Residency and Fellowship Programs

Nurses and doctors talking in hospital hallway.

Nursing Residency Program

Since 2003, the nationally recognized nurse residency program (NRP) at The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City has helped all of our new graduate nurses adapt to a fast-paced healthcare environment. Our yearlong program focuses on 3 main components to help our new nurses transition from the classroom to practice: leadership, quality outcomes and professional development.

Leadership

As leaders and decision makers, our nurses are trusted partners who work closely with physicians to provide the best care and the most advanced treatments to patients of the health system.

Professional development

Our Nurse Leader Advancement Program provides an opportunity for personal and professional growth, rewarding individual initiative and involvement in health system activities.

Quality outcomes

Patients count on our nurses to deliver specialized care and services unavailable anywhere else in the region aside from the No. 1 hospital in Kansas City and the state of Kansas. Why would you work anywhere else?

What to expect from the nursing residency program

After being hired at the health system, we are committed to providing our graduate nurses with the highest quality process to transition from nursing student to a successful, competent and confident practicing RN. For this reason, we have designed special programs to foster professional development during the NRP.

Onboarding
The program

During the first 2 weeks, nurse residents will attend hospital and nursing orientation training, as well as our customer service and safety classes. These courses have been designed to introduce recent graduates to the health system and expedite their ability to become socialized to our culture. Residents will also be trained on our electronic health records system, O2.

Preceptorship

During the second week of employment, nurse residents will begin preceptorship in their clinical areas. During the first half of preceptorship, residents work the day shift from 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. These hours may be flexed to 10 or 12 hours shifts, so nurse residents can experience the full spectrum of activities on their unit at various times of the day. During the last half of preceptorship, nurses begin working 12 hour day or night shifts with unit educators and nurse managers individually designing schedules to enhance learning opportunities. Near the end of the residency, nurse graduates will become preceptors for new team members that are hired to join the team.

Our vision as an organization is to lead the nation in caring, healing, teaching and discovering. All of our staff members are teachers, and we expect our preceptors to remain by the new graduate nurses' sides until the last day of preceptorship. Their level of assistance will wane over the course of time, but they will remain present throughout to provide support, guidance and tips to lead to successful program completion, fostering clinical reasoning in teachable moments.

As nurse residents, new graduates meet monthly in a large group and receive information to support and assist them throughout their first year as nurses. The program uses an interprofessional approach to bring experts to the nurse residents and provide them up-to-date, evidence-based practices to enhance their patient-centered care. After meeting as a large group, nurse residents will break into small groups according to their clinical placement. Each small group is assigned a facilitator who will provide unit education and focus on issues that may be occurring on the unit, with patient care or within the organization. The facilitator and residency coordinators are available to support nurse residents when they are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or burned out at any time during the first year.

Additionally, nurse residents work together to complete evidence-based practice projects focused on quality improvement. These projects focus on contributing to patient safety and improving the patient experience during the new graduate nurses' first year. Nurse residents present their QI EBP projects to peers and hospital leadership. All the projects go through a formal selection committee and the chosen projects are submitted for the national Vizient Nurse Residency conference. If selected, the nurse residents attend the conference with the residency coordinators and complete either a poster presentation or a podium presentation.

Educational offerings

As an academic medical center, we ask that nurse residents attend additional classes that are relevant to their level of practice. Whether through simulation, online learning modules, group discussions or interactive projects, these courses have been designed by leaders in various divisions to enhance the strong base acquired from a BSN undergraduate program.

One of the reasons I applied to work at The University of Kansas Health System was that I knew I would be supported in my role as a new RN. The residency program provided creative training and education on important topics, was a place to ask questions and created a sense of community. I am so thankful I was part of it! – Darby Dodda, RN

Ready to join us?

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About The University of Kansas Health System

Nursing careers

Our nurses are passionate about providing the best care for their patients. Learn about the variety of patient care areas where you can make a difference.

Why join us?

We have a national reputation for doing things right, and we are rated among the country’s top hospitals in quality and the patient experience.

Physician consulting with nurses in hospital hallway.

Caring for those who provide care

We offer comprehensive benefits for all employees of The University of Kansas Health System. Learn more.

Frequently asked questions about the nurse residency program

Applications and interviews for our graduate nurse positions occur twice a year, in conjunction with spring and fall commencements. Information will be sent out to most local nursing schools when application dates are set to open. To view the areas in which we’re currently hiring NRPs and apply, search for Graduate Nurse on our career portal. After hire, every nurse at the health system is automatically enrolled and expected to attend the NRP. It doesn't matter if you are in an inpatient setting, outpatient setting or in a procedural area. You are scheduled and paid to attend the seminars. We want to support all our new graduate employees.
Each spring and fall hiring season, we hold an open house where graduate nurses can learn more about our health system, the NRP and areas that are hiring. Attendees will also able to meet the recruiters and nurse managers of these care areas.
At the health system graduate nurses are hired into most clinical areas, depending on current needs. This includes areas such as:
- Acute care
- Ambulatory
- Behavioral health
- Critical care
- Maternal child
- Perioperative/procedural services
Nurse residency seminars are 4 hours each month. This is divided into 2-hour large group settings with your fellow new graduate nurses, and 2 hours in small group settings with other nurses from your unit and a dedicated residency facilitator. The facilitator focuses on topics relating to patient care, organizational trends, education, professional development, and evidence-based practice. The residency coordinators and facilitators serve as a point of contact for support during the first year of practice.
Yes, each nurse is scheduled to work for the 4 hours of residency and is paid for attending the seminar. The employee-based nurse residency program at The University of Kansas Health System is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Before you start with us, it is necessary to have an RN license from the Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN), or a multistate license since Kansas is now part of the compact.
We welcome any questions you might have about the NRP!
- To contact our talent acquisition team, email AskTalentAcquisition@kumc.edu
- To contact our residency coordinators, email NurseResidency@kumc.edu

We are an equal employment opportunity employer without regard to a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age (40 or older), disability, veteran status or genetic information.