Nursing Residency Program
Programs for Graduate Nurses and Newly Licensed Nurses
No nurse should start the journey alone.
Launching your nursing career is an exciting time, but can be a little frightening. That's why Houston Methodist is strongly committed to its Nurse Residency Program, which ensures that our nurses do not start their journey alone, but are instead nurtured every step of the way.
Houston Methodist's Nurse Residency Program has been designed to take new baccalaureate prepared nurse graduates beyond their formal education. A collaborative venture with the Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program™, the program offers support to baccalaureate-prepared nurses by cultivating their leadership abilities and professional development.
Houston Methodist's CCNE-accredited Nurse Residency Program offers practical solutions to dilemmas that nurses often face and has proven to be very effective in fostering confidence and guiding new nurse graduates through their transition to professional practice. In addition the new nurse develops confidence and clinical competency throughout the residency program.
Clinical Practice
New nurse graduates are often thrust into clinical care situations with little or no quantifiable background. The nurse residency program was established to assist with this transition. Through formal and clinical instruction, the program focuses on strengthening proficiency and ensuring the nurse's role in patient safety and patient outcomes.
All new graduate nurses at Houston Methodist must participate in the nurse residency program. Although not mandatory, we also strongly encourage experienced nurses who are transitioning into specialty areas to participate in the formal classroom instruction offered during the orientation period.
The clinical orientation is approximately 8 to 20 weeks and is individualized based on the specialty area and specific learning needs. For the duration of the orientation, nurse residents are paired with a formally trained clinical preceptor and meet weekly to ensure that milestones are met. Undoubtedly, gradual independence will begin to occur as the nurse resident comes to rely on their own skills and knowledge and less on the preceptor's experience.
Throughout the program, multiple topics are covered in the classroom setting, including EKG interpretation, legal aspects of nursing, respiratory management, diabetes in the acute care setting and code blue management. Additionally, traditional learning experiences are supplemented by high-fidelity simulation experiences to enhance learning and improve teamwork, communication, decision making and situational awareness.
Outside the formal classroom, the nurse resident actively participates in hands-on instruction. By playing an important role in supervised clinical care, the nurse resident will have the opportunity to encounter situations not covered in textbooks and much of the anxiety that accompanies a new position soon dissipates.
Leadership and Professional Development
The Houston Methodist Nurse Residency Program has been designed to take new baccalaureate-prepared nurse graduates beyond their formal education. The program is a collaborative venture with Vizient and offers support to these nurses by cultivating their leadership abilities and professional development.
The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and requires a one-year participation commitment from all nurse residents. The key objective of the program is to transition nursing graduates from the student role to a leadership role at the bedside by focusing on the in-depth development of leadership skills through evidence analysis, application of complex situations and professional development. It also offers practical solutions to dilemmas often facing nurses and has proven to be very effective in fostering confidence and guiding new nurse graduates through their first 12 months of practice.
Key features:
- A 12-15 month program to assist with a smooth transition into practice
- Curriculum follows Vizient/AACN program, focusing on leadership, professional role, critical thinking and patient outcomes
- A series of thoughtfully developed classes that will enhance skills in critical thinking, assessment, leadership and clinical decision making
- Required participation in monthly sessions
Participation in this program is a part of the regular work assignment. Nurse residents participate in monthly seminars for four hours over a 12-month period and complete an evidence-based practice project. Seminar topics cover a range of topics:
- Resource management
- Communication
- End-of-life care
- Evidence-based practice
- Patient safety
Goals:
- Transition from entry-level, advanced beginner nurse to leader at the bedside
- Develop effective decision-making skills related to clinical judgment and performance
- Incorporate research-based evidence into practice
- Professional growth and development
- Develop, implement and disseminate an evidence-based project
Participation in this program is a part of the regular work assignment. Nurse residents participate in monthly seminars for four hours over a 12-month period and complete an evidence-based practice project. Seminar topics cover a range of topics:
- Resource management
- Communication
- End of life care
- Evidence-based practice
- Patient safety
Application Requirements:
- Successful completion of an accredited BSN or entry level MSN program
- Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital ONLY: For Associate degree in Nursing (ADN) graduates, qualification and continued employment are contingent upon active pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and acquiring the BSN degree within 3 years
- Eligible for RN licensure in Texas or GN permit (issued with your authorization to test)
- Less than six months of licensed nursing experience
- 3.0 Nursing GPA Preferred
How to Apply:
To start your graduate nurse profile, please click the link below:
https://www.houstonmethodistcareers.org/graduatenurse/
Application Deadlines:
| Nursing Residency Cohort/Sessions |
Registration | Start Dates | ||
| Summer | Jan 13 - Jan 21 | June/July | ||
| Fall | May19 - May 27 | October | ||
| Winter | Aug 25 - Sept 2 | January/February |
For more information:
For further information please email gradnursecareers@houstonmethodist.org
Participating Locations
Houston Methodist Hospital – Texas Medical Center
6565 Fannin Street
Houston, TX 77030
Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital
4401 Garth Road
Baytown, TX 77521
Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital
18300 St John Drive
Houston, TX 77058
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital
16655 Southwest Freeway M1827
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital
17201 Interstate 45 South
The Woodlands, TX 77385
Houston Methodist West Hospital
18500 Katy Freeway
Houston, TX 77094
- Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital
701 South Freeway Rd
Katy, TX 77450
Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital
18220 Tomball Parkway
Houston, Texas 77070