Post Baccalaureate Registered Nurse Residency (PB-RNR) Program

VACCHCS has 31,000 Veterans currently enrolled for health care eligibility and serves more than 28,000 Veterans in six counties in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The six counties include Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Mariposa. Three Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) support the wide catchment area served by the health care system.

PB-RNR Program Overview

Registered Nurses (RN) are among the top Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Critical Occupations identified as a priority for recruitment and retention initiatives. Both practice and research demonstrate that newly graduated RNs benefit from additional experiential training to master their clinical skills.  Since 2011, the VA OAA implemented 35 Post-Baccalaureate Registered Nurse Residency (PB-RNR) program within VHA.

The VA OAA Nurse Residency programs are designed: (1) to develop competent, confident, practice-ready RNs equipped with the knowledge and skills to address the specific needs of our nation's Veterans in the VHA and community, and (2) to enhance recruitment and retention of VA nurses by providing a pipeline of highly qualified nursing workforce.

Our residency training consists of precepted clinical: rotation in the following areas:

• Acute Care: Medical/Surgical/Telemetry Unit
• Critical or Specialty Care: Intensive Care/Step Down Unit, Operating Room/Post Anesthesia Care/Cardiac Cath Lab/Emergency Department/Mental Health Unit
• Community Living Center: Long Term Care
• Primary Care

We utilize multimodal approaches to facilitate learning that will assist the residents from a novice nurse to professionally competent nurse through:

• Clinical Immersion
• Interactive learning sessions that include:
  • Case Studies and Simulation
  • Clinical Narratives
  • Evidence-Based Projects
  • Guided Discussions
  • Presentations
  • Role modeling

Valuable Benefits Include:

• Competitive Pay (FY stipend determined by OAA)
• Insurance – multiple options are available for medical, dental, vision & life.   
• Scholarships for graduate programs available one-year after residency completion
• Reserve Military Leave – 2 weeks of paid leave for Reserve annual tour
• Retirement – Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) & Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) available after residency
• Sick and Annual Leave – 4 hours of sick Leave and 4 hours of annual leave every 2 weeks. Prior military members may receive more based-on time in service. All nursing staff will receive 4 hours of sick and 8 hours of annual leave after they finish their residency. Paid leave for Reserve annual tour.
• Priority for RN employment for open position

Requirements:

• You MUST be a U.S. citizen.
• BSN or MEPN (Master’s Entry to the Profession of Nursing) from a CCNE or NLNAC accredited program
• MUST not have had ANY paid RN or paid Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) work experience.
• Current unrestricted RN license (obtained before the PB-RNR start date)
• MUST have graduated less than a year from program start date with a GPA 3.0 or greater.
• Proficient in both spoken and written English
• Pass the VA pre-employment medical exam and drug testing.

Application Packet Includes:

• COVER LETTER to include your interest in the residency program.
• RESUME not to exceed two pages.
• Personal Statement -300 word "The VA Post Baccalaureate Registered Nurse Residency Trainee Program interests me because..."​
• VA APPLICATION FORM 10-2850D (Application for Health Trainees)
• Three letters of recommendation written on official letterhead
  • (1) Dean of nursing program     
  • (1) from a nursing school faculty
  • (1) from a current or previous work manager
• Unofficial School transcript records
• FORM DD 214 if you are a Veteran.

Point of Contact:

Dr. Eileen Jimenez, RN 
559-225-6100, ext. 5250 
Eileen.Jimenez@va.gov 
PB-RNR/RNTTP Program Director​ 
VA Central California Health Care System