Chicago-based CommonSpirit has created a systemwide nurse residency program that spans 84 facilities and is expected to grow to 130 by the end of 2026.
The yearlong residency program launched in 2023 and provides new nurses with mentorship, career coaching, support and hands-on standardized curriculum. The residency program offers 10 clinical tracks: medical-surgical-telemetry, critical care, progressive care, emergency department, perioperative, neonatal intensive care, labor and delivery, mother and baby, pediatrics and pediatric intensive care, and behavioral health.
So far, about 3,500 nurse residents have started the program, and 1,200 have completed it. They are guided by more than 4,000 preceptors and 700 mentors who were trained as part of the program.
The results
Two years in and the nurse residency program has produced big results for nurse residents, the system and experienced nurses.
For nurse residents, the program improves their confidence and skills, making transition to practice easier. The curriculum also includes well-being and resilience strategies that help nurses manage stress on the job.
For the system, the program has resulted in an aggregate retention rate of 91% for new nurses, and a program completion rate of 86%. The 10 clinical tracks also allow every service line to have a new graduate nurse pathway to help meet staffing needs, Jennifer Hubek, DNP, RN, system director of the national nurse residency program at CommonSpirit, told Becker’s.
“Retention improves staffing at the bedside and patient throughput because we have the staff to care for them,” Dr. Hubek said.
For experienced nurses, the residency program has a trickle-up effect. It provides experienced nurses with an opportunity to become preceptors and mentors, passing on their knowledge to the upcoming generation. The program curriculum is also used to help train experienced nurses who want to move to a different service line.
“Several of our facilities have used the same classes we provide to new graduate nurses for experienced nurses moving into new specialties,” she said. “The clinical content is largely the same whether you’re a new grad or an experienced nurse. The new graduate may need more support around time management and prioritization, but the foundational knowledge is the same.”
Dr. Hubek and her team are currently working on creating a standardized fellowship program specifically for nurses wanting to transfer to new units.
Standardizing across state lines
Building a standardized program across state lines can be difficult, as the program must meet different state and local laws. But CommonSpirit makes it work with its shared responsibility concept and team that centrally leads the program at the system level.
The team, made up of Dr. Hubek and market directors, developed the curriculum with the help of subject matter experts across the system. The curriculum allows space for local or state-specific content such as regulatory requirements, equipment differences, and workflow variation, she said.
The program is implemented locally by committees including nurse leaders, talent acquisition, HR and site coordinators, all of whom report to the market director. These committees manage the program at the facility or multi-facility level.
“We have components that must be part of the program and aren’t influenced by local variation,” Dr. Hubek said. “That’s the starting point. From there, it’s a lot of work — and a lot of conversation — with the facilities where you’ll implement. You do need to have a national team that sets the vision and standards for the program, and that defines the non-negotiables. If your organization has a big-picture strategy and truly sees the value in standardization, you’ll be in a much better position to succeed.”
