Transition Into Practice: Outcomes of a Nurse Residency Program

Background. Nurse residency programs (NRPs) have been proposed to meet the educational needs of new graduate nurses and facilitate the transition into prac-tice. Although most studies indicate the benefits of NRPs to assist nurses during transition into practice, only one study compared an NRP with a control group. This study examined whether nurses in an NRP transitioned into practice more successfully than nurses in a traditional orientation program. Method. This study enrolled 106 newly employed graduate nurses into study arms by unit: a nurse residency intervention group or a control group of standard nursing orientation. Casey-Fink Read-iness for Practice, Nurse Retention, and Nurse Job Sat-isfaction surveys measured group outcomes. Results. Readiness for practice improved significantly for nurse residents, as did nurse retention perceptions, indicat-ing that nurse residents were more likely to be retained at the organization. The 1-and 2-year nurse retention rates during the 3 years of the study showed marked im-provement. Conclusion. The NRP resulted in improved readiness for practice, improved nurse retention, and higher job satisfaction compared with standard orienta-tion. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(1):32-39.]