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Learn MoreIn a recent conversation about nurse residency programs, HealthStream’s Kimberly Herold, Director of Professional Development Pathways, and Kimberley Guthrie, Senior Pathways Engagement Coach, spoke about the value of accreditation.
What is your opinion of ANCC’s new accreditation program for nurse residency programs?
Herold: I think it’s very beneficial for our customers. I’ve watched so many organizations struggle with knowing how to operate their nurse residency programs, and now ANCC has given them a compass that points them where they need to go. ANCC and CCNE are the two organizations with accrediting programs, but the majority of our customers cannot fulfill the academic affiliation requirement for CCNE. When developing our Nurse Residency Pathway, I looked to the ANCC accreditation and built our program in a way that would help our customers satisfy their requirements. Those accreditation requirements have served as a guidepost and allowed us to understand the goals that our customers should have for their program.
Would you say that some organizations are still struggling to know what standards to measure their programs against?
Herold: Unfortunately, yes. A lot of our customers aren’t aware of the ANCC standards and their accreditation program, or they feel that accreditation is either completely out of reach or still several years away. However, in the past year we have seen an increase of customers who are asking about accreditation. It seems that customers are beginning to recognize the importance of accreditation and what it can mean for their organization from a competitive standpoint.
Why should a healthcare organization consider accrediting their nurse residency program?
Herold: First of all, if a program is accredited, it helps the organization demonstrate that their program is on the right track. Accreditation doesn’t require organizations to have a perfect program, it requires them to acknowledge where they stand and create an actionable plan for where they want to take their program. Secondly, an accredited program gives hospitals a competitive edge over other hospitals in their area. And finally, the components of an accredited program are designed to create a well-rounded approach to developing new graduate nurses. The programs that qualify for accreditation are set up to build a much stronger foundation for new nurses, providing them with a supportive structure from which to start their career. This creates the space for nurses to develop required skills, critical thinking, and intuitive practice through clinical opportunities.
Are there other ways healthcare organizations would benefit from accrediting their nurse residency program?
Guthrie: An organization’s recruitment efforts could significantly improve from having an accredited program. Schools of nursing are recommending that their graduates seek out organizations that have a residency program and when possible, an accredited residency program. The gap between academic achievement and practice has been acknowledged by both schools of nursing and practice settings. An accredited residency program is a strong solution to closing this gap.
Herold: I think turnover reduction may be another significant benefit of accreditation for most hospitals. A well-run residency program helps nurses to develop the coping skills that help them through some of the greatest challenges nurses face and to prevent them from being driven out of the profession. What we’re seeing so far is that at a minimum, residency programs should be able to impact an organization’s turnover by a couple of percentage points a year, which typically means millions of dollars to an organization. Those dollars could be reinvested into other areas to support their nursing staff—to help their nurses achieve their own certifications and accreditations, be put back into nursing education within the organization, or help their nurses get higher education.
Additionally, accredited programs are contributing to the profession at large by putting a meaningful structure to the onboarding of new nurses. We know from the literature that most hospital leaders do not believe nurses graduate from school ready to practice, so the decision to hire new graduates brings with it a responsibility to help them build a solid foundation. On the flip side, organizations such as the NLN (The National League for Nursing) are encouraging their member organizations to educate new graduate nurses about the importance of seeking out a good residency program for their first position. I think this will be a future differentiator for an individual nurse applying for a job. Finally, while on the journey to accreditation, our Pathway gives hospitals the opportunity to look at data and to measure outcomes in a unique way so that they can give feedback to the nursing schools who supply them with new graduate nurses. This helps the schools identify where their gaps are, improve their programs, and thereby improve the readiness of new graduates.
Read the full Q&A in our eBook here. Learn more about HealthStream Clinical Development solutions.
About Kimberly Herold
Kimberly Herold leads the development, strategy, and execution for the Pathways products, including the Nurse Residency Pathway. Her background as a nurse, clinical educator, nursing director, and consultant developed her passion to improve the foundation nurses are given as they start their careers and ultimately led her to HealthStream. Herold was actively involved in the accreditation process for CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth’s nurse residency program.
About Kimberly Guthrie
Kim Guthrie has extensive experience with designing and evaluating nurse residency programs that include a focus on competency assessment and validation. Her role at HealthStream is to guide organizations in implementing the Pathway products based on customer resources and goals. Guthrie joined the HealthStream team after the accreditation was awarded but is well versed in the accreditation criteria and is committed to helping customers achieve this goal.
HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ResuscitationIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsLearn more about HealthStream's provider credentialing, privileging, & enrollment solutions for healthcare organizations.
View All CredentialingExperience standardized and centralized healthcare provider credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
View All Products