"Nurse Residency is a great experience that allows new RNs to sit face to face with the experts in different clinical areas and discuss issues, concerns, and solutions that we might face while providing patient care. It is a relaxed and supportive environment that is perfect for learning and growing during the first year as a new RN."
- Torre Haugland, BSN, RN, 3 West
“I like coming to nurse residency because you are able to develop supportive relationships with your peers and expand your skills and knowledge in a stress free environment.”
- Jean Gilkes, BSN, RN
“Working in the Clinic, we do not do everything that hospital nurses do. However, we need to make the same assessments and use some of the tools (IV pump, pulse oximetry, accu chek, etc). Being one of the youngest nurses in my department, the nurse residency program educates me and gives me more experience with different situations. The nurse residency program is also a great way to connect with my peers who are going through similar new beginnings as myself.”
- Jennifer Leis, BSN, RN
Transitioning into your new role as an RN becomes easier with the Nurse Residency program.
All new graduate nurses employed with Gundersen Health System who have been working less than a year are eligible to take an active part in this program.
The nurse residency program aligns with one of Gundersen’s key strategies, becoming a great place to work by developing an engaged workforce that is inclusive, embraces change, and is prepared to respond to future healthcare demands.
Opening doors to nursing proficiency
The Gundersen Nurse Residency Program is a year-long series that will give you the tools you need to transition from a novice to proficient nurse. Through educational sessions and shadowing experiences, you will enhance your critical thinking and advanced assessment skills and receive emotional support from your nursing co-workers.
The Nurse Residency program will:
- Help bridge any gaps in your clinical skill set
- Connect "book knowledge" to real-life clinical challenges
- Ensure ongoing support from leadership and your peers
- Foster team spirit among your resident class
- Broaden your understanding of healthcare delivery
- Spark continuous professional growth and development
Our program is unique from other programs throughout the state of Wisconsin. New RNs are able to shadow the experts during their work time and also attend six educational programs per year that are offered every other month. The various shadowing experience areas include:
- Clinical Nutrition
- Diabetes Education
- Hospital Operations Manager
- Infection Control
- IV therapy
- Pre-op/Post Anesthesia Care Unit
- Pastoral Care
- Respiratory Therapy
- Social Services
- Wound Ostomy/Continence Nurse
A sampling of some of the topics covered during our educational days includes:
- Documentation and Legal Implications: Insights and Tips
- Caring for a Patient with a Tracheostomy
- Lab Interpretation Review
- Dealing with Medical Response Teams and Emergency Situations
- Diabetes: A Growing Epidemic
- Bariatric Basics
- Working Effectively with Social Workers
- Patient Family Centered Care
- Nursing Opportunities Panel
- Crucial Conversations
- HeartMath
- Caritas
- Conflict Engagement