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Nurse Residency and Transition Programs

Define your practice through humankindness with the St. John’s hospitals nurse residency and transition programs.

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in becoming part of the nursing team at St. John’s hospitals.  The Nurse Residency & Transition programs are designed to assist recently graduated and RNs wishing to transition to acute care, as well as, those desiring specialty training. The programs are developed with keeping the Benner’s Model of nursing in mind which transitions the RN from the novice to expert role as a professional nurse.

The Nurse Residency & Transition programs are a blended learning program using online, classroom, and clinical preceptorship within the assigned unit to ensure success. Out-rotations allows the resident to gain global knowledge of the acute care setting while creating a respectful and collaborative relationship with other departments and ancillary staff. Successful completion of the program includes 100% validation of assigned skills, completion of clinical hours, and active participation in classroom and evaluation processes.  

The programs are a yearlong experience including a mentorship and monthly classes designed to enhance knowledge and skills.  Candidates for the program will be individuals that have graduated within one year prior to the start of the program and have a valid California RN license. RNs with experience in non-acute care settings that wish to transition into the acute care setting are also welcomed.

Steps to Apply to Our Program

  • Review all open RN I New Grad positions Online Application
  • Upload or have ready any required supporting documents
    • Licensure
    • Certifications (AHA – BLS, ACLS or PALS)
    • Resume
    • College transcripts
    • Copy of degree
    • Letters of recommendation

Process

All applications and supporting documents will be reviewed by our nurse recruiter. We onboard new cohorts monthly and notification of individuals selected to move on for additional interviews will occur promptly by the nurse recruiter. 

If you are Hired

You will be required to provide the following documents to Human Resources prior to starting your employment:

  • RN License
  • Original American Heart Association (AHA – BLS, ACLS or PALS)
  • Copy of Degree awarded

Questions

Please send any questions regarding the Nurse Residency & Transitions programs to [email protected] and allow for 2 business days for response. Thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The program is comprised of a combination of didactic classroom and hands on skills training supplemented by a clinical preceptorship on an assigned unit, out-rotations to varying ancillary departments, and a mentorship program.

The program is based on the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Essentials of Critical care Orientation (ECCO) core curriculum for ICU & PCU/Telemetry residency tracts. Other specialty area curriculums are based on AORN for the operating room (OR), the CEN curriculum for the emergency department (ED), the AWHONN POEP for the Mother Infant Unit/Labor & Delivery, and AWHONN NOEP for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Classes are led by facility content experts allowing for facility specific training initiatives to be incorporated into the curriculum. Trainings include certification in NIHSS, fetal heart tones, advanced ECG dysrhythmias course, and AHA certifications. Residents will be trained on electronic documentation during new hire orientation.

Clinical educators and Clinical Nurse Specialists will guide and facilitate the residents’ transition into practice.

The preceptors are staff members of the facility; having at least one year of clinical experience. The residency includes a Preceptor Training program. The training program is blended with both online learning and interactive classroom activities.

The mentor program is an additional layer of support for the residents for the first year of practice. As part of the Residency Program the residents completing the 12-week didactic course will be assigned to incoming residents. The mentor program utilizes the blended format of online training and interactive classroom activities.

Mentors and mentees meet once a month and utilize a workbook for an intentional meeting with goals and objects to provide a framework and safe environment for the resident to receive support necessary to transition effectively to the role of professional RN.