MASSACHUSETTS - Staff retention has been a challenge for hospitals across the country in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and UMass Memorial Health is no different. This nurses week, they're celebrating a program offering opportunities to the next generation of caregivers.

The hospital system says says their New Graduate Nurse Residency Program at UMass Memorial Medical Center, where the program was piloted, has a retention rate between 88% and 94% for first year registered nurses. The program is now available at five hospitals across the region. The hospital system saying that retention rate is higher than the national average.

"It's a program that consists of about a yearlong process of both classroom and clinical work, and it really makes them fundamentally sound to be safe and competent to practice in the acute care setting," said Shane Boucher, director of emergency services at the Health Alliance-Clinton Hospital.

Boucher not only helps manage the program at the Leominster and Clinton hospitals. He too was a graduate of the program.

Newly registered nurses are partnered with registered nurse preceptors in an effort to bridge the gap between what nurses have been taught in school and real-world experiences. In turn, they say this has helped feed more nurses into area hospitals, while also addressing burnout.

"Since COVID, we've had a challenge with our workforce and a lot of things happened in nursing post-pandemic," said Boucher. "So this really helped us improve the staffing pattern on the departments."

Each year, between 150 and 200 nurses are able to take part at the Medical Center campuses and up to several dozen nurses at HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, Leominster campus. Katie Benham started the program in March. Benham was working as a tech in the emergency department and heard about the program from coworkers.

"It's pretty stereotypical to say I like to help people, which is true," said Benham. "And that's one of the main factors why I got in to nursing."

Benham says the balance between the classroom and hands-on experience is what has allowed her to stay in what is typically a very challenging field.

"As a new grad, not feeling like you're drowning, or that you're alone and you're thrown out to the wolves," said Benham.

Benham says things are going well two months in. Her hope is to move into the Leominster emergency department full-time when she graduates from the program next year.