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Nurse Residency Program

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Nurse Residency Program supports newly licensed registered nurses (RNs) as they transition to practice to one of our 21 Northern California medical centers.

Learn more
Residents outside

Nurse Residency Program

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Nurse Residency Program supports newly licensed registered nurses (RNs) as they transition to practice to one of our 21 Northern California medical centers.

Learn more

Program overview

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Nurse Residency Program consists of a comprehensive evidence-based clinical orientation in addition to nursing professional development transition to practice curriculum.

  • Nurse residents are trained in our inpatient Medical/Surgical and Telemetry units.
  • Nurse residents will be required to complete each of the components of the program (including didactic, skills enhancement, simulation, and an EBP project) and attend all 12 monthly transition-to-practice program courses to graduate.

Employment

  • Nurse residents are hired as a Staff Nurse I into a benefited position at one of our 21 medical centers.
  • After the initial precepted period (first 12 weeks), residents will be placed into a regular benefited Staff Nurse position on day, evening, or night shift in the medical center where they trained, and complete the remainder of their transition-to-practice program including completion of an evidence-based practice project by the end of their first year of employment.

Compensation and benefits

  • Starting pay in 2024 is $77.16/hr and increases to $81.02 after six months of employment.
  • Earn industry-leading salary and benefits including full health, dental, vision, 401k, pension, health care retirement fund, and more.

Eligibility

Applicants must have:

  • An active California RN license (interim permits cannot be accepted) by the start date.
  • Completion of an accredited pre-licensure nursing program (prefer within the last 12 months) by the start date.
  • BLS by hire date.
  • No prior inpatient (acute care) RN experience.
  • Not currently in another residency program.
  • Does not require visa sponsorship.

Important dates

Application available November 3, 2024-November 7, 2024.

California RN License Deadline

March 2, 2025

Start Date

March 10, 2025

Application available March 30, 2025-April 3, 2025.

Information Session

  • March 14, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT
  • March 19, 2025, at 12 p.m. PT
  • March 25, 2025, at 2 p.m. PT

California RN License Deadline

July 20, 2025

Start Date

July 28, 2025

Application available July 6, 2025-July 10, 2025.

Information Sessions

  • June 20, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT
  • June 26, 2025, at 12 p.m. PT
  • June 30, 2025, at 2 p.m. PT

California RN License Deadline

October 26, 2025

Start Date

November 3, 2025

How to apply

  • We hire about 100 candidates for each cohort.
  • Considerations are given to eligible KP employees who apply to the program as well as external candidates based on their academic background, KP internship/externship/clinical rotation experience, and their passion to work in a health care system that respects diversity with an emphasis on patient-focused care.

Based on competitiveness of the application cycle, we also consider the following factors:

  • Completion of an EKG class that is designed for registered nurses and/or healthcare professionals
  • A current AHA-ACLS certification
  • Letter of recommendation with a focus on clinical competencies and professionalism

Top candidates will be invited to a virtual group interview where they will be required to answer a combination of behavioral, situational, and clinical competency questions.

Make your application more competitive

Consider working at Kaiser Permanente as a Patient Care Technician (PCT) as you complete nursing school.

Frequently asked questions

Can you provide some general information about Kaiser Permanente?

Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plans, serving 12.5 million members. At Kaiser Permanente, physicians are responsible for medical decisions. The Permanente Medical Groups, which provide care for Kaiser Permanente members, continuously develop and refine medical practices to help ensure that care is delivered in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

What is the Kaiser Permanente nursing professional practice model?

Our residency program is built to support our nursing professional practice model.

What is the Kaiser Permanente nursing competency model?

Kaiser Permanente’s nursing competency model represents the professional and foundational domains and their relationship to patient-focused care. The five foundational competencies — ethics, leadership, communication, technology enabled care, and professionalism — are at the base of the framework. Each foundational competency supports, influences, and is a part of each professional competency. We believe every nurse comes to Kaiser Permanente with some element of each of these foundational competencies.

The residency program builds upon the foundational nursing competencies found in the nursing competency model. Residents advance their professional role through our competency-based program. The professional competencies — resource utilization, collaborative care, quality and safety, informatics, research, and evidence-based practice — are those which are specific to the development of advanced competency and expertise in nursing.

What are the application and start dates for the cohorts?

Once available, we will always post the current application and start date on our website. Please do not email us regarding dates.  

How long is the commitment for this program?

The overall commitment is 12 months.

What is a resident?

Nurse residents have no prior inpatient (acute-care) work experience as a registered nurse and have graduated from a BRN accredited RN program with an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing. The Nurse Residency Program is a 12-month transition to practice program that will support new graduate nurses as they transition to competent nurse professionals.

What clinical tracks are available?

All residents will be trained in our inpatient Medical Surgical and Telemetry units. We plan to offer limited Specialty RN training in areas such as ICU, L&D and OR to residents in the future.

What is my schedule like during the program?

You will work 72+ hours per pay period during the program. Although your training will primarily consist of clinical practice, you will also attend seminars and participate in simulations to enhance learnings from the clinical environment. Your shift, days of the week, and time will vary, depending on many factors related to your training. Once you complete the orientation portion of the program, you will begin working your contracted shift and schedule.

Will I work 8- or 12-hour shifts as a resident?

This will depend on the medical center (hospital) and your preceptor’s schedule. Residents will work day, evening, or night shifts.

What are the eligibility requirements of the residency program?

  • Active, unencumbered, California RN license (pending licensure and interim permits are not accepted)
  • Completion of an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree in nursing (in-progress acceptable for entry-level master’s degree students)
  • No prior inpatient (acute-care) work experience as a registered nurse
  • Not currently in another residency program

Can I apply without my nursing license?

Yes. We ask that you have a scheduled NCLEX date at time of application. You must have an active nursing license from the California Board of Registered Nursing at time of interviews. Interim permits and out-of-state nursing licenses are not accepted.

I am in an entry-level master’s program and have not completed my degree yet. Am I eligible to apply?

Yes. You are eligible to apply to the Nurse Residency Program.  Please be sure to clearly state in your resume or cover letter when your degree will be obtained.

If I am a current KP employee, do I receive preference over others?

Our system does prioritize KP employees, but we will be reviewing all applicants.

Do you prioritize applicants with a BSN or MSN over applicants with an ADN?

No, we will be reviewing all applicants and looking at each applicant holistically.

How do I apply for a residency position?

Visit https://www.kaiserpermanentejobs.org/ and search for the job code found on our residency website in the “Enter Keyword” box. We will post the job code on this residency website along with the dates that applications will be accepted.

What is the KP candidate “My Profile?”

Create an account on our jobs website (KP Jobs) and complete “My Profile.” This is where you will upload your contact information, educational history, work experience, and any relevant documents (e.g. resume, letters of recommendation, licenses, etc.).

Are cover letters, letters of recommendation or references required for application?

No, we do not require these documents. However, we encourage applicants to submit any documents that tell us why you are a great fit for our program and how you stand out from others. We are looking for energetic and passionate nurses that have a desire to provide patient-centered care.

Can you provide more detail around the interview presentation?

We will provide detailed instructions if you are selected for an interview.

I was not accepted into the current cohort; can I apply to future cohorts?

Absolutely!

Contacts

After reviewing our FAQs carefully, if you still have questions (unrelated to timing), please email NCAL-Residency-Program@kp.org.

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