New Graduate RN Residency Program

At Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, the heart of Stanford Medicine Children's Health, we offer exceptional opportunities for current students and recent graduates to complete their residency. Our program greatly enhances your education through exposure to many of today’s top medical advancements and the individuals responsible for them. If you’re passionate about caring for babies, children and caregivers and want to begin your career learning from a world-class leader in pediatrics and obstetrics, then start with Stanford Medicine Children's Health.

We've partnered with Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the nursing profession, to develop a comprehensive new graduate RN residency program. This unique one-year Residency is different from the traditional new graduate program because it provides an evidenced-based transition to prepare new graduate nurses for the highly complex and fast-paced acute care environment.

New graduates will also benefit from:

• A supportive network of senior nurses and debriefers to augment your education through professional, clinical experience expertise
• One-on-one guided clinical experience with a preceptor
• On-site classes and simulation-based education
• An easy-to-use web portal and supportive self-care/debriefing groups

Program Requirements - Fall 2025:

• Must be a Graduate of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Master's - level practice program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN, former NLNAC) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Note: Degree conferral date between June 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, for our Fall 2025 Cohort. 
• Must hold current unencumbered Registered Nurse licensure, issued by the State of California, by August 11, 2025, for our Fall 2025 Cohort.  Note: Interim permits are not accepted
• Must hold current Basic Life Support Certification, issued by the American Heart Association (AHA), by August 11, 2025, for our Fall 2025 Cohort. Note: Additional Life Support Certification requirements for hire, will be defined at time of offer, contingent on the requirements of the hiring department 
• May not have any paid work experience as a Registered Nurse (RN), before the start of Fall 2025 Cohort. 
• Must have a 3.5 or above cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) on a 4.0 grading scale.  Note: G.P.A. rounded to the nearest tenth.
• Must be willing to commit to a one (1) year Residency Program.

Program Applicant Documentation - Fall 2025:

• Current Resume.
• Nursing program transcripts. Note: Unofficial copies are accepted. 
• Clinical Hours Table. Note: Linked table template must be populated and submitted as a standalone document.
• Two (2) signed letters of recommendation ("wet" or electronic signature). Note:  A maximum of two (2) letters are accepted. 
• One (1) of the signed letters of recommendation must be written by a Clinical Preceptor, which speaks to one's performance in the clinical setting and potential for success as a nurse.  
• Note: A clinical nurse preceptor is an employee of the hospital/clinical site, who provides mentorship and guidance to a single nursing student during their assigned clinical rotation. The recommendation does not need to be from one's final practicum/senior preceptorship, it can be written by a clinical nurse preceptor from any rotation completed in a clinical setting.

** All supporting documentation must be submitted by the close date, to regard one's application as complete for consideration. **
** Additional and/or amended documentation cannot be accepted after application close. **

• Short Essay Preparation (250-word limit):  LPCH's Professional Practice Model for nursing is to care with open minds, hearts, and hands.
  Describe a difficult/challenging situation you encountered in a clinical setting, with a patient and/or a patient's family member. Please include the situation, action you took, outcome, how you embodied LPCH'S Professional Practice Model and what you learned. Note: Your essay response will be submitted in the questionnaire section of the application.  

Participating Units – Fall 2025:  

• Maternity Unit *
• Intermediate Care Nursery (ICN) - Level II *
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) - Level IV *
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) *

Program Requirements and Review Timelines:                                                     

Fall 2025 Cohort   

Spring 2026 Cohort   

** Please note. For each cohort, program guidelines, participating units, and review timelines are subject to change. **

Program Overview and Supporting Documentation: 

Recorded Informational Webinar - Fall 2025 Cohort; Passcode: ^S99P=D4 

Professional Practice Model 
Clinical Hours Table

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Please direct questions to: [email protected]