In 2025, South Sacramento nurses demonstrated the power of collaboration and shared governance by reimagining the onboarding experience for new staff. When the Professional Development Council identified challenges with the existing Patient Care Services Onboarding (PCSO) format, frontline nurses partnered with nurse leaders to create a solution that better prepares new team members for success.

The project began in July 2025 with a clear goal: improve proficiency and accelerate readiness for bedside care. Through shared governance forums, staff nurses outlined what mattered most: hands-on learning, skill validation, and meaningful time with clinical experts. They proposed a framework that emphasized return demonstrations for critical skills, ensuring every nurse could confidently perform essential procedures before stepping onto the floor.

Working closely with service directors, the team secured additional time for onboarding and redesigned lesson plans to focus on practical application. They also moved PCSO from week 2 of employment to week 1, eliminating delays and reducing non-productive time on the units. This change allows new nurses to engage in actionable learning earlier, while improving overall efficiency.

The revamped curriculum includes enhanced stations for central line dressing changes and updates to main harm event scenarios, targeting areas where improvement was most needed. Nurses not only identified these priorities — they led the charge in rewriting lesson plans and creating a structured schedule that maximizes every minute of onboarding.

This initiative reflects the essence of shared governance: empowering nurses to shape practice while partnering with leaders to drive meaningful change. By investing in this collaborative approach, we are setting new staff up for success and strengthening patient care across our organization.

The first upgraded PCSO launches in January 2026, marking a milestone in our commitment to excellence, innovation, and the voice of the bedside nurse.