Nurse Leaders INFOGRAPHIC

Supporting First-Year Nurses

Kelly Gallagher, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC Director of Nursing Programs, Vizient

• Alum of the NRP at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center as a first-year nurse
• 2024 American Organization for Nursing Leadership™ Young Professional Class

career journey

Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program™ Provides Solutions

The NRP lets first-year nurses know they will be mentored and encourged. From nursing support to leadership — they will have a team behind them, beside them and in front of them throughout their first year of nursing practice and beyond.

Healthcare organizations participating in the 12-month Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program™ have consistently surpassed national average retention rates, with 2021 showing 86.1% first-year retention compared to 72.3% in 2019. The support provided through the program's evidence-based curriculum and data tools have proven to enhance new-to-practice RN retention and support.

38,000 +

In 2023, there were over 700 organizations with more than 38,000 new RNs nationwide participating in the Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program™.

Read more about why the NRP and the work Gallagher is doing with healthcare leaders across the U.S. is especially meaningful to her.

Info

Source: Vizient, Inc., 2023; Nursing Solutions Inc., 2023

"NRPs are so valuable because they provide a structured transition from the academic setting to professional nursing practice. They offer newly graduated nurses the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a supportive environment under the guidance of experienced nurses while building confidence and competence in delivering safe and effective patient care. Collaborating with NRP leaders to deliver the best experience to nurse residents and knowing this program has a significant impact on patient care makes me proud, especially as an alum of the program. Every year, nurse residents are selected to present their evidence-based practice initiatives at our annual NRP conference. This year, I am working with six teams of nurse residents from all across the U.S. to disseminate their work on a national stage. It is incredibly moving to hear nurses — only in practice for a little over a year — impacting patient care and the healthcare setting in such meaningful ways."

"I began as a nurse resident at UCLA working in a heart and lung transplant unit, then moved back home to the east coast and worked at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Hosptial as a same day surgery nurse. After earning my master's degree, I became program director of nursing innovations, which included leadership and oversight of six hospital NRPs at the NewYork-Presbyterian Health System. Then I worked as a director of the nurse residency program at Penn Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which included seven hospitals. In 2022, I joined Vizient as the director of nursing programs where I get to work with the nurse residency program team. My career has come full-circle." Education: Bachelor of Science in nursing from Villanova University, Master of Nursing Science in healthcare administration from University of Pennsylvania and certificate in human resources services and management from the Wharton School.