Can you believe it? August of 2019 marked 5 years for the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program. We have been partnering with healthcare organizations across the nation to provide a solid foundation for new graduate nurses transitioning to practice for over 5 years!
We have focused so much on the new graduate nurses and the need for nurse residency programs I would like to now turn our attention to the role of the support person supporting these new graduate nurses. In a 2013 article, Rush and colleagues conducted an integrated review analyzing forty-seven articles regarding nurse residency programs. They found the most prevalent component shared by transition to practice programs was the availability of a defined resource person to support the new graduate nurse in a one-to-one relationship.
With the lovely winter weather that 2019 has brought us, we’ve had a lot of quality time indoors. This past weekend my kids and I settled into another fun afternoon of being stuck inside due to the drastically low temperatures. While looking for something to watch, we stumble upon the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. I am sure I am not the first person to realize that this movie provides a fantastic metaphor for new graduate nurses transitioning to practice.
I work with a lot of associate degree nurses on a daily basis in the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program. As you may expect, many of them are looking at going back to school for their BSN or even a higher degree. This is necessary not only to reach our goal of getting 80% of our nurses to a BSN but more importantly for the reason that goal was made in the first place…patient safety. The number one question I get from nurses in the program is “What should I consider when picking a BSN completion program?”
As a nurse leader, do you ever wonder if what you are doing is really making a difference? I mean, all the work and stress that you do day in and day out, does it really matter? I have found that in every role I have had as a nurse, I wonder this from time to time. It didn’t matter if I was working as a nurse on a MedSurg unit, as a diabetes educator in the outpatient setting, or a nurse educator working with staff or students, I have often times wondered if what I do really makes a difference. I would venture to guess I am not alone in this!
