The organizational transformative power of nurse residency programs

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Organizational Behavior
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Professional organizations advocate for Nurse Residency Programs (NRPs) for newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs).
• NRPs demonstrate cost-effectiveness and positive impacts on nurse retention, satisfaction, performance, and adjustment to practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key elements within NRPs and work environments that facilitate NLRN transition and integration into professional practice.
• To explore the impact of NRPs on organizational transformation and the practice of other healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with 907 nurses (NLRNs, experienced nurses, managers, educators).
• Data collected from clinical units in 20 Magnet hospitals with "very healthy work environments".

Main Results:

• NRPs positively influence NLRN professional socialization.
• NRPs were found to induce transformative changes in healthcare organizations and professional practice.
• Transformative changes addressed key NLRN challenges: delegation, prioritization, patient care delivery, decision-making, interdisciplinary collaboration, conflict resolution, and feedback utilization.

Conclusions:

• NRPs foster significant professional socialization and organizational transformation.
• Further research demonstrating improved patient outcomes linked to NRP-stimulated changes could establish NRPs as a major nursing leadership initiative.