Texas Children's Internship Program Helps Graduate Nurses Transition Into Pediatric Staff Nurses

A comprehensive internship program at Texas Children's Hospital assists graduate nurses in making the challenging transition from student to pediatric staff nurse.

"Most nursing schools offer only half a semester to a semester of pediatrics," says Kristi Kana, coordinator in Texas Children's clinical training and development department. "Our program is designed to provide a more in-depth overview of care of infants and children with classroom instruction, skills lab and interactive discussion to support the clinical experience."

Texas Children's, in collaboration with clinical nurse educators, developed the program to support the transition of the graduate from school to practice. The program takes place each year in June and January. Graduate nurses select from four tracks within the internship program to focus their development: acute care, special care, perioperative and emergency care.

After attending a week of the hospital's centralized orientation, Texas Children's newly hired graduate nurses attend internship classes and transitional support sessions. In between attending classes, interns gain hands-on clinical experience working on a designated hospital unit.

Transitional support sessions also are an important part of the internship program. These sessions assist new nurses in managing conflict, communicating, prioritizing work and collaborating effectively with others.

"There can be a great amount of stress for a graduate nurse working in a new environment," says Kana. "The interns have found the transitional support sessions to be a very constructive and beneficial strategy for helping them adjust. The discussions also provide a great opportunity for graduate nurses to network with one another and realize they are not alone in their experiences."

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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