The (Nurse) Resident: An FAQ for Folks Who Think Residencies are Just for Doctors

I will be starting my Nurse Residency in a few weeks, but I find myself shying away from that title during conversations, because it's usually gone a little something like this:

Other Human: When does your job start?

Me: I'll be starting my Residency in September!

OH: Wait, aren't residencies for doctors?

Me: *launches into explanation of the similarities and differences between nurse and physician residencies*
OH: *more confused questions*
Me: Training. I'll be in training.

OH: Oh. Ok.

M: Haha...so yeah..... I'm uh, really excited!... :-) 

It's often easier to just call it something else ("training program", "orientation period", etc.) to make it less confusing for the layperson. I'm not bitter that the word is commonly associated with MDs, and I'm not on a tirade to "reclaim" the word for nurses too. Nurse residencies have been around for less time, nurse residencies do not exist in every hospital, and nurse residencies are shorter in duration. I totally understand how and why people are so confused when I mention my RN Residency Program.

But if you're curious about learning more, here's my best attempt at answers from some of the frequently asked questions I receive. (Note: I haven't actually started my residency, so this is the way I understand it going into it.)

1. What is a nurse residency?

• An RN residency is a training period specifically for nurses who just graduated from nursing school (frequently referred to as "new grads"). 
• RN residencies are becoming more popular, but not all hospitals have one. In my (limited) experience, I've seen them more frequently in teaching hospitals. 
• For hospitals with an RN residency, a new graduate nurse would not just apply to any open RN job listing. They become hired through the nurse residency program. 
• RN Residency programs typically require that you graduated nursing school within the last 1-2 years and that you have less than 1 year of professional nursing experience. 

2. What types of things do you do in the nurse residency?

• About 75ish% of my RN residency will be spent in a clinical setting (AKA "on the floor" or "at the bedside") with a preceptor. A preceptor is a nurse who has worked on the unit and who provides guidance to the RN resident. 
• The remaining 25ish% of my RN residency will be spent in the classroom/lab setting. A majority of this didactic education will be in the first month of my RN residency. After that, I'll have classes and skills-lab sessions every now and again until the residency is over. Here, I'll be learning about the hospital's policy/procedures, their EHR system, etc., and I'll be learning/practicing/bettering my pediatric hands-on skills.
• My RN residency program also provides the opportunity to "loop" to different units and with different specialized teams so that I have a better understanding of related areas and practices in the hospital. 

3. How long is the nurse residency?

• They widely vary by hospital.
• I will "graduate" from my nurse residency after 22 weeks. After this time, I'll be able to independently practice on the unit without supervision. (Much shorter and different than the 3-5ish years physicians spend in residency). Although, the way HR described the residency was a "one year program with a 22 week immersion" and to be honest, I have no idea what that means. Stay tuned.

3. Are you working on the floor as a nurse during your nurse residency?

• Yes. See above. 
• After the first few weeks of classes/lab training, I'll be slowly introduced to the clinical setting. I'll be supervised by my preceptor, and as the weeks go on, the balance of teaching/demonstrating will shift more and more towards allowing me to not just perform total patient care, but to make my own clinical decisions.

4. Is your residency for the entire hospital or for one specialty?

• The beginning of my residency will be alongside new grad RNs hired on all of the different units as we learn the basics of pediatric nursing care as well as standards and policies specific to the hospital. 
• However, I am hired as an RN resident for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), so I'll have some training specific to this area, and I'll spend my clinical shifts on the unit I'm hired on.
• Once I "graduate" from my residency, I'll be a full-time employee in the PICU.

5. So then are you "stuck" with that specialty forever?

• Nope! That's the beauty of nursing. It's a field of lifelong learning, and you can move around specialties if your heart desires. 
• It's (depending on where you work) suggested or required that you stay for a minimum of 1-2 years in the hospital on the unit you were trained in. However, I personally see myself staying in my PICU for a longggg time. 

So, there you have it. It may not be the residency you're used to seeing while binging Netflix, and it may not have its own Snapchat filter dedicated to its "match day", but it is a reality for many new nurses across the country, so thank you for getting curious and learning more about it!