Valley Medical Center Nursing Residency Programs


Valley Medical Center encourages nurses looking to pursue a new facet of career growth to consider participating in a Nurse Residency upon hire for their desired specialty. We provide a variety of specialty nurse residencies aimed to help nurses transition from previous clinical specialties and/or levels of experience to their new nursing field of choice.

Nurse residency positions can be found by searching for “RN Resident” or “Nursing Resident” positions on the Careers  page. Residency positions may be posted as early as 1-2 months prior to the start date of the respective residency program. Please see information below regarding specific nursing residencies that VMC currently offers.

Residency offerings: Rolling

Length of residency: 14 weeks

Specifics: The med-surg residency includes a combination of didactic classes with simulation and group interaction alongside fellow residents from other units/specialties, special experiences that allow for a greater understanding of colleagues’ roles within the organization, and collaborative follow-up on the nursing units during unit-based preceptorship with the residency facilitator to ensure appropriate progress throughout the residency period.

Residency offerings: 3 times per year

Length of residency: 12 weeks, including didactic classes, lab simulations, and 1:1 unit-based precepting

Specifics: Valley Medical Center is an affiliate with the Mountain to Sound (MTS) Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). The MTS Critical Care Consortium program brings together expert educators from our community of critical and acute care nurses. Valley Medical Center’s Critical Care Unit offers an outstanding venue to learn critical care. As the only adult critical care unit in the hospital, we learn to care for all clinical populations. Learning and growth never stop. The resident is required to sign a contract for a two-year commitment.

Residency offerings: February, August

Length of residency: 16 weeks

Specifics: The ED residency is heavily based on simulation and hands-on, kinesthetic practice. The goal is to fully immerse the resident in the fast-paced realm of emergency medicine in hopes of building the critical thinking tools needed to succeed.

Residency offerings: February, September

Length of residency: Six months

Specifics: Are you an experienced RN looking to change specialties or a new grad that is interested in surgery? Choosing Valley for your residency will give you a solid foundation to begin your career as an operating room nurse.

As a public hospital that is affiliated with UW Medicine, we care for patients from diverse backgrounds and needs. During your residency you will be trained in a variety of surgical services that include General, Robotic, Vascular, Orthopedics, Spine, Neuro, Urology and Plastics. Our residency utilizes a nationally recognized training program to learn the fundamentals of circulating, which we enhance with Valley specific training to develop the finest peri-op nurses in the region. The program consists of a didactic portion where you learn via modules and lectures on pertinent topics, lab days to practice skills and clinical days with a preceptor. This is your opportunity to join a multidisciplinary healthcare team that cares for our community like family. Apply today or contact us with questions.


Sign on incentives available: See details on the Valley Medical Center careers website when applying to posted positions.

Residency offerings: February, August
NOTE: Residencies may not be open every year

Postpartum: 8-10 week residency. Specialty experiences include shadowing with lactation, labor and delivery, and a tour through sterile processing and distribution.

Labor and delivery: 12-14 week residency. Specialty experiences include shadowing with lactation, cesarean sections, antepartum care, and a tour through sterile processing and distribution.

Specifics for both of the above specialties: residency hours will be 40 hours per week or 4-5 days per week. Residency is a combination of didactic lessons with the department educator and clinical training with RN preceptors on the unit. Once residency is completed, residents may work a 0.9 FTE, which is the equivalent of three 12-hour shifts per week. The resident is required to sign a contract for a three-year commitment.

Residency offerings: February, August
NOTE: Residencies may not be open every year

Length of residency: 16 weeks

Specifics: Residency is a combination of didactic and clinical training. Clinical content includes identifying normal newborn clinical presentation, lactation, children’s therapy, and pharmacological components as it relates to the neonate. The resident is required to sign a contract for a three-year commitment.

Nurse Residency Opportunities

Learn more about a career at Valley Medical Center and our various nurse residencies.