Mayor de Blasio Announces Launch of the Nation's First City-Led Nurse Residency Program at 24 Local Hospitals

December 17, 2018

New nurse residency program is the first-ever in the nation’s largest public hospital system

New York—Mayor Bill de Blasio, Deputy Mayor J. Phillip Thompson and Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Gregg Bishop today announced the launch of the nation’s first City-led nurse residency program in 24 participating local hospitals. During the first year of the program, called the Citywide Nurse Residency program, 500 newly-hired nurses will be provided with specialized training that promotes job retention. The program will support participating hospitals with implementing a year-long residency that bridges the gap between education and practice for newly-graduated nurses. This is the first time that New York City’s public hospital system, the largest in the nation, has adopted a nurse residency program.

According to hospital partners, losing one nurse can cost up to $100,000 and retention of newly-graduated nurses is a challenge. While residencies are a recognized best practice for retaining nurses, New York City’s public and safety net hospitals have not had the capacity and resources to launch these programs.

“We’re exploring every possible avenue to create new pipelines of opportunity for New Yorkers who deserve good paying jobs as we continue to make strides toward being the fairest big city in America,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This Citywide Nurse Residency program will help expand opportunities and retain skilled professionals at public hospitals that deliver quality health care to countless New Yorkers.”

“Nurses are an integral part of the fabric that helps hospitals and clinics provide patients with the best care,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio. “This initiative will help ensure nurses receive the training and support they need to thrive in our hospitals and help New Yorkers get and stay healthy.”

“The de Blasio administration is working hard to prepare New Yorkers for a more competitive and challenging economy," said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Phillip Thompson. "While creating job opportunities for those who need them the most, we are also developing adequate training to meet these challenges with a particular focus on economic inclusion. I commend the City's Small Businesses Department and the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare for creating a training program that focuses on the needs of our nurses and hospitals to ensure New Yorkers receive the highest quality healthcare year round."

“The City is investing in ensuring that New Yorkers have a path to a viable, lasting career,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “The Citywide Nurse Residency program is a national model for bringing together hospitals to support the systematic change that puts nurses on track to succeed.”

New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH) at SBS provided over $300,000 in funding to create and implement the Citywide Nurse Residency program. The program is part of ApprenticeNYC, a central part of Mayor de Blasio’s New York Works plan.

The Citywide Nurse Residency program is being offered in partnership with the Greater New York Hospital Association, NYU Langone Health, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital to implement residency programs for staff at participating hospitals. The residency program will provide newly-hired, first-time nurses with on-the-job training through a curriculum developed by Vizient/AACN that focuses on topics including ethics, decision making, clinical leadership, and the incorporation of research-based evidence into practice. The program also provides new nurses with support and mentorship proven to enhance nurse satisfaction, performance, and retention. The following hospitals are participating in the program:

1. BronxCare Health System
2. Brookdale University Hospital
3. Interfaith Medical Center
4. Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center
5. Mount Sinai Brooklyn
6. Mount Sinai Hospital
7. Mount Sinai Queens
8. Mount Sinai St. Luke’s
9. Mount Sinai West
10. Maimonides Medical Center
11. NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
12. NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
13. NYC Health + Hospitals – Bellevue
14. NYC Health + Hospitals – Coney Island
15. NYC Health + Hospitals – Elmhurst
16. NYC Health + Hospitals – Harlem
17. NYC Health + Hospitals – Jacobi
18. NYC Health + Hospitals – Kings County
19. NYC Health + Hospitals – Lincoln
20. NYC Health + Hospitals – Metropolitan
21. NYC Health + Hospitals – North Central Bronx
22. NYC Health + Hospitals – Queens
23. NYC Health + Hospitals – Woodhull
24. St. Barnabas Hospital Systems

For more information, visit nyachnyc.org/initiatives/nursing/ .

“Research and experience tell us that nurse residency programs lead to improved nurse retention and satisfaction, and a greater level of confidence for new nurses as they transition from the classroom to the bedside,” said Kenneth E. Raske, President of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA). “GNYHA is pleased to provide data analytic and project management support to this important initiative, and we applaud the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare for supporting nurse residency programs in hospitals across New York City.”

"This initiative puts a spotlight on New York City’s nursing community and will ultimately benefit every hospital involved,” said Kimberly S. Glassman, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at NYU Langone. “We’re thrilled to support this program and share the benefits our institution has experienced with nurse residency over the past 20 years.”

“This residency program is an exciting addition to the training and support we provide to our newest nurses,” said Mary Anne Marra, DNP, RN, Interim Chief Nursing Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. “This new training will complement the exceptional clinical support we already provide and help make our least experienced nurses the complete professionals they aspire to be.”

“This high-impact public-private partnership between the City, local education institutions, and healthcare providers is another powerful example of how partnerships can provide creative solutions to some of our vexing system challenges. Congratulations to the team at SBS, NYACH, and all their collation of private partners, who are creating this important pathway between our education and training systems and health care employers, in order to improve employment outcomes and improve healthcare delivery across New York City,” said Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships.

“Nurses play such a vital role in the care and recovery of our patients, and it is paramount that we do everything in our power to promote their job training and retention at our local hospitals,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene. “I want to commend the New York Department of Small Business Services and the New York Alliance for Careers in healthcare for their advocacy to make this residency program a reality. I am also pleased that this initiative will open the doors for so many of our emerging nursing students who are looking to excel in their field of training.”

"Access to quality health care should be a fact of life for residents in this country. Part of realizing that goal is to make sure that our the men and women treating patients have the resources they need to succeed and the Citywide Nurse Residency program is a landmark step towards that end,” said Council Member Francisco Moya. “There are few professions more honorable than caring for the sick and suffering like nurses do and we should do everything we can to support those who undertake that charge. I applaud the Department of Small Business Services for launching this worthy initiative."

“As the son of a nurse, I understand the importance of the job and the ladder that it presents to the middle-class,” said Council Member Keith Powers. “I am glad to see the city investing in our nurses, including a residency in my district at Bellevue Hospital. I look forward to seeing the progress of the program.”

About New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH)
NYACH is an Industry Partnership, bringing together multiple stakeholders of the healthcare workforce development system in order to address the industry’s rapidly changing labor force needs. NYACH is an initiative of the public-private partnership amongst the NYC Department of Small Business Services, the Workforce Funders, and JPMorgan Chase Foundation. For more information, visit http://nyachnyc.org.

About Greater New York Hospital Association
Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) is a trade association comprising nearly 160 member hospitals and health systems in the metropolitan New York area and throughout New York State, as well as in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. GNYHA is a dynamic, constantly evolving center for health care advocacy and expertise, but our core mission—helping our member hospitals and health systems deliver the finest patient care in the most cost-effective way—never changes. GNYHA has the deepest respect and admiration for our registered nurses and uses our vast analytical tools and uncommon resources to ensure that they have the tools to succeed.

About the Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program
The Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program is an adaptable one-year residency model designed to ease the transition of new nurse graduates from the classroom setting to the clinical practice environment and promote quality, safety, and reduce turnover rates for first-year nurses. The program operates at more than 480 healthcare organizations nationwide, and since its establishment in 2002, more than 93,000 new graduate nurses have participated in the program. To-date, the Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program has reduced turnover rates significantly among first-year nurses when compared to national averages.

About the Department of Small Business Services
SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.