Nurse Residency Program

Providing education and guidance throughout the entire first year helps new nurses prepare for practice in the complex, ever-changing clinical environment of acute care. The Union Hospital Graduate Nurse Residency is designed to support newly graduated nurses throughout the first year of their career. Course content includes professional issues, clinical issues, simulation activities, and opportunities to share and compare experiences with other new nurses in the organization. Presenters include members of the Executive Team, as well as graduate students and guest speakers.

Key features of the nurse residency program for new nurses include:

  • Twelve full months of education and support to smooth your transition into practice
  • A professional partnership with an experienced voluntary and enthusiastic nurse preceptor who works one-on-one with you for at least three months or until you feel ready to practice independently
  • A multi-tracked learning program to expand your knowledge consisting of:
    • Evidence-based clinical orientation featuring presenters from every level of the organization
    • Didactic coursework to taught by nurse leaders and other experts covering all aspects of professional nursing, including evidence-based practice, shared governance, delegation, and the forces of Magnetism
    • Monthly support group that allows you to share experience with other new nurses working throughout the hospital
  • Access to a fully-equipped Simulation Lab under the guidance of trained super-users
  • Opportunities to participate in our nursing councils and our pain resource nurse program
  • Motivation and reward for advancement through our Clinical Excellence Ladder

The Nurse Residency Program enables you to gradually progress to managing a full assignment while developing your skills and expanding your knowledge base as a professional registered nurse.

  • Educational and psychosocial support for Graduate Nurses (recruitment and retention)
  • Continuing education/teaching opportunities for both experienced and new nurses
  • Support preceptors by supplementing bedside learning with relevant didactic content

Measurement outcomes

  • Nurse Retention
  • Occupational/organizational commitment among new grads
  • Promote competence and confidence
  • Physician satisfaction with nursing knowledge
  • Patient Satisfaction with nursing responsiveness

The target audience
Nurses across all departments who graduated within the previous 18 months

Time commitment

  • 4 hours per month for nurse resident

The model

  • Didactic content
  • Professional nursing issues, including service excellence, evidence-based practice, the Magnet journey, shared governance, nursing research, etc.
  • Psychosocial support sessions
  • Pathophysiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Tales from the Bedside (case studies)

The faculty

  • AHI clinical educators
  • Nursing directors and CNO
  • Executive leadership
  • Diabetes educator
  • Infection control
  • Clinical III and Clinical IV nurses
  • Clinical II nurses for case study presentations
  • Pharmacists
  • Physicians
  • Outside speakers (graduate students, faculty)
  • Other experts as appropriate

Forces of Magnetism

  • Quality of nurse leadership
  • 5. Professional models of care
  • 7. Quality improvement
  • 11. Nurses as teachers
  • 14. Professional development