Penn Medicine Princeton Health Creates Unique Hybrid Nurse Residency

Research shows that new nurses may be hesitant to start their careers in psychiatric nursing because it is suggested they first gain medical-surgical experience. To meet this need and provide nurses with well-rounded experience, Penn Medicine’s Princeton House Behavioral Health and Princeton Medical Center created a unique Hybrid Nurse Residency Program that combines psychiatric and medical-surgical rotations.

Prior to the creation of the residency program, Robbi Alexander, PhD, APN, PMHCNS-BC, Administrative Director of Psychiatric Services at Princeton Medical Center, was the lead author of the study on the topic: Career Choice and Longevity in US Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses. The research concluded that, “By understanding the experiences of seasoned psychiatric nurses they reflect upon their career journey, nursing educators, administrators, clinical nurse specialists, and staff development personnel can better foster interest, passion, and pride in a psychiatric nursing career.”

“It’s an opportunity you don’t see in many places,” says Kari Mastro, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Director of Professional Practice, Innovation, and Research. “Under Penn Medicine Princeton Health’s umbrella, we have it all: the warmth of a community hospital paired with the innovation and growth that’s inherent to our large, academic health care system.”

Coordinated in partnership between Mastro and Alexander, the 12-month residency program alternates between Princeton Medical Center’s Medical Neurological Oncology unit and the Princeton House inpatient unit. New nurses work side-by-side with experienced nurses, receiving continuous support in an evidence-based practice setting.

“No matter where you serve as a nurse, everything you do involves tending to mental health. Having the foundation to care for both the mind and the body is so important,” said Mastro.

“Psychiatric nurses have a great gift,” said Alexander. “They learn how to formulate meaningful interpersonal connections that help patients and families move forward in life. Their primary tool? Themselves. They are the conduit for care. With this level of skill, you can go anywhere.”

The program also supports those who are interested in pivoting their careers to nursing, like former Princeton House nursing assistant and driver Mavin Sakwa, RN.

“Working with nurse colleagues who are so passionate about their jobs has motivated me to join them,” said Sakwa. “I’m gaining hands-on medical surgical skills while still pursuing my interest in psychiatric nursing.”

“There are no words to describe the people I work with,” added Johanna Dominquez, RN, a former Princeton House nursing assistant and residency program graduate who chose to maintain a role that alternates between the medical and psychiatric units. “The support we receive here truly comes from the heart.”

Princeton House Behavioral Health, a division of Penn Medicine Princeton Health, offers both inpatient and outpatient care options for mental health and substance use disorder. Treatment programs are customized to meet the needs of children, adolescents, young adults, adults, and older adults, along with specialized programs for men and women. Inpatient services are in Princeton, and outpatient sites are situated throughout New Jersey in Princeton, North Brunswick, Hamilton, Moorestown, and Eatontown.

About Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Penn Medicine Princeton Health is one of the most comprehensive healthcare systems in New Jersey, providing acute care hospital services through Princeton Medical Center; behavioral healthcare through Princeton House Behavioral Health; in-home nursing, rehabilitation and hospice care; primary and specialty care through Princeton Medicine Physicians; ambulatory surgery and wellness services. For more information, visit www.princetonhcs.org. Princeton Health is part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), which, together with the University of Pennsylvania’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, forms Penn Medicine, one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research and excellence in patient care.

MEDIA CONTACT
Jennifer McGinley
Jennifer.Mcginley@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
410-303-2252