OLEAN, NY – Olean General Hospital (OGH) celebrated it’s first-ever cohort of nurses to graduate from the OGH nurse residency program. The year-long program celebrated the graduation of 18 nurses at a pinning ceremony held on Wednesday, June 26.

Photo 1: (from left) Ashley Ameis, RN, nurse residency graduate is presented her certificate of completion from Suzanne Soltysik, DNP, RN-BC, NPD-BC, CNE, clinical nurse educator, and Jennifer Ruggles, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer, BRMC, OGH.

Photo 2: (from left) Alicea Nickerson, RN, and Jocelyn Huselstein, RN, presenting their evidence-based research project and certificate of completion. 

The nurses that graduated from the residency program included Ashley Ameis, RN, Mackenzie Crowe, RN, Kaleigh Donavon, BS, RN, Jacqueline Farrell, RN, Jamie Higley, RN, Jocelyn Huselstein, RN, Morgan Kasprzyk, RN, Alyssah Lanworthy, RN, Ryan Malanowski, RN, Jennifer Minard, RN, Alicea Nickerson, RN, Logan Nolder, RN, Grace Norton, RN, Taneasha Schaeper, BS, RN, Rosey Thomas, BSN, RN, Mark Thornton, BSN, RN, Devin Washington, RN, and Lindsey Wind, RN.     

            The nurse residency program initiated at OGH with this group who were onboarded as graduate nurses (GNs) in 2023. The one-year program was created in effort to improve retention of nurses, create a sense of community through mentorship and develop a connection to resources throughout the organization, as well as support the new nurses to continue to be life-long learners as they prepare to earn their bachelor’s degree. The program provides the graduate nurses with monthly hands-on training in addition to each participant having to develop an evidence-based research project specific to a unit, department, or hospital wide at OGH.

            Prior to the pinning ceremony each group were able to present their evidence-based projects. One project that was presented was “how does improving knowledge of the emergency department triage process improve patient satisfaction with emergency department visits?” Highlighted in the research was how information provided to patients in the emergency room in a simplified way which included how patients are evaluated and the order of treatment could improve their overall experience.

“I’m so proud of this group of nurses and the work they’ve accomplished in the year since joining us,” said Jennifer Ruggles, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer, Bradford Regional Medical Center, OGH. “There has been a lot of work into this program by the clinical education department and nursing leaders to help improvement nurse satisfaction and retention. The 2023 GN retention rate of 92% demonstrates the purpose of the nurse residency program and improvement of job satisfaction here at OGH.”

This year BRMC and OGH have hired 19 graduate nurses who will start the nurse residency program in July. The goal of the organization is to continue to hire local, community-oriented nurses to displace the high-cost agency staff throughout both BRMC and OGH. Over the past two years, agency costs have been cutdown to one-fifth of previous costs and reduced to more than half of what it was in 2022.