Transition Programs

Nursing excellence is front and center to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford’s patient and family-centered care. We engage and empower professional nurses. CPEI has several programs that aim to successfully onboard and orient new graduate nurses, new team members and other health care providers who transition from one department to another.

Nurse Residency Program (New Graduate)

The Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program™ (NRP) is used at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford to transition new graduate, baccalaureate and masters prepared nurses to the role of competent RN. The twelve month program includes up to eighteen weeks of clinically precepted experience which is augmented with unit-specific curriculum and monthly seminar sessions. Monthly debriefing sessions led by trained debriefers provide a venue for confidential processing of the residency experience, peer support and problem solving of issues. All residents complete an evidence-based practice project that addresses a unit-specific patient care issue. Other program supporters who provide leadership to the RN Residents include the unit managers, unit-based Nursing Professional Development Specialists (NPDSs), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs), unit nurse preceptors and Nurse Scientist.

The NRP is designed to enable the nurse resident to accomplish the following goals by the conclusion of the 12 month NRP:

  1. Transition from an advanced beginner to a competent professional nurse in the clinical environment.
  2. Provide clinical leadership at the point of care.
  3. Provide evidence-based care linked to practice outcomes.
  4. Build resiliency and compassion for caring for self and others.
  5. Demonstrate ongoing commitment to Nursing at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (LPCHS) and to Nursing as a professional career choice.

SCOPES/Fellowship Program (Experienced Clinical Nurse)

A transition to practice program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford includes the Specialty and Critical Care Orientation Program and Educational Series (SCOPES) which provides nurses with at least two years of experience an opportunity to transition into another specialty area. The goal of the program is to prepare qualified experienced nurses to transition into another specialty of nursing.

One example of a SCOPES program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford is in the pediatric oncology/hematology/stem cell transplant inpatient unit. Various nurses with prior experience in a wide range of disciplines, including adult medical/surgical, emergency and cardiovascular intensive care departments have participated in this program. The SCOPES program is an extended orientation which is structured to enhance support and the quality of the onboarding process.

The SCOPES program provides a structured orientation which includes fundamental didactic and specialty courses, simulation-based education, clinical time on the unit and phased progress monitoring focusing on specialty competency.

The SCOPES program is designed to enable the experienced nurse to accomplish the following goals by the completion of their orientation:

  1. Demonstrate a transition into a pediatric specialty in nursing.
  2. Analyze improvement opportunities for quality and safety patient outcomes.
  3. Develop clinical leadership at the point of care.
  4. Influence a continual commitment to nursing at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (LPCHS) through professional growth.

Onboarding (Advanced Practice Providers)

Every month, we collaborate with our Stanford colleagues to provide a monthly advanced practice provider (APP) onboarding day. This day is designed to introduce newly hired APPs to learn more about organizational policies and procedures, the credentialing and privileging process, information services, clinical documentation and compliance and billing training. APPs also have the opportunity to meet other new APPs as they onboard into their respective subspecialties.