Montana AHEC Course Series

The role of the rural nurse is complex; caring for patients across the age continuum with varying health conditions and often fulfilling the role of multiple healthcare professionals all while making split second decisions. The majority of academic preparation for nurses takes place in an urban setting.  The nurse graduate does not get a glimmer of practice in a rural setting with urban preparation. With the literature demonstrating the fact that nurse graduates are not fully prepared for the role of a professional nurse, how can we expect them to take on the challenge of a rural setting. A Rural Nurse Residency Program could utilize the strength of a network of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to supply the human resources for the program. Having a cohort through the Rural Nurse Residency Program, graduate nurses will experience a decreased sense of isolation.  Rural facility recruitment may not require the hiring of a nurse graduate yearly, through participation in a Rural Nurse Residency, a cohort of nurse graduates would have the benefit of participating in a larger group while being the only nurse graduate hired by their facility.