After 3 months, nurse residents are adjusting well to their roles—they’re gaining confidence, building relationships, and applying their knowledge in real-world situations. Most report normal levels of work stress, with only a few feeling overly pressured. Overall, they’re satisfied with their work life and have a healthy sense of well-being.
“The Nurse Residency Program reduced my stress significantly because when I first started, there was so much I didn’t know, but I had my preceptor-mentor. It was just very reassuring. I have someone who knows what they’re doing here with me. It helped me a lot with my stress levels.” —Nurse Resident
“The preceptor-mentor was so proud of me. She said, ‘You did everything so [well].’ It was a proud moment for me.” —Nurse Resident
At 6 months, nurse residents are still happy and satisfied with their work, even though they experience some normal levels of workplace stress. They report very low burnout and rarely feel emotionally drained or disconnected from patients. Many also feel a strong sense of accomplishment in their work. Nurse residents heard comments from peer nurses about their improvement over 6 months.
“The preceptor-mentor said, ‘Wow, your knowledge, your critical thinking, your problem solving…. We had to essentially redesign a whole dressing for this wound because it’s been a very complex process. But I’m just straight-up impressed.’” —Nurse Resident
If your organization is participating in a current intake:
“I think it is the most wonderful program. I think having it standardized across Canada would support our nurses, both in how to learn to be a new nurse, but also to begin early to learn some of those preceptor-mentor skills. There wasn’t a moment where I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m alone in this.’” —Nurse Resident