As Nurses Week 2025 approached, I thought about how important it is to give nurses the resources and support they need to grow their career at Kaiser Permanente.
Being prepared for success — today and tomorrow — is key for each nurse to thrive and for our organization to continue providing high-quality care to our members and patients.
Support for new nurses
One of the things that drew me to join Kaiser Permanente is the organization’s commitment to supporting nurses throughout their careers. Our residency programs are a good example of where support for our nurses begins.
We hire nursing school graduates and prepare them for clinical practice. We teach them skills that go beyond the nursing school curriculum of providing safe and essential nursing care. For example, we teach them how to prioritize the care of multiple patients and how to use data to make evidence-based decisions.
Nurse residents work with experienced staff members in clinical settings in a safe environment. This allows our nurse residents to feel more prepared and confident to work on their own. They participate in simulation labs and interactive learning activities. Through this work, we’re preparing new nurses for today and empowering them for tomorrow.
Our nurse residency programs help bring new nurses to Kaiser Permanente. In 2024, we hired 647 registered nurses through our national nurse residency program. This year and beyond, we plan to hire at least 25% of our workforce from our nurse residency program.
And, we retain more of these new hires. More than 90% of our nurse residents choose to stay with us, compared to the 62% of nurse residents who stay at other health organizations after completing their residency programs.
Support for experienced nurses
We’re proud to support our nurses throughout their careers at Kaiser Permanente.
Nurses can get tuition reimbursement and support from educational trusts, training, mentoring, and other resources to earn certifications and advanced degrees.
And, our nurses work in environments that strive for excellence. Our vision for nursing and patient care is rooted in the tenets of Magnet®, an internationally recognized gold standard for nursing excellence.
I hear from nurses that they appreciate how much the organization invests in their development — and they’re grateful for the supportive relationships they enjoy with their teams and their leaders. These are key aspects of why they like working at Kaiser Permanente.
We see it in the number of nurses who choose to stay and grow with us. Our nursing turnover rate is just 8% compared to an industry average turnover rate of 16%.
The power of our nurses
I can say with a great deal of pride that we value and appreciate our 76,000 nurses. They’re highly skilled professionals who provide high-quality, compassionate care to our members and patients every day.
To all of our nurses and to nurses everywhere, thank you, and I wish you all a very happy Nurses Week!