“Since 2023, over 90% of our new graduate nurses have remained at SVMC for 12 or more months. SVMC’s specially designed program is a crucial way we support our nurses.”
Alison Camarda, PhD, RN, NPD-BCSouthwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, was recognized recently for excellence in its programming for new registered nurses (RNs).
SVMC is the only hospital in Vermont with a program for new graduate RNs accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP).
SVMC recently received “Accreditation with Distinction” from PTAP, the highest recognition awarded. This is a reaccreditation for SVMC’s Transition to Practice program, which received its first accreditation in 2021.
“The first year of nursing practice is a crucial transition point for new nurses,” said Pamela M. Duchene, PhD, APRN, SVMC’s chief nursing officer and vice president of patient and quality services. “Nationally, almost a quarter of new graduate nurses leave their jobs within the first year. SVMC’s Transition to Practice program works to address that statistic, locally, by providing the education, mentorship and support that nurses need to succeed.”
SVMC’s 12-month program serves nurses in medical-surgical, emergency, intensive care, women’s and children’s services, renal dialysis, and operating room settings. It incorporates clinical skills training, professional development, and peer support to help new nurses navigate their transition into practice. The SVMC nurse education team—led by Alison Camarda, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, director of organizational development and the Magnet Program—spearheaded the successful PTAP accreditation process.
“The effectiveness of this program speaks for itself,” Camarda said. “Since 2023, over 90% of our new graduate nurses have remained at SVMC for 12 or more months. SVMC’s specially designed program is a crucial way we support our nurses.”
Learn more about SVMC’s programs for nurses at svmc.org/Nursing.
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.