nurse residency program

Start your career with the Magnet recognized nursing team at Dayton Children’s. The nurse residency program will provide an opportunity to develop your clinical and leadership skills in a supportive, hands-on environment. 

The 12-month nurse residency program is an immersive program to support the newly graduated registered nurse while transitioning from novice toward competent professional nurse in the clinical environment. Residents will be presented with opportunities to socialize, hone critical-thinking and evidence-based decision-making skills, interact with peers and leaders, while learning about topics such as patient and family experience, quality care and ethics.  

The nurse residency program begins with an in-depth orientation which helps new graduate nurses attain and maintain the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to provide safe care to patients and families and successfully navigate through the first year as a registered nurse.  

position requirements: 

• Graduation from an accredited^* nursing education program with less than 12-months of RN experience
• Employment is contingent upon passing the NCLEX, obtaining an Ohio registered nurse license and meeting pre-employment requirements
• A desire to work in an environment that respects diversity and inclusiveness
• BLS Healthcare Provider Certification
• During the first 8 weeks, nurse residents are expected to work 36-40 hours per week

^*Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) 

application & interview process

Applications for nurse residency program are accepted all year long. Apply for any track in the nurse residency program by clicking here. See detailed descriptions of each track below.

What to expect after you apply for the Nurse Residency Program:

• Complete and submit the video interview.
• You will be contacted within 2 weeks of submitting the video interview with next steps.
• If selected, a panel interview will be scheduled with leaders from the track(s) you applied.
• Employment offers will occur based on the table below. nurse residency cohort start date

anticipated graduation	interviews	offers extended by	cohort state date
Spring	October - December	December 31	April - July
Summer	January - March	March 31	Aug - October
Fall/Winter	May - July	July 31	December - March

As needed, interviews and start times will occur between cohort start dates. Details will be shared if the additional dates are needed. View our nurse residency program flier here. 

program tracks

• Specialty pediatrics (medical/surgical, hematology/oncology, float) 

  • This track includes 3 west, 7 specialty pediatrics, 8 specialty pediatrics, hematology/oncology and house float. 3 west, 7 specialty pediatrics and 8 specialty pediatrics provide inpatient nursing care for general medical/surgical patients. The hematology/oncology unit offers specialized care for patients diagnosed with cancer, sickle cell and blood related disorders. The house float department provides nursing care for the children by floating to the various inpatient units, the emergency department and perioperative services.

• Critical care (NICU, PICU, TCU) 

  • This track includes newborn intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit and transitional care unit. The newborn intensive care unit is a level III tertiary care center for the treatment of sick neonates and neonates requiring surgery. The pediatric intensive care unit provides the environment to care for critically ill pediatric patients. The transitional care unit provides care for children with chronic care needs who are technology dependent and need close observation.

• Emergency services (emergency department) 

  • The track includes the emergency departments at main and south campuses.  The emergency department provides urgent and emergent treatment for acutely ill patients.  

• Behavioral health 

  • This track includes the inpatient behavioral health unit.  The behavioral health unit stabilize a child in crisis in a safe, comfortable and supportive environment then connect that child to ongoing outpatient therapy. The healing process begins on the unit through a combination of traditional talk therapy, art, music and movement therapy.

• Perioperative services (pre-op, OR, PACU) 

  • This track includes the perioperative nursing care during the intraoperative period for patients undergoing a surgical procedure.

• Home care (Children's Home Care of Dayton) 

  • Dayton Children's provides pediatric home care to children in over 21 counties with needs ranging from managing chronic illness and premature births to patient/family education, palliative care and recovery from hospitalizations. 

program curriculum

Following a one-week hospital and nursing orientation, department specific orientation will begin including clinical experiences in their home department as well as additional clinical areas. Clinical experiences are supplemented with a variety of interactive courses covering:

• Pediatric-focused clinical care
• Safety and quality
• Communication, delegation and team dynamics
• Patient experience
• Hospital acquired conditions
• Healthy work environment
• Professional development
• Evidence based-practice
• Business and changes in healthcare
• Cybersecurity
• Regulatory readiness and compliance
• Self-care: stress management, work/life balance, wellness

for more information

If you have questions about beginning your career at Dayton Children’s, please call employee experience at 937-641-5627.

If you have questions or need additional information about the nurse residency program, please email nursingexcellence@childrensdayton.org.