Nursing Residency Program

During National Nurses Week (May 6-12, 2023), Myrtue Medical Center honors the commitment and compassion our nurses provide to their patients and the value they provide to our healthcare team. The theme this year is “Nurses Make a Difference: Anytime, Anywhere – Always”. Each area of nursing expertise contributes to advancing the impact on patient lives and making a difference. Myrtue is dedicated to supporting nurses education and promoting the most up-to-date evidence based practices. With this investment in our nursing staff, Myrtue is annually offering a one-year Nurse Residency Program. The 12-month program runs continuously as new nurses join Myrtue and begin the program at various points throughout the year.

The Nursing Residency program is designed to help RNs graduating from an accredited nursing program transition to professional practice in the acute care setting. New graduate RNs or any nurse re-entering the nursing profession are eligible for the one-year Nurse Residency Program. No matter where a nurse is in their nursing career, they want to continue to learn, grow and share their knowledge. This program promotes this collaboration and best practices.

“I am so grateful to be in the Nursing Residency Program at Myrtue,” said Courtnee Albers RN, a nurse who started at Myrtue 8 months ago. “It provides me with additional education and peer support. It takes a team to provide high quality patient care. This program has allowed us to explore what each team member does and how we collaborate for the best patient care.”

Myrtue’s Nurse Residency Program focuses on communication, professionalism, critical thinking, management of responsibilities and clinical knowledge. The program includes sessions with varying activities, including simulation, case studies and scheduled time in classroom training. The curriculum provides advanced clinical training in a specialty area, measurement and evaluation of skills through hands-on simulations, mentoring from experienced nurse leaders as well as physicians, and working collaboratively on an evidence-based practice project.

“The Nurse Residency Program enhances the knowledge and skills of these qualified nurses and allows them to interact with multi-disciplinary departments. This collaboration with more veteran nurses as well as practitioners provides best patient care,” said Kara Koesters, RN, Education Director.

“This program allows our nurses to have hands-on experience while helping to establish valuable clinical and critical thinking skills,” said Christie Matthies RN, BSN, MBA, Inpatient Manager.

“After completing several sessions in this program, I feel an increased confidence in clinical decision-making and stronger clinical nursing communication and safety practices,” said Bailey Hansen, RN. “In nursing school, you can’t anticipate all the clinical scenarios. Sometimes on the Inpatient floor, there may be four generations of nurses working a shift. I like learning and integrating all levels of nursing experience from my peers who have additional experience.”

“The program offers me an opportunity to learn more about other teams at Myrtue such as respiratory therapy, pharmacy, doctors, and nurse aides,” said Baylee Hoegh, RN. “All of these departments are like unique puzzle pieces who connect to a bigger picture to provide excellent patient care. It has been beneficial to know the other teams and learning from their training and simulations.”

The training curriculum includes various areas such as cardiac and pulmonary system, critical care, respiratory care/equipment, neurology, stroke, mental health, pediatrics and medication review. “The program also continues to evolve to stay aligned with changes in healthcare,” Matthies said.

Myrtue’s Nurse Residency Program is committed to nursing growth and development with hands-on interaction that will enhance clinical skills and build confidence. Our nurses are making a difference in every patient’s lives each and every day.