Impact of a Nurse Residency Program on Transition to Specialty Practice.

A nurse residency program can support transition for new-to-specialty nurses but requires commitment of time and resources. This implementation project used a specialty residency program shown to be effective in a Burn Center, and translated it into the Emergency Department and Maternal Child Health area located within the same medical treatment facility. Preceptor survey responses and leadership assessment of program suitability provided data related to intervention impact. The evidence pertaining to developing specialty knowledge, skills, competency, and clinical reasoning validated program efficacy. Project outcomes justify investment in building a standardized transitional support system.