The Nurse Residency Program is a planned, comprehensive program through which currently licensed registered nurses with less than 12 months of experience can acquire the knowledge, skills and professional behaviors needed to deliver safe, quality care that meets defined American Nurses Association scope and standards of practice. This includes practice-based experience and supplemental activities to promote nursing professional development.
The nurse fellowship program supports each resident to:
- Transition from a novice nurse to an advanced beginner/competent professional nurse who provides safe, quality care.
- Develop effective decision-making skills related to clinical judgment and performance.
- Develop strategies to incorporate research-based and other evidence into practice.
- Develop clinical leadership skills at the point of patient care.
- Formulate an individual career plan that promotes a lifelong commitment to professional nursing.
Competencies developed for and evaluated in the nurse residency program are based on the American Nurses Association’s scope and standards of practice and reflect Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) interprofessional competencies.
Curriculum overview
The Nurse Residency Program lasts for 12 months. During this time, organized seminar days are held once per month for eight hours. During the same week, the nurse will spend four hours doing an extra experience. Nurse residents are also part of an online learning environment. By the end of the program, nurse residents have covered and completed all of the essential competencies while gaining valuable knowledge and clinical experience.
Enrollment in the Nurse Residency Program is automatic upon being offered a position as a registered nurse (six months of experience or less) at Great Plains Health.