RN internship: outcomes of a one-year pilot program.
Faced with a threatened shortage of highly skilled, acute care pediatric nurses, an RN Internship in Pediatrics program for new graduates was brought from vision to reality. Goals of the program were to: 1) facilitate transition of the new graduate nurse to professional registered nurse (RN); 2) prepare a beginning level staff nurse who is confident and who provides competent and safe patient care; and 3) increase the commitment and retention of new graduate nurses within the organization. A 1-year pilot program evaluation demonstrated that the interns who had an average of 8 months of RN experience were comparable or better on all measures than were control group participants who obtained up to 2 years of RN experience. A return on investment of 67.3% was established.
Beecroft
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PC
Patient Care Services, Childrens' Hospital, Los Angeles, Calif., USA. Pbeecroft@chla.usc.edu
Kunzman
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Krozek
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D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003479:Curriculum; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007397:Internship, Nonmedical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015141:Los Angeles; D008875:Middle Aged; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000193:education*; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000458:organization & administration; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012449:Safety; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires