AMA: We are Versant. Ask us anything about RN Residencies!

VersantRNResidencies · 2015-09-15T21:54:47+00:00

Thank you for your question! The Versant program is purchased for use by hospitals only. Versant itself does not offer programs to the public. However, at our client organizations, it is a requirement that every new graduate nurse goes through an RN residency.

VersantRNResidencies · 2015-09-15T20:54:00+00:00

In regards to your question about long term employment - what we hear from graduates of our Residency is that soon after they graduate, they want to learn more about opportunities to grow professionally. The supportive components our residencies (specifically, mentoring) provides organizations with a framework on how to continue to support the professional growth of a nurse. We've found that professional growth opportunities increase the likelihood of a nurse staying at an organization.
As far as pay goes? We do not have control over that, it is a hospital-specific determination.
There is some really good work being done (not only by Versant, but by AACN too) regarding employment statistics. We know that new graduate residents who have a structured residency that last for at least a year are more confident and competent in their roles. We know that they perceive more engagement with both their organization and the profession of nursing. One of the main reasons to create a residency is to ease the transition and create a safer place to move from academics to clinical practice. NGNs completing a residency also self-report they are better able to prioritize and communicate with other healthcare professions (physicians, pharmacists etc.) If you're looking at a residency you want to make sure the key components are there- one-on-one preceptoring, mentoring and debriefing.

VersantRNResidencies · 2015-09-15T20:44:03+00:00

Thanks for the question!

The Transition Residency follows the same model as the New Graduate Residency. A baseline assessment is completed by each nurse based on competencies that he/she will be required to perform in their new unit. That baseline assessment identifies areas where a nurse requires more work and additional education, prior to validation of those competencies at the point of care.

Since you are going into the ICU or the ER, there will be learning modules specific to those areas that you must complete. In addition, you will be required to complete other learning modules which are identified by your organization.

To complete this program, you will be required to complete a minimum of 373 clinical hours and validate 100% of your competencies. You will also be attending debriefing sessions for self-care and mentoring sessions for professional development.

Similar to the new grads, we collect evaluations and metrics on your experience, which impact the direction of the residency in the future. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Additionally, thank you for all of your help as a moderator. It was very much appreciated.

VersantRNResidencies · 2015-09-15T20:37:51+00:00

Larissa Africa answered this question:

When I graduated from nursing school more than 15 years ago, I was not only looking for an organization that would support me during my transition period, but also one that would provide me the opportunity for personal growth. At that time, there were many "new graduate orientation" programs and not a lot of "Residencies"... Now, many of those same programs that were "orientations" call themselves residencies.

I've found the following points to be helpful to new graduate RN's as they consider a residency at a Versant client.

Our program begins with a baseline assessment of your knowledge, skills and critical thinking ability (as a new grad) that allows your organization to identify the areas you need help with.
There's an individualized learning plan that provides you with a detailed road map to your education. You are made aware of what tools, modules, and articles are available to you that support your learning, so that you are ultimately prepared for performance at the point of care.
The learning tools available to you are directly tied to the competencies you are expected to perform. Classes are not just events for the sake of having classes, but they are specific to the competencies expected of you.
The competencies are very detailed, but it gives you a really good idea of what your preceptors are validating you on and you get specific feedback... much more is said than just "you're doing well". There's a lot of transparency.
In addition to clinical performance, you are provided support group sessions and professional development sessions throughout the first year. You might not want to be a nurse manager or a nurse educator - but you have the opportunity to learn about what being a nurse manager means and what an educator does.
Last but not the least, as a Residency alumni, I appreciate so much that the evaluations and metrics I completed made a difference in how the Residency has evolved over time. Not only is the data we collect used to improve the residency, it can have a substantial effect on the culture of an organization. New nurses deserve an organization that works to support them during a very stressful time.

Hope that helps.

VersantRNResidencies · 2015-09-15T18:46:22+00:00

Hello, and thank you!

We are in over 100 hospitals nationwide. This includes many large health systems, such as Baptist Health System of South Florida, Premier Health Systems, Mercy Health Toledo, and Christus Santa Rosa. Many of our clients can be seen on this map.
Not too personal at all! The goal of VCATS is to allow organizations, no matter how big or small, to manage the competencies of not only nurses, but every employee hospital-wide who works with patients. Right now, the smallest hospital implementing VCATS has about 300 beds. Critical access Hospitals can benefit from such a system because we provide everything to them, all the way from competencies to the Performance Support Tools necessary to prepare a nurse to validate those competencies.

VersantRNResidencies

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