Healthcare jobs in nursing are some of the most in demand positions in the nation. Due to the growing and aging population, the need of nurses is growing faster than colleges can train these individuals. To make matters worse for the businesses that employ these professionals, burn out and the difficult transition from school to nursing programs causes this industry to have a high turnover rate.

According to Nurse.com, many hospitals are finding that nursing residency programs boost competency and make these individuals more likely to stay with their new employers. One program that is having a particularly high success rate is the Versant RN Residency program that takes place in Illinois and seven other states.

This program usually lasts 18 to 22 weeks and was developed at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Currently Versant is offered at almost 50 different hospitals, charging these medical facilities $5,000 for each resident.

Versant is based on Patricia Benner’s model of skill acquisition which has residents move in stages. New RNs begin as novices and move towards being labeled advanced beginner. After they have acquired certain skills they become competent, then move to the proficient stage, ending up as experts.

According to the program, the turnover rate for newly graduated RNs is somewhere between 35 percent and 60 percent during the first 12 months of employment. With in the first two years from hire, approximately 57 percent of nurses quit, according to a study published by the Journal of Nursing Administration in 2004. Hospitals that utilize the Versant RN Residency program have reported a 5.1 percent average turnover rate within the first year and 11.2 percent in the first 24 months.

Since few hospitals can stand to lose new nurses, considering the national shortage of such professionals, this program can stand to greatly help the industry.

Labels: Healthcare Jobs