For Nurses Week, The Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program (IONRP) aired a special episode of their Beyond Nurse Residency podcast featuring three program coordinators and their residents who utilize IONRP’s all-online option, sharing their experiences and insights into the residency program.
While the entire episode is informative and powerful, of particular interest is the last 20 minutes of the program (beginning at 31:50) which features Hospice Nurse Resident Katrina Hess and TRU Clinical Education Supervisor and On-Site Coordinator for the IONRP Rachel Stackhouse.
During the interview, Katrina and Rachel discuss how TRU Community Care has pioneered something remarkable – a new graduate nurse residency program in hospice care. Rachel explains how TRU didn’t even hire new graduate nurses until partnering with IONRP in 2022, and how they’ve built a comprehensive year-long program that combines the Iowa curriculum with specialized hospice training, including ELNEC (End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium) and NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthcare Elders) certifications.
Katrina shares her journey as a new nurse in hospice, including how the program normalized the challenges of transitioning from nursing school to professional practice. She highlights the invaluable support from Rachel, describing how their monthly meetings and regular check-ins help connect theoretical concepts to the unique hospice setting while providing emotional support through the intense experiences of working with end-of-life care.
Perhaps most compelling is Rachel’s insight about the “Grow or Go” phase that occurs around months 6-9 for new hospice nurses – a critical decision point when nurses must process their experiences with death, suffering, and the emotional weight of hospice care, choosing whether to develop resilience or change paths. As the podcast reveals, TRU’s thoughtful implementation of the IONRP has created a supportive environment where new graduates can thrive in this specialized field, ultimately benefiting not just the organization but the nursing profession as a whole.
Listen to the Beyond Nurse Residency podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts.
