Kaiser Permanente Northern California recognized for nurse excellence

Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s nurse residency program received the Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) with Distinction from the American Nurses Credentialing Center making it among the largest programs in the United States recognized for successfully training new nurses.

The internationally renowned credentialing program recognizes health care organizations that promote nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes while providing safe, positive work environments. All 21 hospitals in Northern California participated in the regional nurse residency program and collectively they were all awarded the PTAP with Distinction.

Hospitals with the PTAP improve structures and processes by creating robust, comprehensive programs for nurses’ transitions into and within the profession.

“This is a testament to our culture of nursing excellence, and the incredible support our team provides new nurses,” said Benson Yeung, RN, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Regional Director for Patient Care Services. “We recognize the value this accreditation has not only for our nurse residents, but for our staff who work alongside them and the patients they care for.”

Nursing excellence leads to higher retention rates

This recognition validates the higher level of nursing practice at Kaiser Permanente. Using evidence-based curriculum, Kaiser Permanente nurse residents participate in a collaborative learning environment to successfully transition into clinical practice.

Nurse residents are given the opportunity to work with experienced staff and learn in acute care clinical settings to be better prepared and more confident as they enter the workforce – and most are choosing to remain at Kaiser Permanente.

Ninety-two percent of nurse residency graduates remain with Kaiser Permanente after one year, compared to the national average of just 62 percent.

What this has meant to nursing students

Jessica Richardson, RN, graduated from the nurse residency program in May 2022 and is now a labor and delivery nurse at Kaiser Permanente Roseville. She said she chose to pursue her nursing career at Kaiser Permanente because of all the support provided to nurses.

“I feel like Kaiser Permanente really does take care of you,” she said. “The resources they provide you, the community of nurses they have. The managers are so well-versed and supportive.”

Richardson said having an accredited nurse residency program shows how dedicated Kaiser Permanente is to training future nurses.

“This is really exciting and it’s great to see Kaiser Permanente being recognized for the opportunities they’ve created,” she said.