Program prepares new nurse graduates for clinical practice, improves nurse retention
By: Betty Olt & Brian Donnelly
Northwell Health’s Nurse Residency Program has earned accreditation with distinction from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)’s Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP), which demonstrates that the health system meets the rigorous standards that comprise excellence in transitioning newly registered nurses from academic settings to professional clinical practice.
Northwell was recognized for its evidenced-based achievements in its nurse residency program at 16 of its New York-based hospitals. The program is geared for recently graduated nurses to gain the knowledge and skillset to be more confident and competent working in a variety of clinical settings.
To date, there are 14 organizations with PTAP-accredited programs in New York State and 201 accredited programs in the country. Accreditation by the ANCC is valid for four years.
“Accreditation for our nurse residency program is a prestigious honor and it validates the work we are doing to ensure high nurse standards and that onboarding is the same for all new nurse graduates at Northwell,” said Maureen White, RN, the health system’s executive vice president and chief nurse executive. “We understand bringing new graduates into a clinical setting can be overwhelming – whether it’s a hospital setting or at an outpatient facility because it’s difficult in school to simulate real-life health care scenarios. Nurses have committed themselves to the profession and our goal is for them to be successful and help them through the transition.”
Northwell’s Institute for Nursing established its Nurse Residency Program in April 2019. Newly hired registered nurses (RN) with less than six months of experience are enrolled in the program, which starts on their first day of orientation.
Paul Kurtz, 47, a 16-year veteran of the US Navy Reserves, transitioned into nursing in 2019 and embraced the Nurse Residency Program as he began his career at LIJ Medical Center.
“I learned from my time in the military that whatever training you are offered you should take,” he said. “It was really helpful, and it relieved a lot of the stress that came with learning a new position.”
The year-long program connects RNs with nurse educators, leaders and skilled preceptors for mentorship and incorporates clinical skills assessment, as well as honing interpersonal and organizational skills to coordinate care with a team of health care providers on the job.
“There was so much support in and outside of the hospital,” said Shirley Lin, BSN, RN, who completed the residency program while beginning her career at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. “Our nurse educators would come around, make rounds with us to see how we were doing, how we were transitioning.”
Both Ms. Lin and Mr. Kurtz completed the residency program amid the pandemic, which forced hospitals to suspend elective procedures and convert units to meet the surge in New York. While his telemetry unit remained a non-COVID unit during that time, Mr. Kurtz was often floated to surge units when the need arose.
“Early on it would happen once maybe every three or four shifts, where we would get floated to a floor that had been converted to treat COVID patients,” he said.
Fortunately, his experience in the Nurse Residency Program helped him adapt in real-time to the demands of the job, even during a crisis.
“The prestigious level of accreditation our program earned demonstrates to nurses everywhere that if you come to Northwell Health to start your career, you will be met with evidence-based approaches designed specifically to support you in your transition to clinical practice,” said Launette Woolforde, EdD, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer at Lenox Hill Hospital and system nurse residency program director at Northwell Health. “We’ve developed a robust program rooted in a strong curriculum that provides development in the areas identified as most challenging for new nurses. As a large health system, nurse residents get to meet with nurse residents at other hospitals, creating a built-in professional network where new nurses can share experiences and boost reassurance and confidence in a supportive environment.”
