News

Fox Chase Cancer Center's
New Source of Nurse Power

Fox Chase Cancer Center is offering new graduate nurses an extraordinary opportunity to launch their careers. The nation's first specialty hospital to receive the Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Award is passing on its tradition of excellence to recent grads through its new RN Graduate Transition Program. By teaming top graduates with the proven excellence of the Fox Chase's nursing staff, new nurses are learning from the best in the field.

Clinical Nurse Specialist Deena Dell, R.N., director of the program, says that the new graduates are an enthusiastic and promising group.

"In the past, when the nursing shortage was not an issue, hospitals had the luxury of hiring experienced specialty nurses. These new graduates are an excellent source of nurse power to combat the shortage, and they provide the promise of quality nursing we expect from the next generation of caregivers," Dell explains.

The orientation program is designed to foster growth and development of the new graduates. It is intended to be challenging, so that the new graduates can master each step gradually and gain confidence. A multi-tier competency-based curriculum was developed to ease the transition of the new graduates into the RN role and then teach them the specialty of oncology nursing. In the initial weeks of the program, each graduate will be assigned to one nurse who will serve as a mentor and provide guidance. They will begin with a review of basic medical-surgical nursing principles, followed by oncology-intensive courses and clinical experience. In the final phase, the nurses will focus on patient-care management and leadership.

"This is an outstanding opportunity for top graduate nurses interested in the oncology field," Dell says. "Through this program, we're able to train these nurses at a high level with one-on-one interaction. We've set high standards for them."

Graduating nurses interested in next year's program should contact Fox Chase's nursing career specialist at 215-728-3411.

Fox Chase was the first hospital in Pennsylvania and the first cancer specialty hospital in the nation to receive the Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Award. The award nationally recognizes excellence in: the management philosophy and practices of nursing services; patient care; leadership of the chief nurse executive in supporting professional practice and continued competence of nursing staff; and attention to the cultural and ethnic diversity of patients, their families, and healthcare providers.

The Transition Graduate Nurse Orientation Program (requires Adobe ® Acrobat)