Residency programs, first reported in the literature in the 1980s, are of documented value for the successful training of a graduate nurse into practice. With the present nursing shortage, residency programs are regarded as an important feature in attracting and retaining the much needed new graduate. Six university hospitals pilot tested a residency program to ease new graduate transition into practice. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if a yearlong program results in increased levels of satisfaction in and retention of new graduates.

The Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) of the University HealthSystems Consortium (UHC) of Academic Hospitals desired to increase the numbers of baccalaureate graduate nurses hired by their facilities and provide a more consistent, uniform transition into practice for these graduate nurses. A partnership between the UHC CNOs and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) led to establishing a National Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Nurse Residency Program. The structure, curriculum, and outcomes measures were developed and the program was implemented, with growth from six original pilot sites to 34 academic hospitals. Outcomes from the first year of program operation at these six sites show a high rate of retention, decreased stress by graduate nurses over time, improved organization and prioritization of care, and increased satisfaction in the first year of practice.