UMass Memorial Medical Center -RN New Graduate Residency Program- December 2026

RN New Graduate Residency

At UMass Memorial Health, everyone is a caregiver regardless of their title or responsibilities. Exceptional patient care, academic excellence and leading-edge research make UMass Memorial the premier health system of Central Massachusetts, and a place where we can help you build the career you deserve. We are more than 20,000 employees, working together as one health system in a relentless pursuit of healing for our patients, community and each other. And everyone, in their own unique way, plays an important part, every day.

Location: UMass Memorial Medical Center, University Campus, Memorial Campus, Marlborough Campus

Shift: Rotating shifts

Hours: 40

Shift Length: 8-12 hours

For the December 2026 cohort, we are looking for New Graduate Nurses who are interested in working in acute care, medical surgical practice settings. Consideration to applicants who have experience in the Emergency Department will be considered.

Important Program Dates - subject to change

• Application Deadline for December cohort: October 2nd, 2026, by 4 P.M.
• Panel Interview: A member of Nursing Professional Development will contact you to schedule a panel interview with members of nursing leadership.
• Interviews: September 27-October 9, 2026
• Offers made: October 19-23, 2026
• Program Start Date: Week of November 30, 2026

Required Application Materials to be submitted within ONE document:

• Cover Letter: Please include a brief description of your background, career goals, and your top two clinical areas of interest, as well as anything else you would like to mention.
• Resume
• Narrative: Choose 1 of the following narrative questions to answer. Please answer each in no more than 250 words

Provide an example of a time during nursing school or in your work experience that solidified your decision to pursue nursing As we encounter challenges one typically develops strategies to manage these. Describe some of the ways that you deal with challenges and provide an example when your approach has been successful.

How to Submit Application Materials: (Reminder to submit as 1 document)
Before you submit your application, please upload your document within the "Add Resume" section

All required materials/applications must be received by October 2nd @ 4pm to be considered for the December cohort.

Program Requirements:

• Candidates must have a valid Massachusetts RN license verified by the Mass.gov website approximately a week prior to the start date. The new graduate nurse may apply for this position prior to completing license requirements but will be unable to begin work unless officially licensed.
• Candidates must have graduated within the last 9 months and can only have worked as an RN in any capacity no more than within the last 9 months of beginning of program start.
• Candidates must have graduated from an accredited BSN or ADN program. Graduates with an ADN will need to complete BSN within 5 years of employment.
• Candidates that are interested in specialty areas (such as critical care, pediatrics, maternity, and the emergency department) please note that prior experience such as a practicum or work as PCA in that specialty area is preferred.

Program Summary: This position is a 1-year New Graduate Nurse Residency Program to introduce the new graduate registered nurse to nursing practice from multiple perspectives through didactic, clinical and experiential opportunities. The new graduate registered nurse will participate in all didactic sessions as part of the role, as well as learning to participate in the planning, delivery and management of direct patient care utilizing the nursing process and adhering to the standards of nursing practice.

Program Description: The New Graduate Nurse Residency Program is designed for the newly graduated nurse who has successfully passed the NCLEX exam and who has less than 9 months of work experience as an RN. Over the course of the program, the new graduate RN will participate in educational sessions designed to support the development of critical thinking, professional practice behaviors, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, clinical judgment, and knowledge assimilation to a high-tech, acute care environment. In addition, new graduate nurses are partnered with preceptors who have experience in practice and utilize clinical coaching plans to validate competency.

New graduate nurses will orient on one unit with their preceptors and will be expected to work up to 40 hours per week on a varying schedule that may include evening, night shift, weekends and holidays. Following successful completion of unit orientation, new graduate nurses will integrate into a unit as independent RNs in a position that will vary in hours, and shift based on the unit needs.

Program Outcomes: Enhanced ability to provide quality, evidence-based care, advanced critical thinking ability and improved skill in clinical decision making.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

We're striving to make respect a part of everything we do at UMass Memorial Health for our patients, our community and each other. Our six Standards of Respect are: Acknowledge, Listen, Communicate, Be Responsive, Be a Team Player and Be Kind. If you share these Standards of Respect, we hope you will join our team and help us make respect our standard for everyone, every day.

As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, UMass Memorial Health recognizes the power of a diverse community and encourages applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives and backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io. We will make every effort to respond to your request for disability assistance as soon as possible.