Nursing Residency Program

How does the Versant RN Residency Program at Arkansas Children's work? This comprehensive immersion program is composed of:

 

Education and Curriculum

• Residents will attend a total of 4 weeks of classes during the program.

Guided Clinical Experience with Preceptor

• Residents complete clinical shifts with preceptors in their hired unit.
• Residents receive Looping Experiences to aid in the understanding of the patient's continuum of care and to develop relationships with staff members in other departments that interact frequently with their home department as well as other team members.

Supportive Components

• Residents participate in Mentoring sessions and circles that extend throughout the first year of professional practice.
• Residents participate in Debriefing sessions that assist with developing healthy coping strategies and foster a healthy-work-life balance.

Measurement and Evaluation

• Residents will be required to complete at Performance Gap Analysis the first week in order to individualize their learning plan.
• Residents will complete evaluations throughout the program.
• Post-Residency metrics will be collected annually for 5 years.
• All participants in the residency program (Preceptor, Mentor, Debriefer, Subject Matter Expert, Nurse Leaders, etc.) will be asked to provide feedback.
• All of the above data will be compiled into one aggregate report at the end of each cohort and presented to the organization.

Submit online application with cover letter at www.archildrens.org.

3D/3E Surgical

Common patient assignments are patients from newborn to young adult with the following illnesses: fractures, osteomyelitis, spinal fusion, Ilizarov bone lengthening procedures, congenital anomaly repair, Blount's disease, Perthes disease, developmental dysplasia of the hip, orthopedic trauma, ENT procedures, and various medical diagnoses.

3K Infant Toddler Unit (ITU)

Common patient assignments are patients from newborn to three years of age with the following illnesses: failure to thrive, viral respiratory illness, rule out sepsis, child maltreatment syndrome, long term ventilator patients, and multiple other general pediatric medical conditions

4C Medical

Common patient assignments are patients from birth to school age with the following illnesses: cystic fibrosis (both the newly diagnosed patients and those patients experiencing an exacerbation of their disease), nephrology conditions (such as nephrotic syndrome, end-stage renal disease, pre and post-renal transplant, patients who are requiring peritoneal dialysis), respiratory conditions (such as asthma, RSV and pneumonia), gastroenterology conditions (such as reflux and failure to thrive), and infectious diseases (such as Pertussis and influenza).Endocrine(such as Diabetes, New Onset and Diabetic Ketoacidosis) Eating Disorders (such as Anorexia and Bulimia)

4D Neurology

Common patient assignments are patients from newborn to 21 years of age with the following illnesses: epilepsy with 24-hour continuous VEEG monitoring, head injury, brain tumors, spina bifida, and spinal injuries.

5D Progressive Care

Common patient assignments are patients from newborn to 21 years of age with the following illnesses: head injuries, spinal cord injuries, multiple trauma, and pulmonary diseases.

4K Hematology Oncology

Common patient assignments are patients from birth to early adulthood with the following illnesses: blood disorders such as anemia, sickle cell anemia, thrombocytopenia, coagulation disorders, leukemia, childhood cancers, and other malignant diseases.

2D Burn Unit

Common patient assignments are patients from 18 months to 90 years of age with burn injuries.

3C Intermediate Care (IMU)

Common patient assignments are patients from birth to twenty-one years of age with the following illnesses: Respiratory Distress, Trauma and Head Injury, Sepsis, and Post-Operative Observation. Serves as Step Down and “Watcher” Unit.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Common patient assignments are patients from birth to twenty-one years of age with the following illnesses: Critically ill Children with Respiratory Distress, Trauma and Head Injury, Sepsis, and Post-Operative States.

Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)

Common patient assignments are patients from birth to Adult with the following illnesses: congenital cardiac anomalies and rhythm disorders. Step Down and Intensive Care Unit.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Common patient assignments are patients from birth to two years of age with the following illnesses: respiratory distress, surgical anomalies, genetic defects, and prematurity.

Emergency Department (ED)

Common patient assignments are patients from birth to 21 years of age with life-threatening or emergent injuries and illnesses.

Operating Room

Common patient assignments are patients from newborn to adult with conditions requiring surgical intervention in services of: orthopedic, genitourinary, burn, ENT, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, plastic reconstructive, general, laser treatment, and/or dental.

Special Staffing Team/RN Float Pool ICU and Med.Surg

Floats to PICU, CVICU, NICU, ED, Burn, IMU, and all Med-Surgical units

For questions regarding program details, please email nurse.residency@archildrens.org.

For questions regarding applying online or application timelines, please email jobs@archildrens.org.

• Graduate from an accredited nursing program *ASN graduates who are selected will be expected to enroll in a BSN program within 6 months of completing the immersion period and will have 3 years to complete their BSN*
• GPA 3.0 Preferred.
• Selected candidates must pass the NCLEX and possess a permanent Arkansas or compact state RN license prior to the start of the residency.

Not eligible if current Arkansas Children's employee with active PIP within past 12 months.

How many hours per week do the nurse residents work?

Full-time residency positions require 72 hours per two-week pay period for the full 52 weeks, which may include some weekends and holidays. The number of hours per week change to accommodate both classroom and clinical time.

Do I get vacation time during my residency?

Residents will accrue the same vacation as all new nurses; however, the RN Residency requires full-time employment. Vacation or other activities requiring an absence is discouraged during this time period. Any scheduled time off will require the approval of the hiring manager and residency coordinator prior to the start of the Residency.

What benefits does the residency program offer?

All health care and retirement benefits offered to any new hire apply to those selected for the Arkansas Children's Hospital RN Residency Program.

What types of scrubs are allowed?

Nurses wear navy blue scrubs. Long sleeve shirts and scrub jackets are allowed in certain colors. Learn more about the Arkansas Children's Dress Code.

Cohorts start three times a year for new graduate RNs: February, July, and October.