Transition-to-Practice Programs

Overseen by the Education Department, the medical center’s transition-to-practice programs provide nurses with structured support as they enter new roles. Literature has shown that practice transition programs reduce turnover, enhance patient safety, and promote ongoing professional development. We offer transition-to-practice programs for three clinical nurse roles: new graduate nurses, newly hired experienced nurses, and nurses transitioning to a new practice environment. These programs are evidence-based and include assessments to develop a tailored curriculum to meet the nurse’s needs, with ongoing support from the education team, leadership, preceptors, and peers. In addition, new nurse leaders are supported in their transition to their role through a program administered by Human Resources.

New Graduate Nurse Residency Program

Our New Graduate Nurse Residency Program, accredited with distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP), supports new graduate nurses in their transition into the professional practice setting. Nurse residents complete an intensive 6-month program incorporating didactic lectures, simulation, and hands-on, specialty-specific training with a skilled preceptor. Targeted assessments are done at key intervals to evaluate the resident’s knowledge, skill, professional development, and well-being. Educators, managers, preceptors, and peers work together to address identified knowledge and skill gaps, and to tailor the program to the resident’s needs. Mentored by nurse educators, residents complete and present an evidence-based practice project at the end of the program. Our average retention rate of new graduates after one year is 90%.

Practice Transition Programs for Experienced Clinical Nurses

Newly Hired Experienced Nurses are supported in their transition into the organization through a unit-level orientation that is tailored based on the nurse’s prior experience in the specialty and self-reported needs. A team of educators, managers, and peer nurses are involved in the process to continually identify knowledge and skills gaps to tailor the orientation to ensure the newly hired nurse’s success.

Nurses Transitioning to New Practice Environment receive tailored support, based on their prior experience and individual needs. Their orientation includes specialty content in web-based and in-person formats, unit-level orientation with a preceptor, and mentoring. Teaching is done by educators, nurse leaders, preceptors, and peers.