UW-Health Creates New Nurse Residency Program

Thursday, July 8th, 2021 -- 12:01 PM

(WMTV) UW Health created a nurse residency program aimed to help new nurses gain experience in their field and avoid burnout.

UW Health’s 12-month residency program places newly trained nurses in a clinic setting with a mentor to experience their position in a real-world setting, UW Health said. The United States is facing a widespread shortage of nurses.

More than 500,000 registered nurses are expected to retire by 2022, and there will be more registered nurse jobs available than any other profession, according to United States Bureau of Labor Statistics and American Nurses Association.

Burnout is a key contributor to nurses leaving the field, UW Health said. New nursing graduate turnover rates are approximately 30% in the first year of practice, and as high as 57% in the second year, according to the National Health Care Retention and RN Staffing Report.

The national retention average for hospitals with a nurse residency program is 91%. For hospitals that do not have nurse residency programs, the retention rate is 71%.

A new group of nurses will begin the residency program in August. The programs run two groups per year, one that starts in February and one that starts in August.

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