Evaluating the impact of a nurse residency program for newly graduated registered nurses.

Nurse residency programs are designed to support graduate nurses as they assume the professional role. Evaluation of these programs has been inconsistent. The purpose of this descriptive research study was to evaluate a year-long nurse residency program using a nonexperimental, repeated measures design with qualitative questions. Results showed statistically significant differences in new nurse confidence, skills, and abilities at 12 months. Nursing turnover was one third of the national average. The metatheme that emerged from the data was "I see that I am not the only one."