Abstract

Vulnerability of new graduate registered nurses (NGRN) requires organizational support when transitioning to a professional role. Varner and Leeds (2012) show 83% of NGRNs are employed in hospitals, and 50% plan on changing employers within 3 years. With the United States (U.S.) in the middle of a nursing shortage caused by an aging workforce, expanding field of practice, aging clientele, decreasing enrollment of nurses due to qualified faculty shortages and limited clinical sites; there is need to offer an enhanced orientation (Booth, 2011). Recommendations easing transition, through implementation of nurse residency programs designed to introduce new nurses to the role of a professional nurse include critical thinking, skill building, confidence building, time management, and socialization; important factors in NGRN satisfaction (Thomas, Bertram, & Allen, 2012; IOM, 2010). Rural healthcare facilities being remote often lack resources, as well have additional concerns due to cultural differences. Being a global concern, nurse turnover has significant impact on the financial performance of health care systems (Li and Jones, 2013). Cost of turnover, estimated from $36,000 to $48,000 (Nursing Solutions, 2013), significantly impacts profit margins. In rural hospitals a greater impact occurs, due to already diminishing profit margins. In response, a model is developed for a residency program with the purpose to offer residencies in rural communities improving care. Objectives of the model include; (a) improvement of the transitional experience of new nurses to their professional roles, improvement of turnover rates, (b) ability to offer safer high quality care with stabilization of the nurse workforce, and (c) decrease training costs for the organization, offering a 12 month nursing residency programs (NRP). The “Nurse Residency Model for Rural and Community Hospital’s, making a Difference in New Nurse Turnover Rates” (NRM) offers guidelines for didactic content, clinical immersion through a preceptor, and evaluation strategies for validation.

Description

This was a project for partial fulfillment of my DNP. It includes development of a Nurse Residency Model for rural and community hospitals with a pilot performed in a rural community, Missouri Hospital.

Author Details

Jacquelyn J. Graetz, DNP, MSN, MHA, RN

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

DNP Capstone Project

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Other

Research Approach

Pilot/Exploratory Study

Keywords:

Nurse Residency Program, Rural New Graduate Nurse Residency Programs

Advisor

Forsythe, Lydia L.

Second Advisor

Hayhurst, Janet

Third Advisor

Markham, Elizabeth

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Capella University

Degree Year

2016

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Self-submission

Date of Issue

2016-02-04

Full Text of Presentation

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