“New graduate
nurses are start-
ing their careers with more demands as
healthcare changes occur,” said Linda
Hill, director of nurse recruitment at
Jackson Hospital. “At Jackson Hospital,
we want to partner with our new gradu-
ates, offering them support
and education as they transi-
tion into clinical practice. The
program offers resources,
support and encouragement as
they gain confidence in their
skills and provide excellent
care to our patients.”
A place to turn
Participants will be assigned a mentor
and will complete four hours of class
time each month to delve deeper into
topics related to clinical and professional
development. With a goal of developing
better trained nurses, the program also
aims to increase new-graduate retention
by providing them the support of fellow
colleagues and program coordinators.
Ellen Justice, academic coordinator,
said nurse retention is one of the chal-
lenges faced by medical facilities across
the country.
“One of the concerns that all
areas have when hiring new
graduates is that, when they
get into a position within a
facility, six months down
the road reality sets in
and they don’t know if
they want to continue
because it’s hard,” Justice
said. “This is a way to
bring them in and recruit
the best and have them
involved and be a part
of the Jackson Hospital
team.”
Being a part of a team
setting, Justice said, is a
huge part of providing
new graduates the support
they need.
“When graduate nurses
come in, they’re prepared
for their educational set-
ting, but they are coming
into a new role,” Justice
said. “They’re coming in
to a whole different role
without the protection of an
instructor, so we wanted to
provide a transition program
for them to give support.
Our goal is to give them
support, assign a mentor,
Jackson Hospital
implemented its first-ever nurse residency program at the
beginning of July. As the first program of its kind in the River Region, the
nurse residency program is an evidence-based, yearlong commitment to give
new nurses the opportunity to work alongside experienced nurses as they
transition from school to a hospital environment.
attend classes and help them be better
prepared to provide patient care at the
bedside and feel more confident about
themselves. In other professions, such as
pharmacy school or medical school, you
have a transition program. And nursing
has just started, over the past several
years, looking into the importance of a
transition program.”
Those who serve as instructors in
nursing school see this extra step to
transition into clinical practice as a huge
advantage.
“Jackson Hospital’s new nurse resi-
dency program will benefit new graduate
nurses greatly by helping them become
acclimated to the hospital environ-
ment and how they fit into that setting
as a nurse,” said Allison Terry, associate
professor of nursing at Auburn Univer-
sity Montgomery. “Modern healthcare
is in a constant state of change, and a
program like the residency program will
help a new nurse gain the self-confidence
needed to cope with those changes.”
An early success
During the program’s inaugural year,
applicants came not only from Alabama,
but also from across the country, includ-
ing California, Utah, Kansas, Illinois, Vir-
ginia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Florida.
Of the 59 applicants, 12 were selected
to participate after a rigorous application
and interview process.
Catherine Martin, who attended nurs-
ing school at Marymount University in
Arlington, Virginia, will be participating
in the program at Jackson Hospital.
“It’s a true gift to be in a residency
program with people to support and
mentor you for more than just a few
months—but for a whole year,” Martin
said. “They will give us the tools we need
to be successful and want to stay in this
career. A residency program was a must
for me.”
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