Registration

  COHORT 1: Oct. 2025 - Sept. 2026

  Registration deadline: August 31

Location:

RWHC Office & Training Center
880 Independence Lane
Sauk City, WI  53583

Fee:

RWHC Members & Affiliate Members:
$2,000 for first nurse
$1,500 for each additional nurse

Non-RWHC Members:
$2,400 for first nurse
$1,800 for each additional nurse

Fee includes program handouts. Lunch is on your own.

Space is limited, so please register early.

Please Note: The program fee is NON-refundable. Do not send payment; RWHC will invoice your organization. Substitutions are not accepted after the first learning session.

Program Description

RWHC Nurse Residency Program is a one-year program structured around monthly learning sessions, where the new graduate nurse is highly engaged in an interactive, reflective and enriched learning environment. The sessions are designed around an effective standard curriculum for the rural nurse who is often isolated on a unit with minimal resources. Learning needs identified by the participants are also weaved into each learning session. Networking with peers who are going through the same challenges is a powerful experience for the new nurse. Small group breakout sessions are incorporated into each learning day and are facilitated with the action reflection practice model incorporating the accepted standards of practice.
– Click here to view Nurse Residency Program Overview –

Program Coordinator

Erin Smital, RN, is the Nursing Professional Development Educator, Nurse Residency Coordinator and Lean Residency Coordinator at the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative. Along with being an RN, Erin brings forward years of experience in various leadership roles in and out of healthcare. In addition to developing and presenting numerous leadership and nursing focused workshops, she also provides training in de-escalation as a Certified Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Instructor.  esmital@rwhc.com, 608-643-1066

Program Goals

The goals of the program are to help the nurse resident:

• Enhance recruitment/retention of the new graduate nurse
• Transition successfully to a competent practitioner
• Enhance his/her ability to provide quality, evidence-based care
• Advance critical thinking ability
• Improve skills in clinical decision-making
• Commit to life-long learning
• Engage in a clinical nurse leadership role
• Be accountable for the kind of nurse he/she chooses to be

Nurse Resident Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for this program, the nurse resident needs to:

• Have graduated within the last two years or is returning to active practice*
• Have passed the NCLEX and be licensed in Wisconsin*
  *These are negotiable.

Nurse residents are expected to:

• Attend all monthly learning sessions
• Arrange schedule to avoid working night shift immediately prior to session
• Complete preparatory work for the monthly learning sessions
• Be engaged in the learning process

  Session Dates (held from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm)