Summary

The Nurse Residency Program is a planned, comprehensive program through which currently licensed RNs with less than 12 months (of nursing experience) can demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that meet the standards of practice defined by the American Nurses Association and other specialty nursing organizations to deliver safe, quality care in a specific clinical setting. The Nurse Residency Program consists of a set of experiences and activities over a 12-month period to support organizational enculturation, practice based learning and professional development of the registered nurse.

Experience and Education

• Candidates are new nurse graduates with a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree who have graduated from an ACEN or CCNE accredited/state approved program or Associate’s degree (ADN) with current UTSW experience.
• Current Texas (or BNE Compact State) license; current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, course accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC).  Specialty areas may have increased certification/license requirements as dictated by unit or standard of care.

Job Duties

1. Performs and accurately documents physical, psychosocial, and emotional assessments. All assessments take into consideration age specific criteria (children, adolescents, adults and older adults).
2. Actively anticipates patients and/or patient’s family needs and expectations and utilizes these in conjunction with the assessment to develop an appropriate plan of care for the patient. Utilizes critical thinking skills in planning and prioritizing nursing care. Maintains and utilizes competencies per unit or clinic expectation.
3. Identifies and implements appropriate nursing interventions based on the completed assessment.  Completes accurate and timely documentation of these interventions. Active coordinator of the interdisciplinary plan of care. Confers with all members of the health care team in a collaborative fashion, sharing information and observations of the patient and/or patient’s family in a manner that contributes to optimal patient care.
4. Appropriately prioritizes nursing interventions based upon completed assessment. Promptly identifies changes in condition as evidenced by nursing assessment, labs, x-rays, etc. Reports changes, takes follow-up action as appropriate.
5. Evaluates implemented interventions and modifies care according to the evaluation.  Documents interventions and modifications to the plan of care in an accurate and timely manner.
6. Adheres to appropriate clinic, hospital and/or Department of Nursing policies, procedures, clinical pathways and nationally accepted standards of nursing practice while delivering nursing care to patients. Suggests practices to enhance Nursing care based on current literature and research.  
7. Provides appropriate and timely answers and/or education to patient’s and/or patient’s families. Completes accurate and timely documentation of all education provided. Obtains feedback/evaluation of understanding from patient/family, i.e., have we helped you? Patient/family verbalizes comfort with after discharge care. Demonstrates effective communication with children, adolescents, adults and older adults.
8. Welcomes and orients patient/family to the clinic or unit. Encourages patient/family participation in care. Reviews plan of care with patient/family every shift. Explains special diets, tests, procedures and medications in easily understood and appropriate language. Makes frequent rounds on patients, communicates when will return; patient infrequently needs to use call light.
9. Assumes accountability for all actions in the workplace. Reports errors promptly and takes appropriate follow-up action to rectify the error.
10. Effective patient/family advocate. Responds to patients and/or patients family’s complaints in an appropriate and effective manner. Reports complaints to the Clinical Nurse Manager or their designee in a timely manner. Utilizes the chain of command appropriately to resolve patient, operational, or personal work-related problems.
11. Participates in performance improvement activities as directed. Attends at least 80% of scheduled staff meetings and 100% of mandatory educational sessions.
12. Provides supervision of and direction to unlicensed support personnel and nurses new to the environment. Delegates duties appropriately and within legal parameters.
13. Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Self-directed and able to organize and manage multiple tasks/projects simultaneously.
• Work requires high level of effective written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.

• Work requires interdisciplinary collaboration between nursing, physicians and allied health professionals.

Working Conditions

Work is performed primarily in a hospital/clinical setting.

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community.  As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.