Nurse Residency Fall Critical Care Pathway

Overview

Calling all Senior Nursing Students, Nurse Graduates and new RN's, it is time to apply for our Critical Care Nurse Residency Track starting Fall 2026. The Christiana Care 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.

• Final date to receive applications is Sunday, April 12th at 11:59pm.
• Applications to be sent for review by residency coordinators on April 20th.
• The required tasks (Skill Survey and Hire Vue) must be completed BEFORE April 20th in order to be considered.
• Digital real-time interviews will be May 20 – June 5, 2026.
• Offers to be made towards the middle of June 2026.
• Nurse Residency Positions start December 7, 2026.

The Critical Care Pathway Nurse Residency Track supports registered nurses with under one year of experience through a nurse residency specialty track. This exciting curriculum integrates:

• Lecture and simulation education
• Peer support
• Preceptor-led clinical experiences structured to foster critical thinking, evidence-based practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, effective communication, quality and safety, and professional development.

The critical care pathway nurse resident will first complete 5–6 weeks of intensive preceptor-led training on a stepdown unit, with mentorship from the critical care nurse residency coordinator, to improve and demonstrate clinical excellence in time management, prioritization, and critical thinking. Following stepdown training, residents will then complete up to 18 weeks of clinical training in their ICU of hire. Candidates new to the organization or internal and seeking employment in a different unit will complete a secondary interview with the ICU management teams to determine unit of hire during their last week of stepdown training.

Shadow experiences within the hiring critical care units at our Newark, Wilmington, and/or Cecil campuses will be provided for these candidates prior to the date of interview.

• Surgical ICU (Shock/Trauma)
• Neuro ICU
• Medical ICU
• Cardiovascular ICU
• Wilmington campus ICU (Medical/Surgical combination)

The critical care pathway nurse resident completes up to 26 total weeks of preceptor-led training followed by continued residency seminars through their first year of practice to further develop as professional nurses and integral members of our caregiver team.

Licensure and Commitment: Nurse residents are required to pass State Boards and be licensed as an RN in the State of Delaware (or compact state) prior to starting the position. Upon hire, a commitment agreement to work at Christiana Care will be signed. The agreement requires completion of two years within Christiana Care and 15 months of those two years on the unit of hire.

Individuals unable to fulfill this commitment will be charged $10,000.

• Graduating from accredited nursing school before October 2026 (BSN Preferred)
• BLS required
• Less than 12 months of nursing experience by the start of the program
• Eligible for Delaware license as a Graduate Nurse/Registered Nurse
• Working, clinical, or shadow experience in Critical Care is preferred

• In the section "My Experience," on the application, upload your cover letter and transcripts in the section "Resume/CV/Other Documents." PDF format works best.
• Submit a cover letter for the Critical Care Pathway Nurse Residency Track expressing your interest in this specific program/specialty.
• Please address your cover letter to Tara Miles.
• Resume
• Transcript (unofficial)
• Two clinical recommendations will be required, but not at the time of the application. If it is determined the minimum qualifications are met, a separate email will be sent from Skill Survey (an outside vendor) for you to provide your clinical instructors’ information.

• Communication from Talent Acquisition Team about specific next steps including video interview and clinical references completed through third party vendors Hire Vue and Skill Survey.

If you have any issues with your application or any…