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Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) Nurse Residency Program is the first nurse residency program in Pennsylvania to receive “Accreditation with Distinction,” the highest honor an organization can be awarded from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
The LVHN Nurse Residency Program is a yearlong development course that incorporates curriculum from Vizient and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). It is considered the gold standard among nurse residency programs and will provide newly licensed nurses with a foundation for leadership and critical thinking. LVHN’s Nurse Residency Program is available at all health network campuses.
“After completing a 700-page self-assessment and a virtual visit from ANCC, we were beyond excited to get the news,” says Tiffany Epting MSN, LVHN’s Director of Professional Development. “This Accreditation with Distinction elevates us among the many nurse residency programs in Pennsylvania. ANCC accreditation means our program uses evidence-based criteria and adheres to global standards, thereby serving as a model for other nurse residency programs to emulate.”
All newly licensed nurses who have graduated from an accredited nursing program within the previous 12 months and starting their first professional nursing role are eligible. This includes bachelor’s prepared nurses (BSN), associate’s degree (AD) and diploma nurses.
Accreditation means:
- Empowerment to change practice - Nursing residency students will participate in small-group discussions, learn how to effectively engage with other members of the health care team and effectively produce evidence-based practice projects. Previous nurse residency projects have changed practices at LVHN resulting in better patient outcomes and greater patient satisfaction.
- Learning leadership skills - The program’s curriculum is designed to instill confidence and understanding in new nurses as they work through the challenges of becoming nurse leaders, clinical decision makers and competent researchers.
- Growing as a professional nurse - By participating in an ANCC-accredited nurse residency program that meets rigorous criteria, students will apply what they learned in school in real-world situations. They will develop professional nursing competency and confidence as a leader.
Sophomores and juniors that have not graduated yet may participate in LVHN’s Professional Student Nurse Patient Observation Assistant/Professional Student Nursing Assistant (PSPOA/PSNA) programs. These positions allow nursing students to work in an acute hospital setting and gain valuable insight during summer months, holiday breaks or throughout the school year.
The Nurse Residency Program at LVHN was made possible with the awarding of a $1.6 million grant from the Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust in June 2012.
To learn more about enrolling in the program, visit the Nurse Residency Program page on LVHN.org.