The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and Kaiser Permanente Southern California are partnering to bring the association’s fast-growing Emergency Nurse Residency Program to 15 of the health system’s emergency departments.
Introduced in April, ENRP offers a dynamic new approach for ED leaders looking to develop the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and communications skills of a new graduate nurse or nurse transitioning into the emergency department before they practice independently.
The program provides didactic learning with dedicated time for nurses with educators and clinical preceptors to create a progressive, immersive experience that ultimately benefits a nurse’s ability to provide patient care.
After piloting the 18-week program at 10 hospitals in 2021, ENA has reached agreements with nearly 30 hospitals to bring ENRP into emergency departments across the country this year – with Kaiser Permanente Southern California representing the largest partnership to date.
“From the beginning, ENA recognized how valuable the Emergency Nurse Residency Program could be to hospitals looking at innovative ways to attract nurses to the emergency department and retain them – especially at a time when staffing concerns are so prevalent,” says ENA President Jennifer Schmitz, MSN, EMT-P, CEN, CPEN, CNML, FNP-C, NE-BC. “ENA is proud to welcome Kaiser Permanente Southern California to the growing list of partners who have invested in the future of emergency nursing by bringing ENRP to their emergency nurses today.”
Dr. Greg Kelman, regional medical director of operations at Kaiser Permanente Southern California – the nation’s largest not-for-profit integrated healthcare system – says the organization welcomes the opportunity to implement new ways of hiring and retaining emergency department nurses.
“The Emergency Nurse Residency Program is another step Kaiser Permanente is taking to ensure we can strengthen our nursing staffing levels at our emergency departments at a time when there’s an acute nursing shortage across the United States,” Kelman says. “We believe we are now in a stronger position to meet our patients’ needs.”
The Nurse Residency Program (NRP) at MedStar Washington Hospital Center has again earned accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). It is the only CCNE-accredited nurse residency program in the nation’s capital, and more than 2,500 new graduate nurses have participated in the nurse residency program since its inception in 2012.
The year-long training program for new nurses includes didactic, simulation, and mentored clinical education to support more than 350 nurses annually as they move from academic study to clinical practice. Coaches, educators, and nurse specialists guide new-to-practice nurses through orientation and during their first year of clinical practice. In addition, the NRP provides nurses training in clinical specialties, such as critical care, cardiac services, and perioperative nursing, and includes an evidence-based practice project.
The Nurse Residency Program at MedStar Washington Hospital Center again earns re-accreditation from CCNE and is the only CCNE-accredited nurse residency program in the nation’s capital
Conceived by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in 1996, CCNE officially began accrediting operations in 1998. CCNE is an autonomous accrediting arm of AACN, contributing to improving the public’s health. The entry-to-practice accreditation is valid for ten years.
“Our nurse residency program helps launch the clinical careers of many nurses in the District of Columbia,” says Tonya Washington, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “The re-accreditation is a testament to our continued high standards, our continued program excellence and our continued commitment to the community and the profession of nursing. It is a notable achievement by all at MedStar Washington who help develop the critically needed nurses of today.”
New nurses can say good-bye to first-job jitters knowing they’ll have a year of dedicated time to train, learn and grow through VA’s nurse residency program.
Instead of typical on-the-job training, participants in the program have 100% protected training time for 12 months. Hundreds of nurses at more than 100 residency programs across the nation go through the program each year.
The only nursing traineeship model of its kind, our Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Nurse Residency Program is designed to help newly licensed registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) prepare to address the unique health care needs of Veterans.
“What benefited me the most from doing the OAA RN residency was the ability to ease myself into practice at a controlled pace while simultaneously learning additional skills,” said residency graduate Nathaniel Cline, BSN, RN, who is now a surgical intensive care unit nurse at Birmingham VA Medical Center.
Ease the Transition
The program is “a bridge from a solid academic foundation to clinical practice, and it allows new nurses to focus on identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and enhance their skills and knowledge,” said Director of Nursing Education Jemma Ayvazian, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCNP.
Graduates leave the program as competent, confident health care professionals with the “knowledge and skills to successfully practice in today’s complex, fast-paced health care environment,” Ayvazian said.
Though it’s not required, most decide to stay at VA when their residency is complete.
Now a medical/hematology/oncology nurse at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, Kelsey Greuel, BSN, RN, not only stayed on at VA, but quickly moved into leadership roles. She now serves as Nurse Executive Council RN co-chair.
“The OAA RN residency program provided me with the tools and experiences I needed to become a well-rounded nurse, find my passion in nursing and introduced me to lifelong friends,” she said.
Supportive Atmosphere
Outside their residency, nurses will find a culture of support and camaraderie throughout VA. The residency program wasn’t in place when Ayvazian began her nursing career, but helpful mentors at VA were there to guide her.
“VA has the most diverse and dedicated team of health professionals, and I am honored and proud to serve shoulder-to-shoulder with them,” she said.
At VA, nurses are a key part of health care teams united by a common mission – serving the nation’s heroes.
“I never considered working anywhere else. Working at VA is more than just a place of employment for me; it has a deeper purpose and meaning,” said Ayvazian, who is married to a service-connected disabled Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran.
Work at VA
Ease your transition into your first job with VA’s nursing residency program.
UW Health’s nurse residency program
takes one year to complete and is comprised of groups of 20-40 nurse residents
who have graduated from an accredited nursing program. Residents are used to
fill vacant spots left by retired nurses as well as to fill new positions.
Program Manager Kim McPhee tells uwhealth.org, “We’ve really tried to be proactive, so that we don’t feel the shortages as much as some other sites have felt…Before we had this nurse residency program, we were experiencing what everyone experienced around the country, where up to 60 percent of new graduate nurses left the profession in the first year. That’s a huge concern.”
The UW Health nurse residency program
is one of 29 programs recognized by the Certified Commission on Collegiate
Nursing Education. The residency program has hired over 2,000 nurses in the
past 13 years, accounting for two-thirds of the current UW Health staff.
According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, job growth for registered nurses will increase 15
percent from 2016 to 2026, from 2.9 million registered nurses in the workforce to
3.4 million nurses. They also project that 203,700 registered nurses will be
needed annually to carry out new positions and replace retiring ones.
The UW Health nurse residency program currently holds
3,152 nurses and added 572 nurses in 2019. The most recent class of resident
nurses graduated in February.
To learn more about UW Health’s announcement to expand
its nurse residency program to meet increased demand in the state and
nationwide, visit here.
Nurse residency programs are gaining popularity around the country, but the HSS Nurse Residency Program has been around since 2008. HSS is a leader in the field with best practices for transitioning new nurses to the bedside while supporting professional development of nursing personnel. Nurses in the accredited transition program will learn the skills and professional behaviors necessary to deliver safe and high-quality care.
Jennifer A. O’Neill, DNP, APN, NEA-BC, senior vice president, Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer at HSS, tells prnewswire.com, ”ANCC accreditation assures our nurse residents that HSS offers an elevated transition program with a clear course of instruction and reliable evaluation methods. With ANCC Accreditation, our transitioning nurses gain the skills and confidence needed to perform effectively within a new practice setting.”
The ANCC’s Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP)™ is a voluntary review process that validates hospital residency programs that prepare registered nurses for new practice settings by teaching rigorous, evidence-based standards for quality and excellence. HSS was the first hospital in New York City to receive the Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence from ANCC, and the first to be re-designated with this honor four consecutive times.
To learn more about how the Hospital for Special Surgery received accreditation for its Nurse Residency Program, visit here.
