Anyone run a nurse residency program?

I'm currently running a nurse residency program in my facility. I'm part of the education department and my team has about 14 nurse educators total, with 2 open requisitions. We report to the director of nursing education and research. I started out as the onboarding educator, and when the residency coordinator left, I applied for the position. I had a bachelor's degree when I started both onboarding and residency coordinator positions, but am on track to graduate for my MBA in Healthcare in April 2020. My facility uses the Vizient curriculum and content, and from networking with other coordinators from across the country, probably 20-30% roughly have bachelor's degrees.

This is the best position I've worked, in: it combines my love for education and my penchant for talking about soft skills. I teach in the internship sometimes (technical and clinical skills), but mostly I enjoy the residency and talking about leadership, conflict resolution, communication etc. I feel like the new residents are sorely lacking in these areas.

I used to work as adjunct faculty at George Mason University in Virginia (I'm currently residing in Texas). The pay wasn't as good (but that's probably because I didn't have a Master's Degree). I didn't enjoy the students as much because half of them weren't as mature as you'd expect for a profession like nursing where people's lives are at stake. I enjoy my residents much better because after having now graduated from nursing school, reality begins to set in and they are much more receptive to teaching. I also get paid my RN rate for 40 hours a week of work, which beats university pay.

I hope this has been helpful. Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Thank you so much for responding! Yes, I am interested in this field and will e-mail the education department for more insight in how to become a residency coordinator.

Thank you so much for responding! Yes, I am interested in this field and will e-mail the education department for more insight in how to become a residency coordinator. You mentioned you are in Texas. Houston area by any chance? Do you think a MSN in education is required eventually? I see you are getting you MBA...

@travelnurse79 I'm in the Dallas/Fort Worth area ? I think having an MSN is always a good idea; certainly if you were to apply, I have a feeling recruiters will look to the Master's first, so your chances are just better. I got lucky because the position for onboarding educator that I started in required a bachelor's, so my title was also professional development generalist. When I receive my master's next year, my title will change to professional development specialist. We are highly encouraged to be active with the ANPD (Association for Nursing Professional Development) and be certified. Also, I applied for the MBA in Healthcare because the residency isn't my only role, and I've always been interested in the financial side of healthcare. My director has been very supportive and encouraging.

I am a Residency Coordinator in Idaho. My colleague and I run the program for our health system. Our program has oversight from our clinical education department. I was a clinical educator (teaching classes, leading orientation, rolling out education) while I was earning my MSN. I took my role as Residency Coordinator after graduating. Working with residents is very rewarding. They are at such an exciting time in their careers and are very open to mentoring. The pay is great, stress is low, and work-life balance can't be beat!

Hi Ladies,

I loved reading your comments about being a Nurse Residency Coordinator.  I have an interview for this position tomorrow.  I am excited and nervous at the same time.  I feel like I could make a huge impact on the new nurses coming to work at our facility.  I've been trying to poke around on hospital websites to see how some of them run their programs.  Any tips?