Monroe, Ga. (July 25, 2024) – Piedmont Walton’s Clinical Learning and Development department recently announced that eight nurses have completed the hospital’s 12-month Transition to Practice Nurse Residency Program. Members of the Summer 2023 nurse residency class, Arianna Martinez, Kathryn “Reese” Malcom, Keisha Brown, Madison Martin, Alisa Robinson, Abigail Eberhart, Genesis Ford, and Dylan Powers are all registered nurses at Piedmont Walton working in the Emergency Department, Labor and Delivery, and the Medical Surgical units.

“I’ve had an opportunity to get to know each of these nurses and watch as they’ve become more confident in their abilities,” said Catherine Palmer, Piedmont Walton Hospital’s Residency Coordinator. “The nurse residency program gives new nurses an opportunity to sharpen their skills and really make a positive impact on patients.”

Piedmont Walton’s Transition to Practice Nurse Residency Program is a formal, structured, evidence-based, yearlong program designed to create Piedmont nurses who are competent, confident, and committed clinicians, practicing safe, evidence-based care. Through learning and clinical experiences with preceptors and ongoing support from experienced educators, mentors, and nursing leadership, the residents are immersed in a culture that prioritizes and supports their professional growth. The program’s goal is to enhance the onboarding experience of new nurse graduates beyond skill acquisition, and to address the array of challenges faced during the transition from student nurse to experienced practitioner.

Piedmont Walton welcomes new nursing school graduates into the Transition to Practice residency program three times a year.

“It is proven that there are many benefits to the new graduate nurse, the patient, and the hospital when an established nurse residency program is in place,” shared Andrea Wilkins Howard, director of Clinical Practice and Piedmont’s residency programs. “We’re looking forward to the residency program’s continued growth and success.”