Transition Into Practice: Beyond Hospital Walls

Historically, evidence has shown the importance of nurse residency programs, yet few organizations have implemented them outside of hospital settings. This article shares nurses' experiences and outcomes in an out-of-hospital nurse residency program that transitioned bachelor of science in nursing graduates through an academic-practice partnership.

A mixed methods design was used that consisted of qualitative interviews (pre- and postresidency) and quantitative surveys (Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey, a job satisfaction survey, and a preceptee evaluation survey).

Forty-four nurses participated. Qualitative findings were supported by the quantitative data. Results showed that confidence, competence, job satisfaction, and retention improved with an out-of-hospital residency program.

Ensuring that every new graduate is afforded a nurse residency should be the goal, regardless of setting, to reduce turnover, ensure workforce stability, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Academic-practice partnerships can help build resource capacity, especially in these settings, to achieve this goal. [.