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Atmore Community Hospital announced March 8 the launch of a nurse residency program.

The ACH Nurse Residency Program is a career path program aimed at offering a more comprehensive onboarding and education process by rotating program nurses through the four main nursing departments – Med/Surg, ICU, ED and Surgery.

“The program will be 18 months of fulltime, paid employment with emphasis on providing in-depth, hands-on education focused on challenges faced by new nurses,” ACH Administrator Brad Lowery said in a release.

ACH officials said the goal of the new program is to expose new nurses to various fields of expertise and specialties not afforded to the collective whole to give them experience and perspective to better identify departments that they best fit.

“We want new nurses to succeed and employees that are exposed to a rural hospital to have the opportunity to gain experience in multiple areas of specialty to help build nursing skills and determine future career path,” said Suzanne McGill, ACH director of nursing.

Upon program completion, if a nurse wants to stay, they may interview for open hospital positions (PRN float, or any fulltime departments), and they will not lose their tenure or earned benefits, according to a release. A nurse may be offered employment at any time during the program and can transition to fulltime employment. The 18-month sign on obligation would remain, however.

Rebecca Livermore, RN-Med/surgery manager will help lead the program.

A website has been created to accept applications, as well as, provide information for prospective nurses.

For those interested, they can access that site by going to Atmorehealth.org website, and click on the careers tab, selecting the nurse residency program.