WHS launches nursing residency program
A new residency program at Washington Health System aims to make the transition from school to work much easier for new nurses.
“Jumping into any new, fast-paced career is difficult, and we are committed to making that transition easier,” said Tiffany Redd, nurse residency program coordinator at WHS. “The benefits of having a program like this are not only for graduate nurses, but will be felt by other staff and by our patients.”
The RN residency is an extensive 12-month program for graduate nurses who earned a license from an accredited school and have less than one year of experience who are hired by WHS Washington Hospital and WHS Greene.
It is designed to ease the transition of newly graduated nurses from the classroom setting to the clinical practice environment to promote quality and safety and to reduce turnover rates for first-year nurses.
The program, which launches in April, is based on the Vizient and American Association of Colleges of Nursing (Vizient/AACN) Nurse Residency Program.
“Transitioning into the nursing profession is a challenge for new graduate nurses. They are asked to jump into difficult roles and expand their development quickly, leading to high turnover. We know that it takes a full year to grow their confidence, competence and engagement in the profession and the organization,” said Evy Olson, Associate Vice President of Nursing Programs at Vizient.