Abstract
The Transitional Residency for Acute Care Nursing (TRAC) was meticulously designed to significantly enhance the onboarding process for nurses with acute care experience in other countries. The program targets nurses without in-hospital experience, and it is structured to enhance the quality of the orientation process for these individuals. Nurses in this program may have previous experiences in home health, continuing care, long-term acute care, rehab, and skilled facilities and hope to transition into an acute care setting. The TRAC program was designed to facilitate the safe transition of these nurses into the hospital. This was accomplished using multiple educational strategies, including didactic lectures, hands-on skills training, and simulation. All nurses in the three cohorts successfully completed the program, demonstrating their commitment and dedication. The average post-curriculum basic knowledge assessment (BKAT) scores showed an impressive 11% increase, with individual scores consistently surpassing the 80% benchmark, indicating a significant enhancement in knowledge. More importantly, all RNs transitioned to the acute care unit with high job satisfaction and remain active in their sponsored units, which is a testament to the program's success in retaining skilled nursing staff.
Notes
References:
1. Institute of Medicine. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press
2. Montgomery, T., Harshman, J., Kennedy, S., Richards, K., & Shaw, M. (2020). Increasing Confidence Through the Development of a Transition-to-Practice Orientation Program for the Experienced Nurse. Journal for nurses in professional development, 36(6), E11–E17. https://doi.org/10.1097/NND.0000000000000661
3. Windey, M., & McGuire, T. (2020). Experienced Nurses Transition to Practice. Journal for nurses in professional development, 36(6), 355–358. https://doi.org/10.1097/NND.0000000000000671
Sigma Membership
Alpha Gamma Gamma
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Acute care, Interprofessional/interdisciplinary, Implementation science
Recommended Citation
Sosa, Lenis, "Creating a Transitional Residency for Acute Care Program (TRAC)" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 3.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/3
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, 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
Creating a Transitional Residency for Acute Care Program (TRAC)
Seattle, Washington, USA
The Transitional Residency for Acute Care Nursing (TRAC) was meticulously designed to significantly enhance the onboarding process for nurses with acute care experience in other countries. The program targets nurses without in-hospital experience, and it is structured to enhance the quality of the orientation process for these individuals. Nurses in this program may have previous experiences in home health, continuing care, long-term acute care, rehab, and skilled facilities and hope to transition into an acute care setting. The TRAC program was designed to facilitate the safe transition of these nurses into the hospital. This was accomplished using multiple educational strategies, including didactic lectures, hands-on skills training, and simulation. All nurses in the three cohorts successfully completed the program, demonstrating their commitment and dedication. The average post-curriculum basic knowledge assessment (BKAT) scores showed an impressive 11% increase, with individual scores consistently surpassing the 80% benchmark, indicating a significant enhancement in knowledge. More importantly, all RNs transitioned to the acute care unit with high job satisfaction and remain active in their sponsored units, which is a testament to the program's success in retaining skilled nursing staff.
Description
This program would allow nurses to receive the education, skills, and appropriate training to develop critical thinking and prioritization skills. We also expect increased confidence in anticipating care needs, recognizing changing patient conditions, and initiating safe, timely interventions. The potential benefits to the organization include decreased personnel costs due to staff retention and improved healthcare safety, quality of care, and nurse-sensitive indicators.