Graduate Nurse - Behavioral Health Residency Program

Perform similar and related duties as required.

At Waterbury Hospital we offer our GN’s with scheduled hours: 32 hours a week, every other weekend. Days 7-3;
Evenings 3-11;
Nights 11-7.

• Competitive pay – including generous differentials
• Educational Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment options
• Health, dental and vision
• Paid Time Off (vacation/sick/holiday)
• Sign on bonuses
• Generous student loan forgiveness
• Defined Benefit Pension
• 401K retirement savings
• Elective benefits, including identity protection
• Clinical Ladders
• Free on-site parking

As a member of the multi-disciplinary care delivery team, the professional nurse practices, delegates, and collaborates with other team members to facilitate the coordination and delivery of patient care for assigned patient population. Report to Department Director or designee.

• Utilizing the nursing process develop and implement a plan of care and demonstrate leadership to ensure all patient/family needs are met, considering age specific factors.
• Contribute to the efficient operation of the patient care area, delegating responsibilities to appropriate members of the care delivery team based upon an understanding of others' roles, scope of practice, knowledge, and capabilities to ensure optimal utilization of personnel. Apply the principles of case management to patient care, and exercise autonomy, capability and motivation to be identified as one of the principal caregivers for the patient, providing and/or referring services across the continuum of care.
• Promote a professional and collaborative approach to patient care, communicating appropriately with all members of the care team while working cooperatively to resolve problems and ensure excellence in clinical practice.
• Actively participate in initiatives to ensure quality outcomes of patient care.
• Maintain required knowledge and skills; complete general/unit/department specific competencies.
• Demonstrate skills and judgment necessary to manage routine, urgent and crisis psychiatric situations by group therapy methods in the context of a therapeutic milieu. Identifies the appropriate care/treatment for the population served which includes adolescent, adult and/or geriatric patients.
• Perform similar and related duties as required.

We are currently hiring for Summer 2025 residency cohorts.

Waterbury Hospital provides new graduate nurses the opportunity to participate in a 12-month supportive paid Nurse Residency Program designed to facilitate newly licensed nurses’ successful transition into clinical practice by providing support, resources, and mentorship. This program is designed to provide new nurses with the tools to successfully navigate their professional nursing journey, help them gain confidence and increase competence during their first year.

Nurse Residents will be hired directly to a specialty area where they will receive focused 1:1 training with a nurse preceptor. In addition to clinical immersion on the unit, Nurse Residents meet in a classroom format throughout their first year to share experiences and participate in learning activities. Each resident will develop and implement an evidence-based teaching project over the course of the program.

Who is eligible for/enrolled in the Nurse Residency Program at Waterbury Hospital?

• Every newly licensed RN (completion of NCLEX with active CT RN license) with less than one-year experience
• Program enrollment is based on hire date (summer cohorts are automatically enrolled)

Graduates of this 12-month program will:

• Gain nursing leadership skills that drive performance and enhance patient care
• Develop higher levels of competence, critical thinking, and clinical judgment
• Incorporate research-based evidence into their practices to advance safe, high-quality nursing care
• Successfully navigate high acuity environments and collaborate with interdisciplinary team members
• Meet regularly with educator/mentor to reflect on experience and discuss opportunities for growth
• Develop and implement an evidence-based teaching project to address a clinical practice gap

• Ed…