St. Michael Versant Residency

The Residency Program at St. Michael Medical Center nurtures new registered nurse (RN) professionals. It prepares them to practice at a higher level, to confront daily challenges, and to help change the workplace for the better. This process, for expediting the transition from student to competent staff nurse, is constructed in a 12-18 week program based off the individual’s experiences and competencies; with additional time available for training in specialty units. Versant has created a Competency-Based model, which is a comprehensive, systematic, and standardized approach designed to onboard new graduates into their professional role with multi-layered support.

At the beginning of the residency, residents complete a Performance Gap Analysis, to identify their strengths and weaknesses as an RN. A personalized learning plan is created, which is used to guide the new RN’s development. The new RN is provided with classroom time, unit time with a trained preceptor, and performance support tools (independent study) designed to ensure success. Versant’s competency-based approach to education aligns with the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses Institute (QSEN)’s national competency statements, as well as many other professional organizations.

This structured residency program supports the new graduate, and their success demonstrated by the competency and confidence of the new nurse at the end of 12-18 weeks compared to nurses at 18 months who were on-boarded traditionally without the benefit of a structured residency program. This acceleration of competence has direct and tangible benefits to both organizations and nurses alike.

The Community Foundation has provided financial support to the Versant Residency program at St. Michael since its beginning in 2009. The St. Michael Medical Center Foundation has raised in excess of three million dollars, to date, to support new nurse training! This community support has helped prepare our new graduate RN’s since its inception and continues to grow each year!

When you are deciding where to begin your career, it is important to select an organization that has made a commitment to invest in its most valuable resource-its nurses!

• Emergency
• Operating Room
• Medical/Surgical
• Progressive Care
• Ortho In-Patient
• Family Birth Center
• Float Pool
• Critical Care
• Oncology
• Heart and Vascular Center
• Medical/Surgical Observation Unit

We offer two orientation sessions throughout the year respectively beginning in February and August.

• For the February start date, applications are accepted from Sept. 20 to Oct. 20 of the previous year. Applicants will be notified of their interview date/time by Oct. 31.
• For the August start date, applications are accepted from March 20 to April 20. Notification of interview date/time will occur by April 30.
• Applicants are required to have graduated from an accredited associate or baccalaureate nursing program with a 3.0 GPA or higher
• Candidates must pass the NCLEX prior to the start of the program, but not necessarily prior to the interview
• WA State RN License or an emergency interim permit MUST be active at least two weeks prior to the Cohort start date
• Successful candidates will be required to sign a two year commitment contract

The first step is to complete the online application on our Careers site. Search for "Versant" using the search bar.

Once that is completed, and if you meet the above minimum requirements, you will receive an email from a recruiter requesting that you provide the following packet to complete the application process.

• Current resume
• Two professional letters of recommendation including signature
• An essay describing how you decided to become an RN, strengths/talents you can offer the team, and what you hope to take away from the program
• Top three choices of clinical area in order of preference
• Current nursing school transcript

For more information, contact Kira White, St. Michael Versant Residency Coordinator, at [email protected].