Columbus, Ga. (February 9, 2024)— Piedmont Columbus Regional celebrated 40 registered nurses who completed the 12-month enhanced nurse residency program, marking the completion of their first year of nursing. During the celebration, nurses presented special evidenced-based group projects they’ve worked on.

"Nurse residents selected a topic they are passionate about that links evidence-based care to practice outcomes," said Piedmont Director of Clinical Practice and Residency Programs Andrea Wilkins-Howard. "They conducted a literary search, developed a PICO question, created a background summary and reported a summary statement based on analysis and outcomes based of their literary searches."

“Compassion Fatigue,” “Exploring Self Care” and “Constraint Induced Movement Therapy” are just a few examples of the evidence-based project presentation topics. The nurse residents delivered oral presentations to nursing leadership and displayed printed poster projects.

Piedmont’s Transition to Practice Nurse Residency Program is a formal, structured, evidence-based, 12-month program designed to foster nurses who are competent, confident and committed clinicians who practice evidence-based care. The goal of the program is to enhance the onboarding and residency experience of new graduate nurses beyond just skill acquisition to address the array of challenges in the transition from student nurse to competent, confident practitioner.

“Through learning and clinical experiences with preceptors, ongoing support from experienced educators, mentors and leadership, residents are integrated into a culture that prioritizes and supports their growth,” said Piedmont Columbus Regional Nurse Residency Program Coordinator Amalia Acevedo-Sanic.

New nursing school graduates are welcomed three times a year into the organization. Currently there are 130 nurse residents in the Transition to Practice Nurse Residency Program.