Stanford Medicine New Grad RN Residency Program

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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 evidence-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 2027 Cohort:

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), with a degree conferral between June 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027.
Must hold current unencumbered Registered Nurse licensure, issued by the State of California, verified by August 10, 2027. Note: Interim permits are not accepted
Must hold current Basic Life Support Certification, issued by the American Heart Association (AHA), verified by August 10, 2027.
May not have any paid work experience as a Registered Nurse (RN), at program start.
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.
- Cumulative grade point average must be 3.5 or above at time of application and maintained at time of degree conferral if selected.
- Cumulative grade point average on nursing program transcript, as calculated by college/university, which may include nursing, pre-requisite, transfer, and general education coursework.
Must be willing to commit to a one (1) year Residency Program.

Program Applicant Documentation - Fall 2027 Cohort:

Current Resume which includes a summary of Clinical Experience
For each clinical rotation, please provide the following:
- Clinical site location
- Department/unit
- Rotation dates
- Total clinical hours
- If the patient population was pediatric and/or neonatal
BSN or Master level Nursing Program Transcripts
- Note: Unofficial copies are accepted.
Letters of Recommendation
For verification and/or additional information, letters must include the recommender’s name, job title, organization, work email address and telephone number.
- Required: One letter of recommendation written by a Clinical Nurse Preceptor, who can speak about 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.
- Optional (Max of Two): Letter of recommendation written by a professional leader/colleague, clinical preceptor, or nursing clinical instructor/faculty, who can speak about one’s performance and potential for success as a nurse.

** All supporting documents 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 (1400-character limit):
Our Professional Practice Model calls nurses to care with open hearts, hands, and minds by bringing together compassion, evidence-based action, critical thinking, collaboration, safety, and respect for diverse perspectives.

Describe a situation from your clinical education, work, school, or another meaningful experience in which you faced a complex problem or had to make a decision when the best course of action was not immediately clear. In your response, explain:
- What information you considered and how you determined what was most important.
- How you incorporated the perspectives, needs, or expertise of others.
- What action you took—or would take—and why.
- How your decision reflected an open heart, open hands, and an open mind.
- What you learned from the experience and how it will influence your practice as a professional nurse.