Nurse Residency Critical Care Pathway

Students graduating December 2026 or sooner
- Join us on June 1, 2026 at our Newark Campus for a Nurse Residency Open House. Nurse Residency Open House
- June 1, 2026 Fill out form to register and for more information.

Application will be open until 11:59pm August 16th

Calling all Senior Nursing Students, Nurse Graduates and new RN's, it is time to apply for our Critical Care
Pathway
Nurse Residency
Track
starting Spring 2027!

The Christiana Care Nurse Residency Program is accredited with distinction as a Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Centers Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs.

Research validates that new to practice nurses completing a structured and accredited residency program leads to:

• increase in competency
• reduction of error
• reduced self-reported stress
• increased job satisfaction

Therefore, we are committed to supporting all 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 date of interview.

Participating units may include:

• 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 up through their first year of practice to further develop as professional nurses and integral members of our caregiver team.

Nurse residents are required to pass State Boards and be licensed as a RN in the State of Delaware (or compact state) prior to starting the position. Upon hire, a commitment agreement to work at the 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 fill this commitment will be charged $10,000.

Requirements:

• Graduating from accredited nursing school before March 2027 (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

How to apply:

• In the section "My Experience," on the application, be sure to 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 us with your clinical instructors information.

What to Expect After Application and Timeline:

• Communication from Talent Acquisition Team about specific next steps including: video interview and clinical references completed through third party vendors Hey Milo and Skill Survey (respectively).
• Applications to be sent…