Providence Health & Services has created a novel nurse residency program this summer to provide on-the-job experience for newly graduated registered nurses — after the novices helped veteran nurses master a new state-of-the-art electronic health records system.
The first session began in early June and was open to 50 “new grads” who were hired by Providence in November to serve as technicians, coaching their more experienced counterpart nurses in utilizing the latest technology. All 50 have been guaranteed positions at five of the six Providence medical centers in the Los Angeles area upon completion of their residency training.
The new nurses are among 180 young men and women who recently received bachelor’s degrees from nursing schools throughout Southern California and are the first “wave” of technicians hired to help implement Providence’s new Epic health records system.
“It’s difficult for new grads to find jobs in hospitals, but through this unique program they assisted our nurses with their technological skills and learned about bedside care in return,” said Kathleen Alfe, nurse manager in charge of the Epic implementation. “They worked side-by-side with our nurses teaching them the system and learning so much at the same time.”
