Warwick, RI.   The VNA of Care New England is pleased to announce the graduation of its inaugural class of residents who have completed the VNA of Care New England’s Residency Program for New Graduate Home Health Nurses. The graduation ceremony took place Thursday, September 14, at VNA of Care New England’s home office.

“This residency program has brought an energy and excitement to our agency,” said Kathleen Peirce, RN, MS, vice president of operations, executive director, and chief nursing officer of the VNA of Care New England, in speaking to the new graduates. “I hope that you continue to seek out the resources and opportunities that are here and ready for you. It is our hope that the continuum of care provided through Care New England will allow you to grow as a health care professional within our system. Congratulations to all!”

The graduating class includes Christie Bilodeau, Dawn Landry, Lindsey Lilly, Amelia Mason, Karina Salazar-Marte, and Kendra Santilli. During the ceremony Bilodeau, Landry, and Salazar presented their evidence-based practice research, “Assessing Impaired Cognition in Home Care Patients with Heart Failure,” and Lilly, Mason, and Santilli presented their research, “Assessing Health Literacy in Home Care Heart Failure Patients.”

“It is quite an experience to be a brand new nurse in a patient’s home with multiple complex illnesses, sometimes in less than ideal living conditions. Yet these six nurses did so with finesse. They far exceeded our expectations and we are quite proud of them,” said Lisa DiMaria, PhD, nurse residency program manager and program preceptor. “We know that the best nurses are the ones that keep learning, know where to get their information, and can apply the evidence to their own practice. In doing so, they change nursing, add value to our profession, and exemplify the nurses of the future. Congrats to all the graduates of our first residency program at the VNA.”

Apprenticeship RI is an initiative of Building Futures/RI funded through an American Apprenticeship Initiative grant from the U.S. Dept. of Labor. Assistance is available to all RI employers (outside of the building trades) at NO COST, in designing, implementing and registering new apprenticeship programs. In partnership with the RI Department of Labor and Training, Apprenticeship Rhode Island is working with employers, industry associations, and educational partners to address employers’ workforce development needs.