Pete’s Perspective: Training for Our Newly Graduated Registered Nurses

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

Our healthcare system recently reached a milestone in nursing care – prestigious recognition for our training of newly graduated registered nurses. The American Nurses Credentialing Center announced in December that Salinas Valley Health achieved accreditation with distinction from the Practice Transition Accreditation Program for its New Graduate Nurse Residency Program.

This is the first such accreditation of hospitals in our local area. It is a testament to the commitment of our team in creating an evidence-based program to help new graduates make the transition from nursing school to nursing on the floor with real patients.

The six-month residency program increases the quality of care for our patients. It supports our outstanding nursing team with new graduates well trained in their area of specialty with hands-on knowledge of how our care units work. While training newly graduated nurses has long been part of our process, we formally established the New Graduate Nurse Residency Program in 2018.

The journey to accreditation for the program was years in the making and involved a rigorous process encompassing nearly forty standards of review, surveys of participants and a site visit. Undertaking and achieving this goal during the pandemic demonstrates the culture of continual improvement at our healthcare system.

We are proud to join the other 236 New Graduate Nurse Residency Programs that are currently accredited throughout the United States and twelve other countries, and we are proud of our nursing team of 750-plus. Their profoundly positive impact on the lives of our patients and the health of our community cannot be understated and our nurses are some of the best.

The quality of nursing care at Salinas Valley Health earned Magnet® designation in 2021, a ranking achieved by fewer than 10% of hospitals nationwide. Throughout our organization, we have an amazing team of physicians, clinical and non-clinical staff that take great pride in delivering exceptional care during the journeys that our patients and their loved ones carry for a lifetime.

Want to learn more? Check our website.

Be safe and be well.

– Pete