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Nurse Residency
Starting your nursing career is a pivotal moment, filled with new challenges, questions, and the desire for guidance and support. The Vizient/AACN™ Accredited Nurse Residency Program (NRP) at Norman Regional Health System is specifically designed to help transition you from a student nurse to a skilled, confident, and accomplished professional nurse. Norman Regional’s structured program offers a comprehensive framework that empowers newly licensed nurses to transition seamlessly into their first professional role, providing the orientation, support, resources, and mentorship needed for success.
At Norman Regional, we are dedicated to your growth and development, ensuring that you have the support necessary to make this transition a positive and successful experience. The Vizient/AACN™ Nurse Residency Program is grounded in evidence-based practices and built on a curriculum developed by subject matter experts nationwide. This program focuses on helping you build a strong foundation for Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) to inform your clinical decision-making and improve our patient outcomes.
By completing the Vizient/AACN™ Nurse Residency Program at Norman Regional, you will not only gain valuable experience but also benefit from a structured and supportive environment designed to foster your professional success and well-being. The program is committed to helping you thrive in your new role, enhance your clinical skills, and solidify your passion for nursing, while contributing to improved patient care and outcomes across the organization.
Accredited Program
The Nurse Residency Program at Norman Regional Health System was awarded Accreditation with Distinction, the highest recognition awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Accreditation Program. This prestigious recognition places the program at the forefront of national standards for nurse residency programs, confirming its alignment with global best practices in supporting new graduate nurses as they transition into clinical roles. The ANCC PTAP is known for establishing rigorous criteria to ensure that residency programs provide comprehensive, high-quality support for nurses during their transition from academic learning to professional practice. Accreditation by the ANCC signals that Norman Regional’s Nurse Residency Program excels in delivering a structured, evidence-based approach that fosters professional development, enhances competency, and promotes continuous quality improvement.
The Norman Regional Nurse Residency Program’s accreditation with distinction underscores the quality and effectiveness of its curriculum and faculty. The program emphasizes critical areas such as evidence-based practice, resident satisfaction, and continuous improvements in patient care and outcomes. This recognition by the ANCC ensures that Norman Regional’s residency program maintains a consistently high standard, enriching the professional journey of new graduate nurses and ultimately leading to improved patient safety and care delivery across the organization.
Norman Regional Health System Nurse Residency Program is accredited with distinction as a Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs.
The current sites included in this accreditation with distinction designation are:
- Norman Regional Hospital
The current practice settings included in this accreditation with distinction designation are:
- Medical-Surgical
- Oncology
- Step Down
- Critical Care
- Labor & Delivery
- Ante/Postpartum
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
- Pediatrics
- Operating Room
- Emergency Department
For more information on ANCC Transition to practice program click here.
View Nurse Resident Jobs
Why should you consider the Vizient/AACN™ Nurse Residency Program at Norman Regional? At the conclusion of the program, you will:
- Make the transition from an advanced beginner nurse to a competent professional nurse in a clinical environment.
- Develop effective decision-making skills related to clinical judgment and performance.
- Provide key clinical nursing leadership at the point of care.
- Strengthen your commitment to nursing as a professional career choice.
- Incorporate research-based evidence linked to practice outcomes into the care you provide.
What does the program entail?
- A one-year commitment to attend mandatory four-hour monthly seminars.
- Participation in a group project of evidence-based practice to influence patient care on your assigned unit.
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Comprehensive transition-to-practice curriculum designed to:
- Help manage stress
- Enhance decision-making skills
- Improve critical-thinking skills
- Facilitate patient safety
- Mentorship provided throughout the transition to practice period.
Contact Us
Julia Burleson, BSN, RN, CHCR
Professional Healthcare Recruiter
Phone: 405-307-1554
E-mail: jburleson@nrh-ok.com
Cassie Chaffin, BSN, RN-CCRN-K
Nurse Residency Coordinator
Phone: 405-307-3160
E-mail: cchaffin@nrh-ok.com
Norman Regional Summer Nurse Extern Program
About the program
Norman Regional Health System’s Nurse Externship program offers nursing students valuable hands-on experience to foster their professional development in the field. Participants gain exposure to our nationally accredited programs and Centers of Excellence. The structured curriculum promotes professional growth by allowing direct observation of registered nurse roles across diverse patient populations. Norman Regional is recognized for creating a supportive and welcoming atmosphere for student nurses.
Learn about Our Nurse Externs
Learn more about our nurse extern program, what you will learn and how to apply.
The Nurse Externship Program at Norman Regional Health System is a nine week, paid externship designed for nursing students seeking hands-on experience in a clinical setting. By working closely with RNs, externs will not only deepen their understanding of the role of the nurse but also enhance their clinical judgment and decision-making abilities in real-time, hands-on situations. Participants in the externship will rotate between two different units at the four-week mark allowing the extern work alongside an RN on the unit to learn the role of the RN, and enhance skills, application of critical decision making, and exposure to the patient population of each unit.
What the program entails:
- Nine week commitment to work (two) 12 hour shifts a week
- Night and weekend shifts may be required
- Complete hospital and nursing orientation during the first week
- Committee involvement to uphold the Norman Way standards
- Actively seek opportunities for growth
Service lines participating:
- Emergency Department, Critical Care, Stepdown, Operating Room
- Labor/Delivery, Women and Children, Newborn Transition Team, NICU and Medical/Surgical Service Lines
Summer Extern Qualifications:
- Must be currently enrolled in an accredited Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree Nursing Program in good standing
- Completed two semesters of Clinical Instruction and have at least one semester left in school
- Have a 2.5 GPA or higher
Applications open in mid-January each year the program is offered.