Samaritan Medical Center strengthens the emergency nurse workforce
New York healthcare providers continue to face an unprecedented nursing shortage. The dire need for frontline emergency nurses prompted the nursing leadership at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown to develop an Emergency Nurse Residency Program. The program helps new graduate nurses and nurses new to the emergency department develop the skills necessary to practice independently and safely in the ED.
New graduate nurses apply to the Emergency Nurse Residency Program and are selected based on an interview process. The program is a one-year orientation consisting of a variety of active teaching and learning methods with seasoned nurses and clinical educators.
During the program, the graduate nurse rotates to different care areas throughout the hospital, including a medical/surgical unit for six to eight weeks, a progressive care unit for eight weeks and an intensive care unit for six to eight weeks. They spend one week rotating through pediatrics, neonatal intensive care unit, maternity, interventional radiology, electrocardiogram and the lab. The rest of their training is completed in the ED.
The program also includes classroom didactics, self-paced learning modules, case studies, realistic simulations, hands-on skills training, peer discussion, shadowing different disciplines and mentorship.
The program began in 2022 with the first graduate in September 2023 and two additional graduates in January 2024. The program has reduced the need to hire traveling nurses in the ED. In addition, the success of this program has led to the development of other nurse residency programs.
For more information, contact Leslie DiStefano, director, communication and public relations, at 315.785.4504 or ldistefano@shsny.com.
