Regional One Health’s unique Nurse Residency Program is helping the health care system bring in a new generation of successful nurses.
The one-year program gives residents hands-on experience as well as mentoring and professional development opportunities.
It’s a win-win, allowing new nurses to build skills and confidence while giving Regional One Health a chance to add to its patient care team.
Recruiting and retaining nurses is a challenge at hospitals across the country. Regional One Health is taking a proactive approach with a unique residency program that helps nurses enhance their clinical skills while bringing new talent into the health care system.
The Nurse Residency Program started in February 2022 with about 40 participants, and this month approximately 100 nurses will take part in the eighth cohort. All said, it has added nearly 300 nurses to various patient care units at Regional One Health.
“It gets bigger and bigger each year, and we’ve seen an increase in nurse retention and nurse satisfaction among those that stay with us,” said Kimberly Smith, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Professional Development. “I think it’s one of the best kept secrets at the hospital!”
The program is a one-year residency for new registered nurses and nursing students. It offers hands-on clinical experience and skill development, as well as mentoring, peer-to-peer education, and individual development plans focused on each participant’s goals.
“It’s the only nurse residency program in Memphis that accepts new nurses who have just graduated from nursing school,” Smith said. “It’s a great opportunity for new nurses to develop their clinical skills and their professionalism.”
The Nurse Residency Program gives nurses a chance to learn and practice hands-on skills, both in a real-life patient care environment and in classroom sessions.
Applicants select the top three units they want to work in, and organizers try to honor their first choice. Units include trauma, burn, labor & delivery, medical-surgical, rehab, outpatient, etc.
The first part of the program deals with professionalism, Smith said. Instructors cover effective communication, certifications, legal issues, and career development.
The second part focuses on hands-on clinical skills specific to each unit. Participants work on their unit while learning from instructors about what they’re seeing in real patient care scenarios.
“We have clinical nurse educators who work with the residents in breakout sessions specific to their unit,” Smith said. “They can slow it down and teach the skills residents see when they’re working. We understand that in some units, like trauma, you can’t stop and explain things in real time – so the nurses can bring that back to the residency program to practice.”
Cyanne Dyson, a trauma intensive care unit nurse who was in the first cohort, said the residency program not only helped her enhance her skills, it gave her confidence.
“Sometimes as a new nurse you feel like you’re the only person struggling with something. This made me realize a lot of people were going through the same thing,” she said. “They let you make it what you want and need. There are open sessions where people get to ask questions and air concerns. It’s a safe space.”
“It builds so much confidence as a new nurse. Regional One Health makes sure you leave the residency program with your head held high, a smile on your face, and not an ounce of dread.”
Smith said it’s a win-win for new nurses and Regional One Health.
The Nurse Residency Program includes a skills fair where residents present projects aimed at quality improvements for patient care units throughout the hospital.
Along with gaining hands-on education and experience, new nurses can study for their Board exam while they’re in the program. Participants can also complete preceptor programs to pursue leadership roles like charge nurse and patient care coordinator.
Meanwhile, Regional One Health connects with a new generation of nurses who are motivated to start their careers with the hospital. “Nurses who go through the residency program are staying,” Smith said. “Our retention rate is over 95 percent for the first three cohorts.”
Those nurses are well-prepared and report excellent job satisfaction, she added: “They have mentors from the program, so if they need anything once they start working, they can get advice. They’re comfortable, they know the other nurses, they speak the same language.”
Dyson said the relationships she built in her cohort remain a valuable part of her career.
“The bonds that this program builds are beautiful. I have relationships with other nurses on my unit and other units, and I know I can go to them whenever I need to,” she said.
Connected, engaged nurses improve patient care and bring in new ideas, Smith said: “This program infuses the culture of nursing with new approaches,” she said. “Our nurses see things with fresh eyes. That has made a big impact on patient satisfaction.”
Smith noted the nursing team is crucial in a number of achievements, including improving the hospital’s score from the Leapfrog hospital watchdog group. Smith looks forward to growing the program to help new nurses continue to have a positive impact.
“This is a grassroots program – we built it based on the needs we have,” she said. “Each cohort has had a positive ripple effect on the next, and that is paying off in terms of nurse retention and patient care. When we say, ‘teamwork makes the dream work,’ it’s really true for this program!”