As a member of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, some changes were made in regards to our new grads. Starting this year, the new graduate nurses participated in the Versant RN Residency Program.
Why the Versant Program?
Versant is a nonprofit subsidiary of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, created to develop and integrate RN residency programs in pediatric and adult care facilities.
Hospitals that employ the Versant RN Residency Program have shown extraordinary results- including financial and clinical quality- and benefit through significant reduction in 1st and 2nd year new graduate turnover.
This highly successful 18-week program includes:
One-to-One Preceptors
RN Residents will be assigned unit-based instructional RNs to help develop clinical knowledge and experience. RN Residents will complete a minimum of 18 weeks (actual length will vary from department to department) of personal preceptor time.
Caring, Committed Mentors
Each RN resident will be assigned an experienced RN to support and guide them during the residency period. This RN professional is not a preceptor or evaluator, simply a mentor who provides guidance, nurtures professional development, and encourages the learning process by enhancing the resident’s communication skills, confidence, and independence.
Classroom and Skills Lab Education
RN Residents will benefit from several hours of required lab and classroom education.
Self-Care Support Groups
RN Residents will participate in debriefing groups. Within these groups, RN residents learn self –care strategies designed to help them develop the necessary tools needed to deal with the stress of becoming a new RN.
Looping Rotation
During the RN Residency, residents become familiar with other units and areas related to their home unit for which they were hired.
With Versant, BMH is going to get a bit more colorful.
Key personnel in the RN Residency Program can be easily identified by the color of pin they wear.
► Purple:
Champions, who provide the support needed to sustain the RN Residency
► Blue:
Mentors, who provide non-judgmental support and career guidance
► Green:
RN residents, eager to learn
► Yellow:
Resource persons, who serve as RN Residency Advocates
► Orange:
Debriefers, who facilitate the debriefing/self-care sessions
► Red:
Preceptors, who help RN residents advance their skills and knowledge, provide feedback, and evaluate the RN’s performance in a unit based capacity
