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The AACN/University HealthSystem
Consortium (UHC) Residency Program was formed out of the
desire of chief nursing officers for a better educated workforce
in their clinical settings. Following several meetings between
AACN and UHC, two goals were established for the collaboration:
1) expand capacity in baccalaureate programs and 2) develop
a residency program to take the novice learner from new
graduate to more competent provider. The residency program
has been operational for four years and currently 29 academic/practice
partners are engaged in the formal, year-long residency
initiative. A formal curriculum serves as the framework
for the residency, and the faculty and staff of the UHC
institutions who developed the curriculum review it annually
for updates and revisions.
Click
here to download an Executive Summary of the Post-Baccalaureate
Residency Program.
Using funding provided by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, a comprehensive evaluation plan was
developed to identify outcomes from the first and second
program cohorts. The results of the evaluation were extremely
positive with clear changes in the resident’s perceptions
of their competence, ability to communicate, and satisfaction
with their work as acute care based professional nurses.
A unique and very important outcome was the retention rate
statistic – 89% – which can be contrasted with
published reports indicating turnover rates of 40-50% in
the first year of employment. There are clear financial
benefits to this retention rate.
Lastest Update on the AACN-UHC Residency
Project
Representatives from AACN, the UHC, and the Commission on
Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) are working together
to create a set of standards for the accreditation of post-baccalaureate
nursing residencies. Accreditation is a central requirement
for reimbursement by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Services of costs associated with the residency. Further,
the UHC sites have a strong desire to have a mechanism for
assuring their distinct differentiation from other, less
rigorous residency or internship offerings which have emerged
following the development of the AACN-UHC program.
UHC/AACN Nurse Residency Program Update
Schools of Nursing Participating in the Residency Program
Successful Transition: News for Nurse Residents - Spring 2008 
Any
questions about the AACN/UHC Nurse Residency Program should
be emailed to Kathy McGuinn, AACN Director of Special Projects,
at kmcguinn@aacn.nche.edu.
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