By Crystal Caruthers, MSN, RN
Holy Cross Health earned accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program, which sets the standard for residency or fellowship programs that transition registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses into new practice settings. This validates and legitimizes our program as utilizing best practices in preparing nurses in the transition from books to bedside. Under my leadership, the program has demonstrated excellence in preparing residents for thriving careers in nursing.
When Holy Cross Health’s nurse residency program was established in 2008, it became the first nurse residency program in Broward County. In fact, I was part of the program’s first graduating class! I feel I’ve come full circle to now be the program manager and support the program in receiving accreditation. I am very proud to work for an organization that always supports improvement and growth of new-to-practice nurses.
The program curriculum for the original graduating class was created by the training and development team. Over the last 16 years, the program has been transformed and reimagined as more than 550 nurses have since been trained and graduated.
In 2010, Holy Cross partnered with Vizient, Inc., and the program became known as the Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program at Holy Cross Health, which still exists. The year-long residency program helps transition new nurse residents into their first clinical role. The program implements an evidence-based curriculum that focuses on leadership, patient outcomes and professionalism, while also building confidence, improving decision-making skills, enhancing clinical nursing leadership practices and promoting the incorporation of research-based evidence into practice.
Residents train in a simulation lab, get hands-on practice with specialty equipment and therapies, and receive mentorship, career development and shadowing opportunities where they become emersed in various specialty areas to determine if a certain specialty area is of interest.
Holy Cross partners with Broward College for some didactic courses, as well. For example, nurse residents take a three-day course to become competent in reading cardiac rhythm strips. Residents that are hired into critical care units also take a four-week Essentials of Critical Care Orientation course.
With the strain on all healthcare providers during COVID-19, the nurse residency program was heavily relied on to meet the staffing needs for our patients and reduce contract labor needs. During the pandemic, we onboarded three times the number of new-to-practice nurses than ever before. Normally, the program onboards 20 to 30 nurses annually, but in 2021, we onboarded nearly 100 nurses. Hands-on experiences, structured orientation and flexible learning options were all introduced to the program to meet the diverse needs of nurses coming directly out of nursing school. Today, nurse residents have a much better retention rate compared to newly hired experienced nurses and the overall national average. Hiring nurse residents into vacant positions has become a strong strategic strategy for Holy Cross Health.
The Nurse Residency and the Professional Practice teams are lifelong resources for graduates of the program, offering continuing education, certification and navigation of transfers and promotions throughout the Holy Cross and Trinity Health system, of which Holy Cross Health is part of. Nurse Residents are followed by the nurse residency team throughout their second year on a formal and informal basis. Workshops surrounding research and evidence-based practice, career advancement and wellbeing retreats are offered to nurse residency graduates to continue supporting these nurses in their professional growth. Nurse Residents are matched with nursing mentors to help guide them in their professional goals and are also encouraged to contact the residency team anytime during their career for guidance, shadowing opportunities and support.
Crystal Caruthers is Nurse Resident Development Manager at Holy Cross Health.
