SVMC Celebrates Accredited Nursing Residency Graduates

BENNINGTON, VT—June 24, 2022—Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), graduated eight nurses from its Transition-to-Practice Nurse Residency Program. The program is the first program in the state and one of only 208 in the United States to have received accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Practice Transition Accreditation Program for nurses working in the medical-surgical, women’s and children’s, and emergency departments. Accreditation for the intensive care unit is expected to be obtained later this year. Current students in the program joined the graduates in celebrating their completion.

The year-long program is completed during the students’ first year of employment and as they serve in nursing roles across the organization. Monthly meetings connect RNs with nurse educators, leaders, and skilled preceptors for mentorship. They incorporate clinical skills assessments and hone the interpersonal and organizational skills needed to coordinate care with a team of health care providers on the job. Topics for group sessions include communication, leadership, inter-professional teamwork, evidence-based practice, and ethics. Skill sessions provided new graduate nurses opportunities to gain confidence in the hands-on aspects of their work.

“We are very proud of these distinguished graduates,”  said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, the chief nursing officer and vice president for Patient Care Services at SVMC. “Each of them is prepared for a long and successful career in the field of nursing.”

Seated, left to right: Graduates Pauline Evans, BSN, RN, of Medical-Surgical; Caraline Sprague, RN, of Medical-Surgical; Rebekah Keasbey, BSN, RN, of ICU; and Regina Johnson, RN, of Medical-Surgical. Standing, left to right: Current students Leanne Hallenbeck, MS, RN, of ICU; Tayler Ferris-Dow, RN, of the Emergency Department; Mariah Micare, RN, of the Emergency Department; Michael Sigsbury, BSN, RN, of the Emergency Department; and Alison Camarda, MSN, RN, director of Clinical Education. Graduates not pictured include Christina Cooper, BSN, RN, of Women’s and Children’s Services; Sam Irion, RN, of the Emergency Department; Daelyn Peterson, BSN, RN, of Medical-Surgical; and Claire Quigley, BSN, RN, of the Emergency Department.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, healthcare system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index in 2020 and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. The health system is fortunate to have the support of platinum-level corporate sponsor Mack, a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts based in Arlington, VT.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.