New Graduate Nurse Residency Program
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Our nurse residency program supports newly licensed nurses in their first year of professional practice and is one of only 29 programs in Illinois to be accredited with distinction by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center. This prestigious recognition highlights our commitment to supporting new graduate nurses’ transition to practice and setting them up for the next steps in their careers.
Being a nurse at a hospital specializing in physical rehabilitation is unlike any other nursing experience.
Our nurses practice within a highly supportive, collaborative interdisciplinary environment — working closely with and learning from exceptional physicians, researchers and therapists every day.
About the Program:
The program is 10 months long and includes:
- Evidence-based self-care curriculum
- In-person nurse residency cohort course sessions
- Practice-based learning
- Online learning modules
- On-unit experiences with a preceptor and clinical instructor
- Organizational orientation
- Research experience
- Supplemental activities to boost skills acquisition and foster clinical judgment
Program Benefits
- Move from entry-level competency to a proficient rehabilitation nurse expert
- Newly graduated nurses expand their training
and knowledge - Network with intra- and interdisciplinary leaders
Program Eligibility
- Less than 12 months of relevant experience
- Licensed RN
Apply & Contact
Apply for any open full-time inpatient registered nurse position. Enrollment is automatic upon hire based on eligibility.
Professional Nursing Advancement Program
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Our peer-directed program empowers, facilitates and recognizes clinical nursing professional development. For nurses, we have three levels of development — Specialist, Expert and Scholar — and each level varies in focus and eligibility requirements.
The program requires at least one year of nursing experience at the time of application. Applicants with prior nursing experience from another institution have an opportunity to apply for Specialist or Expert level if they successfully fulfill the requirements and have completed the 90-day probationary period after hire.
Tuition Reimbursement and Continuing Education
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- Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 annually
- Reimbursement for RN specialty certification costs including paid annual dues
- Unlimited free CE credits for RNs through the staff education portal & CE Direct
97% of our clinical nurses have BSN or higher degree – ranking us nearly 20% higher than most other hospitals. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab supports nurses' continuing education with a variety of programs.
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accredited provider of Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD).
DAISY and BEE Awards
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The DAISY Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care that nurses provide every day. Sponsored by the DAISY Foundation, the award was established in 1999 to honor the late J. Patrick Barnes after his death from complications related to an auto-immune disease.
The BEE Award is a recognition program to celebrate the patient care from our Patient Care Technicians.
We join hundreds of hospitals around the world in celebrating our nurses through nominations from their patients, patient families and caregivers, colleagues and others in our organization.
Mentioned Page
The DAISY & BEE Nursing Awards
PageCNA Career Accelerator Program
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This unique opportunity — funded through Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Robert R. McCormick Foundation Center for Hope and Equity — provides a fully paid fast track to educate, certify and employ certified nursing assistants (CNAs), also known as patient care technicians (PCTs). PCTs provide basic care to our patients, including basic hygiene, activities of daily living, and therapeutic rehabilitation activities. It is open to both Shirley Ryan AbilityLab team members and anyone from the community looking for a career change.
Over eight weeks, students attend classes, followed by clinical experiences and additional classwork. Students are paid for their time in class and receive free tuition and course materials.
After completing the program, graduates are eligible to become PCTs after passing a final exam and test administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
To learn more or apply, contact our recruitment team.