Nurses at Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital Nationally Recognized for Innovative Program to Transform Orientation for New Nurses
What began as a simple idea sparked at a nursing conference has evolved into a transformative program for new nurses at Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, Montana.
Developed by Intermountain nurses Diane Marion, Allie Bofto and Nacole Noble, the program reimagines orientation and skill building for new nurses, replacing a traditional checklist-driven approach with a structured, confidence-building model that emphasizes gradual skill development and support.
After learning about how another health system was using this model, the three nurses were inspired to bring the idea to Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital.
At the time, the nurses were serving as nurse preceptors, training and educating new nurses during their first months on the job.
“We were like, ‘There’s a better way (for orientation),’ and this gave us the framework to make that happen,” said Marion.
The model breaks orientation into stages that allows nurses to build competency gradually from foundational skills to independent patient care.
A key to the program is its focus on reducing pressure and fostering confidence during a critical transition period. Rather than expecting new nurses to perform at full competency at once across all skills, the model allows them to get used to their unit, build relationships, and grow skills at a sustainable pace.
“It breaks it down into more manageable components, and it builds skills from novice to expert,” Marion said. “There’s less pressure, and it allows them to tailor the learning to themselves.”
Nurses begin by learning workflows, systems, and culture before gradually increasing responsibility as they demonstrate readiness, confidence and proficiency.
The impact was immediately recognized. New nurses in a pilot program reported improved readiness and confidence. Additionally, the program helped improve nurse satisfaction, stronger relationships, and, ultimately, better care for patients.
From there, the program has been adopted as the standard across nursing teams at St. Vincent and there are efforts underway to explore broader implementation across Intermountain Health.
“This is an excellent example of innovation and continuous improvement coming from bedside caregivers,” said Janet Harris, Chief Nursing Officer, St. Vincent Regional Hospital. “I am proud that we have created a culture where our nurses feel empowered to bring ideas forward and make changes that improve the way we support our caregivers and ultimately improve the patient experience and care we provide. The fact that this program is now being considered for the standard across our organization is a testament to the quality of the nurses we have.”
The program’s impact and success contributed to recent national recognition for nursing that St. Vincent earned. In April, Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital was designated as a Magnet facility with Distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor for nursing excellence.
Intermountain St. Vincent’s nursing teams were also recognized for surpassing benchmarks in patient satisfaction, quality of care, and nursing leadership.
The new orientation program was specifically cited as part of the national recognition.
For Marion and her colleagues, the program’s success is both meaningful and personal.
“It’s pretty amazing to see your work come together in a way that is helping our nurses,” she said. “It’s been really cool to see it just get bigger and better.”