Abstract
The Nursing Professional Development team at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a 245 bed community hospital within the larger New York-based Northwell system, heavily invests in recruitment, orientation and training of new graduate nurses. NWH offers a robust onboarding program based through American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program for medical surgical, intensive care, emergency, and maternal child health units. This heavily structured program draw dozens of novice nurses each year, mostly working on the night shift.
Historically, fewer resources are available off-shift for nurses, particularly access to senior staff and the expertise they provide. Often, this leaves the newest, greenest team alone on the night shift with limited access to management, administration, educators, and very few of the opportunities for growth and development of skills often available to the day staff.
In 2022, the NPD team at NWH restructured to incorporate two fulltime night clinical NPD educators to oversee the needs of night staff, providing support at least five nights a week. In doing so, novice clinical team members now had access to expert clinicians, mock codes on shift, increased in situ simulations, just-in-time education, evaluations and goal setting, and career development opportunities.
The growth in support is exponential. For example, in 2023, 25 mock codes took place during night shift (7PM to 7AM), serving a critical need for education on the offshift. This is a 267% increase from 2022 in which 6 mock codes were done dat night. American Heart Association BLS, ACLS, and PALS courses are taught at night weekly and Neonatal Resuscitation Certification courses are taught monthly at night. Mandatory nursing department competency demo nights are help offshift throughout the year, as well as other classes directed towards clinical growth.
In a continued effort to support emotional wellbeing, professional growth and patient safety, the night team is ever-changing and strengthening. In 2024, NWH incorporated assistant nurse managers overnight in inpatient units. The NPD night educators onboarded new leaders to guide their transition to leadership. The partnership with administration, education and clinical staff is founded in personal relationships and promises to further develop with time. Ultimately, staff retention, professional growth, competence and movement along the development scale from novice to expert are the goals.
Notes
Bahramirad, F., Heshmatifar, N., Rad, M,. (2020) Students’ perception of problems and benefits of night shift nursing internship: A qualitative study. Journal of Education and Health Promotion 9(1): doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_227_20
Catarelli, B., Nobles, P., Aull, M., & Yi, F. (2023) Evaluating burnout and resiliency in new graduate nurses: A cross-sectional ctudy. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration 53(5) doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000001279
Goldshtein, D., Krensky, C., Doshi, S., & Perelman, V. (2019). In situ simulation and its effects on patient outcomes: A systematic review. BJM Simulation Technology Enhanced Learning. 24;6(1) doi: 10.1136/bmjstel-2018-000387.
Najafi, B, Nasiri, A. (2023). Support experiences for novice nurses in the workplace: A qualitative analysis. SAGE Open Nursing. doi:10.1177/23779608231169212
Serafin, L., Strzaska-Klis, Z., Kolbe, G., Brzozowska, P., Szwed, I., Ostrowska, A., & Czarkowska-Paczek, B. (2022). The relationship between perceived competence and self-esteem among novice nurses – a cross-sectional study. Annals of Medicine, 54(1). Doi: 10.1080/07853890.2022.2032820
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Transition to practice or onboarding, Mentoring/coaching, Teaching/learning strategies
Recommended Citation
Dunning, Christine and Pancoast, Michael, "Night Educators Light the Way: Building Confidence, Resiliency & Competence in Novice Nurses" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 12.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/12
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Night Educators Light the Way: Building Confidence, Resiliency & Competence in Novice Nurses
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
The Nursing Professional Development team at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a 245 bed community hospital within the larger New York-based Northwell system, heavily invests in recruitment, orientation and training of new graduate nurses. NWH offers a robust onboarding program based through American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program for medical surgical, intensive care, emergency, and maternal child health units. This heavily structured program draw dozens of novice nurses each year, mostly working on the night shift.
Historically, fewer resources are available off-shift for nurses, particularly access to senior staff and the expertise they provide. Often, this leaves the newest, greenest team alone on the night shift with limited access to management, administration, educators, and very few of the opportunities for growth and development of skills often available to the day staff.
In 2022, the NPD team at NWH restructured to incorporate two fulltime night clinical NPD educators to oversee the needs of night staff, providing support at least five nights a week. In doing so, novice clinical team members now had access to expert clinicians, mock codes on shift, increased in situ simulations, just-in-time education, evaluations and goal setting, and career development opportunities.
The growth in support is exponential. For example, in 2023, 25 mock codes took place during night shift (7PM to 7AM), serving a critical need for education on the offshift. This is a 267% increase from 2022 in which 6 mock codes were done dat night. American Heart Association BLS, ACLS, and PALS courses are taught at night weekly and Neonatal Resuscitation Certification courses are taught monthly at night. Mandatory nursing department competency demo nights are help offshift throughout the year, as well as other classes directed towards clinical growth.
In a continued effort to support emotional wellbeing, professional growth and patient safety, the night team is ever-changing and strengthening. In 2024, NWH incorporated assistant nurse managers overnight in inpatient units. The NPD night educators onboarded new leaders to guide their transition to leadership. The partnership with administration, education and clinical staff is founded in personal relationships and promises to further develop with time. Ultimately, staff retention, professional growth, competence and movement along the development scale from novice to expert are the goals.
Description
Imagine you’re a brand new nurse, excited to take on night shift, only to be hit with the reality that there’s no one around to help you! You've spent weeks, or months, tied to your preceptor. Now what? The unit is busy. You have a full assignment of your own. You're adjusting to a new work-life balance on the off-shift, trying to get enough sleep. Don’t forget about that mandatory in-service at 11AM. Let’s flip the script – Nursing Education all night, and everything that comes with it!