RN Residency Program Earns Accreditation From American Nurses Credentialing Center

  • Wednesday, December 13, 2017
The RN Residency group
The RN Residency group

CHI Memorial announces its RN Residency Program achieved accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. It is the only ANCC accredited program in Tennessee. 

ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation validates hospital residency or fellowship programs that transition registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses into new practice settings that meet rigorous, evidence-based standards for quality and excellence. Nurses in accredited transition programs, like CHI Memorial’s RN Residency program, experience curricula that promote the acquisition of knowledge, skills and professional behaviors necessary to deliver safe, high-quality care. 

“We are proud that our RN Residency program is recognized by ANCC as one of the highest-quality transition programs for nurses,” said Rhonda Poulson, senior vice president and chief nursing officer (CNO), CHI Memorial. “ANCC accreditation gives the nurses in our residency program confidence that CHI Memorial offers an elevated transition program with a clear course of instruction and reliable evaluation methods. Standardizing of orientation before pursuing a clinical specialty sets a solid foundation for long-term success.” 

CHI Memorial’s RN Residency program in its current design began in July of 2015.  It is an orientation program for RNs with less than six months experience in the acute care setting. The goal is to provide a streamlined orientation experience for all new graduate RNs that provides them with the support they need to begin a successful nursing career here at CHI Memorial. The program includes participation from the CNO, human resources department, nurse managers, preceptors, education team, administrators, as well as physicians and other providers. The program begins with an intense orientation period of on-boarding education mixed with bedside experiences in multiple nursing units. 

After onboarding, RN residents are matched to a home unit to continue and complete their orientation with a preceptor. The RN residency program continues to support the new nurse through monthly continuing education classes, one-on-one mentoring, as well as guidance with beginning your own professional development portfolio. In total, CHI Memorial’s RN Residency program is designed to walk with a new graduate nurse throughout the first year of their career at CHI Memorial. 

To date, 285 RNs have completed the residency program.  For more information about CHI Memorial’s RN Residency program, call 495-4173, or visit https://www.memorial.org/nursing.

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