1. How do I apply?
Applicants will be considered for a position in Ambulatory (Specialty or Primary Care), or Hospital. Positions will be offered based on the number of open positions and the applicant’s interests.
Applicants must commit to working full time during the Nurse Residency Program.
2. Can I apply for the Nurse Residency Program before I pass my NCLEX exam?
Yes. A new graduate nurse may apply for the program prior to completing the NCLEX exam. Nurses must possess a valid Nebraska or Compact Registered Nurse license prior to starting employment at Children’s.
3. What tracks can I apply for?
Applicants will be considered for a position in Ambulatory or Hospital. Positions will be offered based on the number of open positions and the applicant’s interests.
Applicants must commit to working full time during the Nurse Residency Program.
4. How will I be notified if I advance in the process?
If selected for an interview, you will be contacted via phone to schedule your interview time with leaders from your selected areas of interest. If you are not selected for an interview, you will be notified via email.
5. What is the interview format?
Interviews will last up to 45 minutes and are conducted with leaders from your selected area of interest.
6. If I am hired into the Nurse Residency Program, will I be paid and eligible for benefits?
Yes. Nurse residents are considered full-time employees and are eligible to receive benefits, including vacation, sick time and paid holidays after the accrual period. Detailed information regarding Children’s employee benefits will be reviewed at the time of the interview.
7. If hired into the Nurse Residency Program, what shifts and/or hours will I work?
Hospital Nurse Residents
You will need to be available to work either days or nights and weekends. The Nurse Resident will work a total of 36 hours of bedside shifts per week. This will vary in the first 2 weeks due to New Employee Orientation and skills lab hours.
You will not work more than 40 hours in a week and not more than 12 hours in one day. Once you have attended New Employee Orientation and finish skills lab, you will start orientation in your home area. Nurse Residency classes are held once per month for one year. You will continue to work your 36 hours of clinical shifts in addition to attending your monthly Nurse Residency meeting classes.
There are regularly scheduled cohort meetings with monthly educational sessions that all nurse residents are expected to attend.
Ambulatory Nurse Residents
In addition to working with preceptors in your assigned outpatient area, you will start attending your Nurse Residency classes that are held once a month for 1 year.
There will be some variation on the number of hours per day and the number of days per week during the first weeks. However, you will not work more than 40 hours in a week and not more than 12 hours in one day.
- Hospital nurse residents will be hired directly to the respective area based on their interests discussed in the interview process and the number of open positions available.
- Ambulatory Nurse Residents will be hired to work in the Specialty Care Center or one of the Children’s Physician’s clinics. Both Specialty and Primary Care offer a short rotational process to provide experience in the areas with open positions. After the rotational process you will be matched to a clinic with an open position.
9. Do you offer shift and weekend differentials in the Nurse Residency Program?
Hospital Nurse Residents are eligible for shift differentials, which are offered for evening, night, and weekend shifts.
Ambulatory Nurse Residents:
- Specialty Pediatric Center nurse residents are eligible for shift differentials for weekend shifts.
- Children’s Physician’s nurse residents at the blended-model clinic will be eligible for evening and weekend differentials.
10. After being placed in a specific area, what shift will I work?
Hospital Nurse Residents
In general, newly hired nurse residents work 36 hours per week on the night shift. Depending on the staffing needs of the area, there may be other shift opportunities are available.
Ambulatory Nurse Residents
Shifts are Monday through Friday days, with some Saturdays and some extended hours until 7 p.m. in certain clinics. In the Children’s Physicians blended-model clinic (Council Bluffs), there are some shifts until 8:30 p.m.
11. What if I Can’t work the schedule of my assigned preceptor?
The nurse resident will have the best possible experience working with an assigned preceptor. Research has shown that multiple preceptor assignments have a negative impact on learning success in orientation. Both the preceptor and the nurse resident will be discouraged from multiple schedule changes.
12. Can I work a second job during the Nurse Residency Program?
A second job is not recommended because the program requires flexibility in scheduling and always requires a fresh mind to process and retain new information.
13. Can I take personal leave while in the Nurse Residency Program?
For the best learning experiences, we ask that you not take personal leave during any area-specific orientation.
14. If I have experience as a nurse, will I need to participate in the Nurse Residency Program?
If, upon application, the new graduate nurse possesses less than six months experience as an RN, the nurse must apply to the Nurse Residency Program. RNs who have 1 year or more of adult-care experience may be eligible for our Transition to Pediatrics Program.