New nurse grad. programs

Residency programs were developed to assit with the transition from student to nurse, while learning the unique policies/procedures of a hospital, with plenty of built in support from preceptors and mentors. They last for different time periods, but depending upon the are you will work, may be up to 6-8 months. (And Dorothy DelBueno did research that reports new grads don't begin to feel confident in their new positions until around 8 months.) It allows you time to become comfortable taking a full patient load and prepares you for being off orientation. They are a great idea and based somewhat upon the model that med student graduates (aka interns) follow upon graduation, as they are not really alone until they finish their residency and or fellowship. If I were a new grad, I would be particularly attracted to a facility who will spend the time and money to orient me properly, so I can be valuable employee. However, you should plan to stay and give them back something for their investment in you. For example, it wouldn't look good for you to finish a residency and then transfer to another hospital. In fact, some places will ask you to repay them for their monetary investment in you if you leave within a specified time frame.

It also seems to vary between facilites. At some places, a new grad residency might provide a few weeks in various departments. More commonly, the new nurse is placed into a particular specialty. You are usually paired with a preceptor, who is your mentor for the entire duration of the program. Penguin67 mentioned that programs may be up to 6 or 8 months. I have seen lots of nurse residencies that are a year long, and maybe one or two that were even longer than that. So once you are past orientation and working independently, you still have someone there to support you when you run into issues. Programs can include scheduled meetings with your preceptor and with the other new nurses in the program. Formal education such as lectures and seminars are also a big part of nurse residencies.

This information is not based on personal experience, but on my research into new grad programs in various states where I might move after graduation. Hope this helps! :)

I saw a residency posting for a local hospital and it sounded great. The downside was they only accept 10 nurses and they MUST be BSN's. I plan to get my BSN probably right after I get my ADN, but I would probably miss this great opportunity.

A great preceptor is exponentially better than any residency training. I joined mine in Las Vegas and I wasn't happy with it. They were just re-discussing the same old stuff I learned in school. It's all theory and simulation lab.

So if I were a new grad all over again, I will make friends with the senior nurses and always keep in touch with them. Ask them questions. Ask for more info, more feedback. That is how you grow as a real-life RN.

As a new-grad myself, I've been looking into hospitals that have RN residency training programs. From what I found, they usually last from 18-22 weeks depending on the unit and involves both in-class and on-floor training. They're also very limited and a hospital only has them 1-2x a year... if at all. With the crappy economy, a lot of hospitals have been canceling their programs or not having them as often. As re-payment for the training, you'd probably be required to sign a contract to stay with the hospital for 1-2 years.

One program I looked into told me specifically that I would be getting about 2 8 hour class time and 2 12 hour floor time a week, with increasing floor time as the program continues. The lecture/ training classes would either be with all new-grads or only new-grads training for a specific unit. You'll be evaluated based on participation and skill practice (another program I looked into said that they have weekly tests that you can't fail unless you want to get kicked out). They would also float you to other floors to familiarize you with various areas in the hospital. Additionally, you get both a preceptor and a mentor - one helping you with your training on the unit and another to help guide you with your professional training/ advancement (a mentor would not necessarily be someone from the unit and is someone with more experience than just being on the floor- something akin to an advisor).

From my clinical rotations as a student, I found that hospitals with new-grad residency programs are a lot more receptive and helpful in general. Nurses are generally more approachable and willing to take the time to teach and help when you find yourself lost and confused. This, of course, is just my opinion based on personal experience.

Thank you all for the replies. While I appreciate all that these programs seem to have to offer, I don't know that I could commit to an extended contract, like that. A year might be ok, especially if it was one of my local hospitals; we have about 5 within 45 min. And while, I consider myself to be dependable and committed, you never know what could happen in two years time. A year on the other hand wouldn't be as bad because most new nurses are trying to stay with a job for a least a year anyway.

Does anyone know what is the best way to look into whether my local hospitals offer these and what the circumstances are? Thanks!

Oh and another thing, if a hospital does offer residency, is that generally the only way a new grad can be hired there? In other words, are they not likely to hire a new grad without going through their program first?

Thank you all for the replies. While I appreciate all that these programs seem to have to offer, I don't know that I could commit to an extended contract, like that. A year might be ok, especially if it was one of my local hospitals; we have about 5 within 45 min. And while, I consider myself to be dependable and committed, you never know what could happen in two years time. A year on the other hand wouldn't be as bad because most new nurses are trying to stay with a job for a least a year anyway.

Does anyone know what is the best way to look into whether my local hospitals offer these and what the circumstances are? Thanks!

Oh and another thing, if a hospital does offer residency, is that generally the only way a new grad can be hired there? In other words, are they not likely to hire a new grad without going through their program first?

In most of the programs I've seen, they post new grad positions just before their residency program starts. Any new grads who are hired, are automatically enrolled in the residency program (although I'm sure that it's spoken about in the interview).

It's just a way of handling the new grads- I haven't seen a place that offers a "residency" program that will hire new grads without automatically putting them in that program. There are places that have really great and comprehensive orientations that aren't called residency programs (or internships) and it seems like a big benefit to the residency programs is that you are often brought in with a cohort of other new grads.

When you call your local hospitals, you want to ask what the process is for training new grads, how long orientation is, what jobs you apply for to be considered (many have a specific posting that you apply to as a new grad rather than any hospital openings), and ask if there is a work commitment following training and how long it is.