Residency or no residency?

[BreH]

I graduate from Nursing school in May. The hospitals in my area do not offer residency programs. I am trying to decide if doing a residency program is worth the extra commute, traffic, and commitment. I am also concerned that my schedule may not have as much flexibility with a residency program versus just completing a new hire orientation at a hospital near me. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you!

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

We don't really have residency programs near me either, but we can do externships during our final semester of school. I found that to be extremely beneficial and grew a lot during my last semester of school because of it. It doesn't sound like those are common everywhere though either.

[MotoMonkey, BSN, RN]

The research looking at residency programs shows that nurses who participate in a residency program often feel more supported, more confident in their practice, and have higher levels of job satisfaction during their first year (The year most impacted by the residency program).

I would say that if there are residency programs in your area you should seek them out and at least consider how they could benefit you.

At the end of the day I think they are beneficial, but if they are not available to you, I wouldn't sweat it too much.

Personally, I was hired as a new grad into an ED that did not have a residency program, I would have loved the additional support and training of a residency, but in the end I got off orientation on time and feel like i'm where I should be.

[TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN]

A new hire orientation for you is going to be the same exact orientation as someone who's been doing this for 50 years.

The residency is tailored specifically for new graduates.

You CAN go with a job that doesn't have a residency and turn out to be just as good of a nurse as anyone else, but you're losing the benefits of that residency while you're starting out.