A New Type of Rural Nurse Residency

Abstract

The Rural Nurse Internship program is a distance education-based nurse residency designed to meet the needs of rural hospitals across the country. Nurses learn to perform the generalist role by practicing crisis assessment and management in six subnursing specialties. The collaborative yearlong residency provides preceptors, mentors, monthly seminars, and just-in-time information to novice nurses in their own hospitals using instructional technologies. Expert rural nurses teach novice employees using a standardized curriculum. Hospitals individualize the program to meet employee and hospital needs.

Nurse Manager Interns:

“…The team felt that a year might be too short, and that the once-per-month frequency of residency meetings wouldn't be enough support in the manager role. The group also evaluated rural nurse residency 6 concepts that combine traditional residency techniques with distance learning. However, this concept was quickly dismissed due to the need for onsite interaction with staff members and mentors.…”

Rural Nurse Cultural Self-Efficacy and Job Satisfaction

“…Theorists describe rural nurses as belonging to a separate subdiscipline of nursing (Bushy & Baird-Crooks, 2000). The rural nurse is a specialist with a generalist focus (Molinari, Hudzinski, & Monserud, 2008) caring for patients across the lifespan and with health issues in six nursing subspecialties: medical or surgical, obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, psychiatrics, and emergency or trauma nursing (Baumann, Hunsberger, Blythe, & Crea, 2006). Nurses are cross-trained to many skills, work autonomously, and assume multiple roles in small facilities of less than 25 beds.…”

Are rural and urban newly licensed nurses different? A longitudinal study of a nurse residency programme

“…, Molinari et al . , Bratt ) and evidence is sparse regarding the outcomes of these rural programmes. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to explore whether rural and urban nurse residency programmes produce different outcomes and if rural and urban new nurses have similar perceptions of their transition experience.…”

“…Nurse residency programmes have been shown to not only reduce turnover but also enhance quality of care and patient safety (Beecroft et al 2001, Krugman et al 2006, Romyn et al 2009). There are only a few existing nurse residency programmes for rural nurses in the USA (Boyer 2002, Keahey 2008, MacLeod et al 2008, Molinari et al 2008, Bratt 2009) and evidence is sparse regarding the outcomes of these rural programmes. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to explore whether rural and urban nurse residency programmes produce different outcomes and if rural and urban new nurses have similar perceptions of their transition experience.…”