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Get results: Bringing education to future RNs

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, September 12, 2006

An ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®-bound hospital faced with staff turnover challenges has found a solution to these problems by working with its community and local colleges to design an educational program for new nurses. At Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) in St. Johnsbury, Veronica Hychalk, RN, MS, CNA,BC, vice president of professional services, and her colleagues created and implemented the Vermont Nurse Internship Project (VNIP) to increase retention of new graduate nurses.

When new graduates begin their careers at NVRH, they are enrolled in the VNIP, a 10-12 week program designed to orient new employees within the hospital. Participants in the program are paired with a preceptor upon entering, and the preceptor's only assignment is to work with the participant. Carol Hodges, BSN, RN, BC, Magnet Recognition Program coordinator at NVRH, says interns are able to attend shared governance council meetings and gain exposure to how staff nurses play a key role in decision-making. "Utilizing the VNIP process helps build a nurse's confidence as well as a nurse's competency level," Hodges says.

Source: Adapted from HCPro's Advisor to the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, September 2006, an HCPro, Inc. publication.

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