase 2
Nurse residents complete one Thompson-wide foundation for systems, safety habits, escalation, documentation, mobility, and core clinical practice. This can be completed from any starting unit.
Thompson Clinical Orientation Review Page
Start Here: Ready To Review
Review the shared Thompson foundation, the Med/Surg, ICU, and OB specialty pathways, and the preceptor-guide structure that helps make orientation coverage consistent while preserving unit-specific practice.
Independent practice requires a completed pathway
For any unit where the nurse will work independently, they complete that unit's Phase 3 and Phase 4 after the shared foundation, or a Phase 5 bridge if they already completed all four phases in another specialty.
Med/Surg Resident Flow
If Med/Surg is the first independent practice area, the resident completes Med/Surg Phase 3 and Phase 4 before working independently, even if a later ICU or OB bridge is already planned.
Separate ICU and OB Resident Flows
If Phase 1 and Phase 2 were completed elsewhere, the nurse starts the receiving department's Phase 3 and Phase 4. If they already completed a full four-phase pathway, the receiving unit uses its Phase 5 bridge.
Guidebooks, Checklists, and MyPath
Guidebooks and checklists remain the current sign-off record for bedside validation. MyPath/LMS packages are visible for planning, but they are not assigned in MyPath yet.
Why The Preceptor Guides Matter
The phase-based program is meant to strengthen the orientation process already happening at the bedside. It adds structure, shared language, and reliable coverage without replacing the judgment and teaching methods preceptors are already using.
Make sure nothing gets missed
The preceptor guides help ensure key content is covered even when a resident's patient assignments do not naturally bring every topic forward during orientation.
Final validation, not first exposure
Items such as IV access or blood administration may be taught and practiced earlier as patient assignments dictate. Placement in a phase marks the point where final competency should be assessed.
Return to topics with more context
Some items appear later so the resident can revisit them after prior learning is in place, then apply assessment, escalation, medication safety, and unit-specific context more fully.
Build consistency without making it rigid
The goal is not to change everything. It is to add support that has been requested, level the playing field for developing preceptors, and reduce gaps across different orientation experiences.
Simple Program Map
Phase 1-2: Thompson Foundation
Completed once, from any starting unit. Covers Thompson systems, safety habits, escalation, documentation, mobility, and core clinical practice.
Phase 3-4: Med/Surg, ICU, and OB Specialty Tracks
Completed for any unit where the nurse will work independently. Uses unit guidebooks and checklists so each pathway stays true to local practice.
Phase 5: Bridge Track
Used for a new or cross-train unit after a completed four-phase specialty pathway. The bridge credits prior validation, adds unit routines and team roles, and repeats shared skills when the new specialty changes the risk.
Specialty Completion Rules and Bridges
The assignment rule is simple: the nurse completes Phase 1 and Phase 2 once, then completes Phase 3 and Phase 4 for each unit where they will work independently. If a nurse has already completed all four phases in one specialty and later moves or cross-trains into a new unit, they complete the Phase 5 bridge for that new unit instead of restarting the shared Thompson foundation.
Complete Thompson onboarding once
Residents complete Phase 1 and Phase 2 one time. This may happen in Med/Surg, ICU, OB, ED, or another starting area. It creates a common baseline for Thompson systems, safety, documentation, mobility, escalation, and core assessment.
Complete Phase 3 and Phase 4 for the independent unit
Any unit where the nurse will practice independently needs its own Phase 3 and Phase 4 validation. If the nurse begins in Med/Surg and will work independently there before moving to another department, they complete the full Med/Surg pathway first.
Assign the ICU bridge when ICU is next
For a resident who completed the Med/Surg pathway and is moving to ICU, Phase 5 validates critical-care thinking, ICU layout and team rhythm, advanced monitoring, devices, specialty medications, airway and respiratory support, and ICU escalation.
Assign the OB bridge when OB is next
For a different resident who completed the Med/Surg pathway and is moving to OB, Phase 5 validates maternal risk recognition, L&D/postpartum/nursery layout and team rhythm, postpartum assessment, OB medication safety, hemorrhage readiness, family-centered handoff, and specialty escalation.
Validate at the bedside
Preceptors use the guidebook and checklist for the assigned destination to document what the resident demonstrated in practice, including unit layout, team roles, resource pathways, and local handoff/escalation rhythm. Completion is not just module progress; it is observed performance in that unit.
One resident, one destination bridge
Phase 5 is used for the nurse's next independent or cross-train unit. It credits what has already been validated, helps the nurse learn the new unit's routines and team roles, then revisits shared skills in the assigned specialty context when the patient population, equipment, medication pathway, monitoring, documentation, or escalation changes.
Add future pathways after review
ED remains a future planning track. Additional pathways can be added after the current tracks are reviewed.
Browse by Specialty
Use this section to pull up the working specialty documents. Med/Surg, ICU, and OB are specialty tracks in their own right. ED is parked here for later planning.
MyPath Module Preview
Use this section to demonstrate the learning modules without making the LMS workflow feel settled before it is. The web links open the learner-facing module preview. The SCORM ZIPs are the files that could be tested in MyPath.
Open the web module first
The web preview shows the nurse-facing content, knowledge checks, and phase flow without needing to import anything into MyPath.
Use SCORM ZIPs for MyPath
The SCORM packages are the importable LMS files. They can support completion status once the MyPath workflow and reporting expectations are decided.
Completion is not signoff
Module completion supports preparation. Final competency remains the preceptor's observed validation using the guidebook and checklist.
Open phase module links and SCORM downloadsPhase 1-2 happen once; Phase 3-4 match the independent unit; Phase 5 bridges to a new or cross-train unit after a full prior pathway.
Planning View: Phase 3-4 Track ComparisonOpen this when you need to compare specialty tracks side by side.
Use this view when leaders or educators need to compare what changes after the shared Phase 1-2 foundation. Med/Surg, ICU, and OB are specialty tracks; ED remains a future track.
| Track | Phase 3 Transition | Phase 4 Integration | Specialty Emphasis | Open Modules |
|---|
Phase 5 Bridge PackagesUse when Med/Surg validation carries forward into one assigned specialty destination.
Phase 5 is not a sequence through ICU and OB. It is a destination-specific bridge for a nurse who has already completed a full four-phase pathway in another specialty. Assign the Med/Surg-to-ICU bridge when ICU is the next independent or cross-train unit, or assign the Med/Surg-to-OB bridge when OB is the next independent or cross-train unit. The preceptor credits completed Med/Surg competency, adds unit routines and team roles, deliberately repeats shared skills when the new specialty changes the clinical context, and validates the remaining specialty checklist items.
Med/Surg to ICU Bridge
ICU layout and team rhythm, advanced monitoring, critical-care medication expectations, ventilator and airway support, invasive lines, ICU mobility/device burden, rapid deterioration patterns, and ICU preceptor signoff points.
Med/Surg to OB Bridge
L&D/postpartum/nursery layout and team rhythm, maternal warning signs, fetal/maternal context, postpartum risk, OB medication and hemorrhage workflows, family-centered handoff, newborn-adjacent safety awareness, and OB escalation patterns.
Carry forward, then re-check in context
The bridge assumes Thompson systems, BMAT/falls workflow, general assessment, documentation, and basic escalation have been learned, then adds unit layout/team-role work and repeats skills when the assigned destination makes them clinically different.
Core Orientation Documents
Use this section for the guidebooks, checklists, and selected process documents that support the current orientation review.
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