5K new RNs trained by NYC Nurse Residency Program

Mayor Eric Adams explains how the Citywide Nurse Residency Program provides on-the-job training for newly hired nurses. He is shown here with Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on October 24 celebrated a major milestone of 5,000 new registered nurses (RNs) trained through the Citywide Nurse Residency Program since its launch in 2019.

As the nation’s first city-led nurse residency consortium, the program offers on-the-job training and other supports to recently graduated, newly hired RNs. It has been implemented at over 28 health care facilities across the city and supported hospitals in training and retaining nurses — saving them millions of dollars — while also helping new nurses succeed in their early careers. The program has helped average nurse retention exceed 96 percent year to date at participating NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) campuses, far surpassing the national average of 84 percent.

This milestone marks the first stop on Mayor Adams’ “Working People’s Tour,” continuing to create jobs and power New York City’s economic recovery after the city set an all-time record with 4.7 million total jobs, recovering all of the nearly 1 million jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program’s success also delivers on a delivering on a major health care component of Mayor Adams’ “Working People’s Agenda” to support 30,000 current and aspiring nurses over the next five years as they enter the nursing workforce, stay in the profession, and climb the career ladder.

“As we continue to grapple with effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re doing everything we can to bolster our health care system, and that starts with supporting the backbone of the industry: our nurses,” said Adams. “As we saw in 2020, nurses are essential to keeping New Yorkers healthy, and our investment to help nurses go from the classrooms to a hospital room will help keep New Yorkers healthy and prepared for the future.”

“Nurses are the lifeblood of our hospital system. They helped restore and keep many more New Yorkers healthy and safe during one of the most perilous moments in our city’s history,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer.

Nursing can be a demanding and stressful job especially for new nurses.

First-year retention of newly graduated nurses has been a historical challenge for health care systems across the country — only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic — and residencies are a recognized best practice for improving nurse retention. Over 1,700 nurses in the 18 participating H+H campuses have completed the program since its launch, and the retention rate for nurses at these locations has increased by over 40 percent and surpassed the national average year to date. By reducing turnover rates and decreasing the costs associated with hiring and training new nurses, the program has saved private and public hospitals tens of millions of dollars.

The Citywide Nurse Residency Program is designed to last one year, consisting of monthly seminars and reflection time for a small cohort of first-time nurses from the same hospital.  

Said Natalia Cineas, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive, NYC Health + Hospitals. “Nursing is one of the most rewarding and satisfying of all professions, but we recognize that it also can be demanding and stressful for those just emerging from nursing school. Nurse residency programs are a nationally recognized best practice for retaining nurses.”

New York City depends on almost 80,000 registered nurses and hundreds of thousands of other health care professionals who show up for their patients every single day,” said Daniel Liss, senior advisor, Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development, Industry Partnerships; and executive director, New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare.



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