Lessons Learned: Accessing the Voice of Nurses to Improve a Novice Nurse Program.

A novice nurse program was developed to address the need for educational and clinical support for entry-level nurses in a community hospital setting. A focus group was used to assess the novice nurses' perception of the program and to synthesize lessons learned. Nursing professional development specialists are advised to access the voice of novice nurse participants to meaningfully evaluate and further develop residency programs.