by Matt Batcheldor
Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Nurse Residency Program is accredited with distinction as a Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs.
After an extensive evaluation, the ANCC deemed the program as the highest quality with distinction and worthy of public confidence, said Susan Bosworth, MSN, RN-BC, FNP, Nurse Residency Program director. The accreditation has provided an opportunity to validate and standardize practices across VUMC and further distinguish the Medical Center in the competitive nurse residency market.
“This honor reaffirms the dedicated work and commitment of our entire team to the core values of our organization,” Bosworth said. “VUMC’s Nurse Residency Program is the first in Nashville to achieve transition to practice accreditation and attributes its programmatic success to an organizational commitment to support nurse residents as they deliver safe, effective, quality patient care.”
The accreditation was the result of a lengthy self-study that included information on the history of the program, how it has evolved over the years, successes and challenges, quality outcome data and stories from nurse residents. The self-study was further affirmed through a survey of more than 450 nurse residents and a virtual site visit involving more than 50 nurses.
“Vanderbilt’s Nurse Residency Program continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of nurses new to practice as they join the nursing workforce at VUMC,” said Chris Wilson, MSN, RN-BC, senior director of Nursing Education and Professional Development. “The accreditation process has given us the opportunity to validate our program while exploring ways to improve. I’m so appreciative of the team who operationalizes the program and also of the nursing and organizational leaders who continue to support us to offer a quality program.”
VUMC’s 12-month Nurse Residency Program supports new RNs as they transition from student to professional nurse. The program, which began in 2008, supports the development of 300-500 effective, competent, and committed nurses each year.
In the program, nurse residents receive specific education and skills training to assist them in developing effective decision-making, sound clinical judgement and professional performance.
The program’s professional development workshops incorporate evidence-based practice to strengthen the nurse resident’s commitment to professional nursing as a career choice and target specific transitions in the first year of practice as a nurse.
“This exciting accreditation acknowledges that Vanderbilt’s Nurse Residency Program has set a high standard for excellence in training a new generation of compassionate, evidence-based nurses,” said Marilyn Dubree, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Executive Chief Nursing Officer. “It has never been a better time to be a Vanderbilt Nurse.”
