New challenges and opportunities to learn are what allow great careers to thrive. Join our family and you’ll experience it firsthand — alongside expert caregivers in a culture that provides you the support you need.
Nursing Onboarding Programs at Cayuga Health
At Cayuga Health, we provide an extensive onboarding experience and opportunities for ongoing development and education for our nursing and patient services team.
We welcome a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and we build on that experience to teach you all there is to know about your chosen specialty.
When Nursing & Patient Services (NPS) team members join Cayuga Health, they are required to attend New Employee Orientation (NEO), Patient Care Provider Orientation (PCPO), and Unit-Based Clinical Orientation.
New Employee Orientation
Upon hire, all new employees attend a hospital-wide orientation a day and a half long. This is where new employees learn about the basics of being a Cayuga Health employee, topics covered include payroll processes, policies and procedures, incident reporting, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and more.
Patient Care Provider Orientation
Following NEO, new clinical employees attend PCPO, a three-day, blended orientation of classroom learning, hands-on clinical skills, and computer-based learning. PCPO is designed to orient new clinical employees to Cayuga Health’s relationship-based care philosophy and initial competencies, policies, and practices.
PCP prepares new clinical employees for their subsequent Unit-Based Clinical Orientation with an experienced preceptor. Patient safety is the underlying theme of the entire orientation program. By offering this training before clinical employees ever touch our patients, we are equipping them with the tools they need to provide safe and effective care from day one.
Unit-Based Clinical Orientation
Each unit has a department-based educator who will customize orientation based on the individual. The length of the orientation can vary depending on the area and previous experience.
Clinical Mentoring Program
The Clinical Mentoring Program is a structured post-orientation program in which, through a unit-based assignment, a mentor and mentee are paired for an established amount of time to meet specific needs. It is a framework for the passage of wisdom, caring and confidence between new and experienced staff.
The Clinical Mentoring Program includes:
- Developing supportive and encouraging relationships.
- Guiding new hires in their professional, personal and interpersonal growth.
- Communicating information concerning expectations, learning opportunities and stressors.
- Promoting optimal engagement and integration of the new hire into the Cayuga Health system.
The program consists of a structured 12-month mentoring plan of activities and objectives, guidelines for success, and tools for the mentor and mentee. Using the six mentoring principles, mentor behaviors utilize an evidence-based practice (EBP) approach toward fostering a mentoring culture. To effectively implement this program, unit-level mentoring champions are utilized throughout the organization to assist with support of mentors, linking of mentors and mentees, and maintaining the evidence-based integrity of the program.
Cayuga Health Nurse Residency Program
Cayuga Health Nurse Residency program transitions new graduates into our nursing workforce. The residency program offers multiple layers of support, including:
- System-level classes
- Specialty-specific classes
- Orientation at the bedside with a team of preceptors
- Simulations
- Camaraderie and support from a cohort of other new graduates
Hands-on training of clinical skills is front-loaded in the program to increase confidence at the bedside. Later classes include important transition topics like cultivating a health work culture, building resilience, addressing moral distress, educating patients and families, and growing your career at Cayuga Health. Nurse residency cohorts start on predetermined new graduate hire dates, typically in August for May graduates and February for December graduates. Nurses start the nurse residency program after being hired for specific nursing units. To be considered for the program, you will need to apply to the designated residency program you are interested in. If you would like to be considered for numerous departments, you will have an opportunity to express your units of interest in the program application.
Apply for our nurse residency program!
Nurse Residency Program Units:
- Medical Surgical
- Operating Room
- Intensive Care Unit
- Emergency Department
- Inpatient Rehab
- Short Stay Unit
If you have additional questions about our residency program, please reach out to [email protected]
Other Programs and Offerings for Cayuga Health’s Nursing and Patient Services Team Members
In addition to our onboarding programs, we offer the following opportunities to our NPS team:
- On-site simulation lab for ongoing training and education
- Night owl committee to support our night shift with programs, committees, and floating preceptors
- Preceptor training programs
- Ongoing resiliency and stress reduction training courses and classes
- System committees and programs to encourage support and involvement in our overall nursing and patient services strategic plan
Flexible Scheduling
Cayuga Health System offers an array of flexible scheduling options for experienced nurses. We value our NPS team and seek to provide creative options that support you. From our in-house float pool (CHESS Team – Cayuga Health enterprise support system) to our enhanced rate programs, Cayuga Health has the right program to support your busy life.
what our EMPLOYEES are saying
“Working at Cayuga Health is a unique opportunity for people to positively impact the experience of patients, their families, and our community. There are the numerous ways to become involved in our system and to help ensure community members to receive the best care available anywhere. We are proud of our diverse, accomplished, and supportive staff – and we hope you consider joining it.”
“Cayuga Medical Center offers resources that not only save and improve lives, but they also offer opportunities for career advancement to their employees. They have helped me to further my education as I work to become a nurse.”
“Exceptional quality of life coupled with the opportunity to work with remarkable colleagues in a state of the art facility that has relentless focus on quality care and patient satisfaction. More over, you can really have it all in Ithaca – short commute, great schools, a world class university and to top it all – nature’s beauty at its best during four seasons.”
“I am proud to work at CMC because they are dedicated to improvement and for the first time in my career, I feel like I can make a difference. The teamwork in the Emergency Department is pretty amazing!”
“As a primary care physician, I help support and feel supported by the community in which I love. The Ithaca community is diverse, collegial and proactive in their health. We are fortunate to have great resources through Cayuga Medical Center and a wealth of superb physicians rarely seen outside large urban centers. My family takes advantage of living in the Finger Lakes with swimming, hiking, cross country skiing, and trips to the local wineries, farmer’s markets, and festivals all year long.”
“This has been a dream job. I never thought it would be so perfect or so rewarding. Taking care of patients with respiratory needs is an honor and having the support of such great staff around me makes it that much more motivating to come into work and do my best every day.”
