Investing In Our Future
New Jersey Acute Care Nurse Residency Collaborative
Transforming New Jersey’s Nursing Workforce through Residency Programs.
Why Nurse Residency?
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) recommended in its 2011 report The Future of Nursing, Leading Change Advancing Health that residency programs be implemented to help new nurses transition into practice. Quality nurse residency programs have been linked to increased retention and quality of care.
In light of this recommendation, NJCCN researchers Dr. Edna Cadmus and Dr. Teri Wurmser conducted a study to identify and evaluate the nurse residency programs in New Jersey’s acute care facilities. Through this research, they identified a need for greater consistency in the quality, content, and structure of the programs.
How is New Jersey addressing the need for standardized nurse residency programs to improve retention and patient safety?
To meet this need, NJCCN created the New Jersey Nurse Residency Collaborative. This joint endeavor will implement the nationally acclaimed Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program (NRP) as a standardized nurse residency to enhance new nurse retention and patient safety. The first cohort to enter the collaborative included 19 acute care facilities across New Jersey. These trailblazers will lay the groundwork for the NRP’s expansion in years to come.
In 2025, NJCCN was awarded its 6th Growing Apprenticeships in Nontraditional Sectors (GAINS) grant. This grant aims to establish new apprenticeships and expand existing apprenticeship programs in NJ as aligned with USDOL-approved occupations. The apprenticeship model has 5 components: residents must 1) be progressively paid throughout their program, 2) receive a minimum of 144 hours of classroom learning, 3) complete a minimum of 2000 hours of on-the-job learning, 4) receive 1:1 mentoring from a more experienced individual, and 5) be issued a Certificate of Completion by the USDOL. All people entering this program have to be employed in a full-time capacity and be new graduates. This year the grant includes a school nurse residency program.
Vizient/AACN
The Vizient NRP is an evidence-based program that focuses on leadership, patient outcomes, and professional role. The program has been shown to result in decreased turnover; better, more effective decision-making skills; enhanced clinical nursing leadership; and improved incorporation of research-based evidence into practice.
Vizient has been implemented in hospitals in 44 states and the District of Columbia. Pensylvania, Maryland, and Hawaii have further implemented it as a statewide model, and New York City has implemented it city-wide to standardize nurse residencies across hospital settings.
The GAINS Grant 6
In 2025, NJCCN received its 6th GAINS Grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development (NJDOL), Office of Apprenticeship. Currently, we have 22 hospitals with 14 receiving funding. This grant will include funding for a school nurse residency program to help nurses obtain their school nurse certificate.
Long-Term Care/Assisted Living Nurse Residency Program
In 2024, NJCCN launched its first Long-Term Care/Assisted Living (LTC) Nurse Residency Program partially supported by the NJ Industry Partnerships – New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development. We are pleased to provide a 12-month online nurse transition to practice program for new RN and LPN graduates in LTC facilities.