Nurses are at the core of the patient care team. Whether a patient is diagnosed with cancer, admitted to the Swedish Neuroscience Institute or delivering a healthy baby, they receive care from a team of highly-skilled and dedicated nurses.
Many of us take it for granted that our nurses will be skilled, competent and caring. But how do new nursing school graduates learn how to be effective caregivers?
Swedish’s senior nursing leadership created Swedish's innovative Registered Nurse (RN) Residency Program in 2010, after doing extensive research on nationwide best practices for effectively transitioning academically trained RNs with bachelor's degrees to a commitment to careers in the stressful and demanding environments that nurses face in critical care settings.
The goal of the program is to address at Swedish the serious problems posed by a looming national shortage of experienced and skilled hospital critical care nurses. An important strategy for accomplishing this goal lies in reducing the troublingly high percentage of newly hired RNs who drop out of the profession during the first year or two after they are hired.
The inaugural Destination Swedish luncheon event on Feb. 11 generated nearly $500,000 for the program, which has been carefully designed to promote a culture of peer support and shared learning between new RNs who go through an intensive 12- to 24-week residency program together.
The following is an interview with Susan Jones, clinical educator in the program.
What is a nurse residency and why it is important?
Susan: Nursing school...
ISSAQUAH, WASH., Feb. 1, 2013 – Childbirth is often painful and always unpredictable, but postpartum recovery doesn’t have to be. New mothers can now leave the hospital even happier with .jpg.aspx?width=150&height=156)
SEATTLE, Jan. 31, 2013 – 
ISSAQUAH, WA, Jan. 23, 2013 - With spring sports starting, don't drop the ball on nutrition. Nutrition is just as important as physical conditioning for athletes. So, as spring sports begin, let Swedish help you and your children prepare to hit it out of the park. Join Registered Dietitian Ally Colson for an interactive training on game-winning meals and snacks and help your young athlete become a nutrition champion.
