An Outcomes-Based Comparison of Nurse Residency Graduates to Their Peers in Home Health Setting

This study serves as a review of quality outcome scores for graduates of accredited nurse residency programs (NRP) compared with their case management peers. Although accredited NRPs have been shown to provide organizational benefits, the focus of this study centers on patient outcomes. We reviewed outcomes including Total Normalized Change (TNC) mobility, TNC self-care, Potential Preventable Hospitalization (PPH), 60 Day Acute Care Hospitalization (ACH), Discharge Function Score (DFS), Oral Meds, Ambulation, Dyspnea, Bed Transfers, and Bathing to determine the effectiveness of NRP graduates. Through our review and comparison, we determined that graduates of an accredited NRP perform at the same level or better than their case manager peers who have more experience in nursing. Our study indicates that organizations that benefit from improved retention and job satisfaction related to NRPs may also benefit from improved outcomes.