Evaluation of a Nurse Residency Program.

Nurse residency programs are important tools to improve retention of new graduate nurses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an institutionally developed nurse residency program. Data on 20 cohorts (N = 241) of graduate nurses and best practices for residency programs were examined. Strategies to improve this nurse residency program were identified. Data showed a critical loss of new graduate nurses between Years 1 and 2 of employment.