“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 largest private employer, serves patients across New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,300 providers in nearly every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH. Its network of hospitals, outpatient centers, clinics and home care facilities, spans a broad geographical area. Year after year, DHMC is named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is consistently recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, northern New England’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of less than than 60 total nationally; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital (Children’s Hospital at DHMC/CHaD) and more than 20 locations around the region; eight member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont, Hampstead, and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Dartmouth Health Home Care; Dartmouth Health Connected Care Center for Telehealth, serving patients as far away as Texas; and more than 30 primary and multi-specialty clinics across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its partnership with Dartmouth College, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the White River Junction VA Medical Center, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials with international impact. Dartmouth Health and its more than 16,000 employees are committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in the communities it serves and to providing every patient with exceptional, state-of-the-art, personalized care. Learn more at dartmouth-health.org.