RN Residency vs. RN Fellowship: What’s the Difference?
Wondering about the distinction between an RN residency and an RN fellowship in nursing? This guide breaks down the dissimilarities and what you should anticipate during each. As nursing gets more intricate, many registered nurses (RNs) are utilizing residencies and fellowships to enhance their know-how. Hospitals find these programs valuable for developing specialized teams and reducing stress.
This guide clarifies the contrast between these learning opportunities, helps you decide between an RN residency and an RN fellowship, and guides you in choosing the right fit for your aspirations. Discover how a residency or fellowship could propel your career.
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Key Similarities and Differences Between RN Residency and RN Fellowship
Are you wondering how an RN residency is different from an RN fellowship? Both offer additional supervised learning after you graduate. Both help you apply your knowledge in real-life situations and develop expertise in a specific area.
The key distinction is experience. A residency is for recent graduates or nurses with less than a year of experience, while a fellowship suits more experienced nurses better.
What is an RN Residency?
An RN residency is a program for recent nursing graduates. It blends classroom learning with practical experience and is often offered by larger academic medical centers (AMCs). This helps new nurses transition from being student nurses to working at the bedside, typically over 6 to 12 months.
What is an RN Fellowship?
RN fellowships are designed for experienced nurses who want to shift to a new specialty or a higher level of care, like the emergency department, intensive care units, or labor and delivery. Like residencies, these are common in larger AMCs. While many RNs join fellowships early in their careers, some participants might be further along. Fellowships usually last a year.
Both RN residencies and RN fellowships combine classroom learning with practical experience under the guidance of experienced specialists. They often involve groups of participants, and many RNs develop strong professional connections within their groups.
Both programs are paid positions, and you apply for them just like you would for a job.
The main difference lies in the experience required and career stage. During a fellowship, nurses build on their basic skills learned during clinical work and school, while fellowship participants apply their nursing experience and education to a new specialty.
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) may also attend NP residency and fellowship programs.
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Benefits for Nurses from Underserved Groups
For nurses from underserved backgrounds, residencies or fellowships can offer added value. Being part of a program with peers who share similar backgrounds can be rewarding, especially if your previous courses lacked diversity.
The cohort structure and relationships with mentors and program leaders can help you build a professional network in your specialty area.
Similarly, if you’re moving to an area where you’ll be underrepresented, a residency or fellowship at a hospital in that region can provide structured mentoring and networking.
What to Expect During RN Fellowship and Residency Programs
Both fellowships and residencies follow a similar structure of intensive classroom learning and background work, followed by practical experience in the specialty area. This involves supervised work with increasing levels of responsibility.
There are two main phases: transition and integration.
Transition Phase
– Getting familiar with the organization
– Meeting cohort members, staff, mentors, and other participants
– Participating in structured classroom learning and discussions
– Continuous assessment
– Final evaluation, which might include certification, depending on the program and specialty
Integration Phase
– Assignments for work shifts and mentorship
– Supervised work with patients
– Ongoing assessment
– Joining or observing specialty groups in the workplace, like task forces or councils
– Final evaluation, which might include certification, depending on the program and specialty
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What Happens During a Residency?
In a nurse residency, you join a group of new nurses or those with less than a year of experience. The program starts with intensive classroom instruction and then moves to nursing shifts under close supervision. Assessment continues throughout both phases.
What Happens During a Fellowship?
Fellowship participants also begin with a classroom phase and then transition to the workplace. The focus is on learning the new specialty rather than expanding basic nursing skills.
Participants receive ongoing guidance and support. Assessment is centered around learning and skills.
Choosing Between RN Residency and RN Fellowship
Both residencies and fellowships offer valuable pathways into a specialty. Both ensure that nurses have the necessary knowledge and evidence-based practice skills for success in their chosen field.
If you’re soon graduating from nursing school or have limited experience and want to focus on a specific specialty, a residency program can help you learn and establish connections.
On the other hand, if you’re already experienced in one specialty and want to transition to another, a fellowship can help you catch up with the latest research and gain practical experience. Like a residency, it can also help you build a network through your cohort and program mentors.
Frequently Asked Questions about RN Residencies and Fellowships
1. What is an RN fellowship?
An RN fellowship is a program for experienced nurses looking to shift into a new specialty. Typically lasting a year, it involves classroom learning followed by work in a hospital under specialized supervision. These positions are paid, and nurses apply for them similarly to jobs.
2. How does a residency differ from a fellowship in nursing?
A residency is for new nurses and covers learning about a specialty as well as general nursing practice through workplace experience. A fellowship is designed for more experienced nurses and serves as a transition into a new specialty.
3. What are common specialties for residencies and fellowships?
Common specialties include ICU (neonatal, adult, or pediatric), emergency department (ED), psychiatry and mental health, oncology, surgery, post-anesthesia care units (PACU), infusion units, and critical care. Most hospitals announce residency and fellowship openings and list them on their websites, making it easy to find opportunities.
4. Do nurses participate in fellowships?
Fellowships are gaining popularity among nurses, advanced practice nurses, and hospitals. They serve as a way to attract and evaluate potential hires, reduce stress and burnout among new nurses and those changing specialties, address specialty shortages, and enhance patient outcomes by expanding nurses’ knowledge, skills, and confidence.
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