East Alabama Health RN Residency Program
September 27, 2021
In The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, a 2010 report from the Institute of Medicine, a specific recommendation culminated from a growing body of jury-reviewed evidence—that nurses should have the benefit of a residency program at the start of their careers and during career transitions. In October 2019, East Alabama Health began a partnership with the IOWA College of Nursing to establish the first RN Residency Program at East Alabama Medical Center. A nursing residency program is not a prolonged orientation. Rather, it provides a formal and informal set of learning opportunities that focus on institutional and departmental practices aimed at helping nurses learn the institution’s policies, procedures, and standards of care and introducing them to the key persons and structures needed to execute institutional and departmental routines.
In March of this year, East Alabama Health’s first group of RN Residents completed the program. Not only did 22 new residents complete the year-long program, the year culminated in a celebration event where each resident received their completion certificates for 36 continuing education hours and presented their performance improvement project to administration, supervisors and others. A total of 13 residency projects were presented at the March celebration. Lea Howell, residency site coordinator, says, “I felt like a mom giving birth to 22 babies and sharing them with the world! I gave them all a pair of surgical scissors, as we ‘cut the cord,’ reminded them that they are a part of the East Alabama Health family and sent them off in Dr. Seuss style with some of my favorite quotes.”
Two months later, on May 14, there was another celebration as the second nurse residency cohort completed their first year of nursing. A celebration was held where those residents were also able to present their project and receive their completion certificate. They collectively worked on a patient communication project that is currently being evaluated to go hospital-wide.
On September 17, a third group of 25 residents completed the program and, due to COVID-19, were recognized in a blended Microsoft Teams and in-person ceremony. East Alabama Health administrators, directors and managers joined the celebration along with members of Process Management, Patient Experience and Quality. The Education department was able to attend the event. The group was presented with their completion certificate and small gift from Howell. The group then had the opportunity to introduce themselves and their project ideas to our senior leaders. Following this part of the ceremony, the Education team was able to browse the project poster presentations set up around the room and meet and speak to the residents about their project.
Howell says, “Starting a new program is hard. Starting one in the throes of a pandemic was something entirely different. Thank you to our administration for allowing us to continue, even when that decision may have been difficult. Today, we have 79 RN Residents in four different Cohorts, with a new Cohort of 10 starting in October. Congratulations to all our RN Residents on the completion of your program!”
Cohort 1 RN Residents
Front Row: Ashton Wicker, Amy Siggers, Amber Hope, Lea Howell (site coordinator), Hannah Wallace, Emily Ingram
Middle Row: Christina Latham, Victoria Gulledge, Melissa Geddie, Whitnei Morgan, Ansley Sheridan, Griselda Bran, Wanda Cochran, Melissa Paige
Back Row: Aeron Harrell, Nathan Miller, Blake Barrett, Jon Williams, Serena Redden , Diana Geddie, Shane Adams
Cohort 2 RN Residents
Left to Right: Hillary Owens, Francesca Pittari, Lea Howell (site coordinator), and Kewanna Johnson
Cohort 3 RN Residents
Front Row: Mallory Drummond, Analyssa Sinquefield, Madison Norred, Sarah Campbell, Emily Scalf, Adrianna Veasey, Parker Slappey, Jeani Layson, Mariah Hodge, Adelle Weeks, Macauley Brown, Raven Preston
Back Row: Jacob Duffie, Marie McLeod-Tarver, Hannah Slay, Sara Kelly, Lea Howell (site coordinator), Grace Tatum, Cary Klinkhammer, Andi Pendergrass, Meredith Adkins
Not pictured: Lauren Revels, Anna Gayle Hubbard, Nick Yates, Kayla Faulk, Olivia Foster
COD10 AssetID
243940
External ID
634
Integration Source
COD10
Integration Source URL
https://www.eastalabamahealth.org/news-and-media/east-alabama-health-rn-residency-program
