Bay Pines VA nurses complete residency program

Bay Pines VA remains committed to improving the Veteran experience. One way it does this is by ensuring future nurses are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to serve those who served us.

Recently, Bay Pines VA nurse residents Nee Nguyen, Emily Warner and Nneka Sinclair were highlighted by VA’s Office of Academic Affiliations for being the first cohort to complete the Post-Baccalaureate Registered Nurse Residency (PB-RNR) program.

“Bay Pines is one of 61 VA facilities across the nation to have this prestigious residency,” said Bay Pines VA PB-RNR Program Director Dr. Cindy Bratcher. “The goal of the program is to build a pipeline of highly skilled Bachelor of Science in Nursing-prepared nurses.”

Honing decision making skills

The PB-RNR program is a 12-month paid residency that helps recent nursing school graduates transition from the classroom environment to clinical practice by providing participants the opportunity to hone their critical thinking and decision making skills.

“During their residency, the nurses spent two eight-hour days per month learning in a classroom environment. The rest of their time was spent doing clinical rotations throughout the facility with the goal of providing them as much exposure to different areas,” Bratcher said.

Pictured above, left to right: Emily Warner, Nee Nguyen, Dr. Cindy Bratcher and Nneka Sinclair.

Introducing participants to the various modalities of care offered across the health care system helped them gain a deeper understanding of the scope of care provided to Veterans while also helping them identify their passion.

“I have an interest in Intensive Care and psychological health,” said Warner. “This program provides an immersive experience to help you find out what you like while gaining additional knowledge.”

Gaining confidence in nursing skills

Sinclair, another participant of the program, said, “This program has helped me gain confidence in my skills as a nurse. I’m always learning new things from the staff as well as my fellow program participants.”

The enhanced confidence and skills that residents gain directly correlates to the quality of care provided to Veterans. “The Veterans we see are like family,” said Nguyen. “We have so much support from all the staff and everyone goes above and beyond to give back to the Veterans here.”

“I come from a long line of Veterans,” said Sinclair. “I’ve seen firsthand the hard work that Veterans have done and I believe there’s a level of respect and care they deserve.”

The second cohort of three residents will start in August of 2024 and graduate in the summer of next year.