Nursing residency programs retain more New Mexican nurses
New Mexico is short around six thousand nurses, so state hospitals focus on bringing aspiring nurses into the industry through nursing residency programs.
It can be nerve-racking working on a hospital floor for the first time. Jocelyn Wickens is a nursing educator who faced that challenge herself.
"When I heard of residency, I was like, 'this is it. This is what I must do,'" Wickens said.
Wickens began her journey through a nursing residency program. "It gave me the comfort of knowing, this is what I chose, this is exactly what I want to do," Wickens said.
Tim Johnsen is the chief operating officer for Presbyterian Healthcare Services.
"A nurse residency program is one where either new graduate nurses or nurses wanting to enter a different nursing field get programs developed for them," Johnsen said.