Piedmont Columbus Regional honors 38 nurses at residency program celebration

Columbus, Ga. (February 20, 2026) — A total of 38 nurses from the Spring 2025 cohort completed the enhanced Nurse Residency Program and were recently recognized at a celebration. This marks the completion of their first year of nursing.

Piedmont's Transition to Practice Nurse Residency Program is a formal, structured, evidence-based, 12-month program designed to foster Piedmont nurses who are competent, confident, and committed clinicians who practice evidence-based care. Through learning and clinical experiences with preceptors, ongoing support from experienced educators, mentors and leadership, the residents are integrated into a culture that prioritizes and supports their growth.

“The goal of the program is to enhance the onboarding and residency experience of our new graduate nurses beyond just skill acquisition to address the array of challenges in the transition from student nurse to competent, confident practitioner,” said Director of Clinical Practice Andrea Wilkins-Howard.

One of the highlights of the residency program is the presentation of evidence-based projects. Nurse residents are asked to select a topic they are passionate about that links evidence-based care to practice outcomes. They conduct a literary search, develop a PICO question, create a background summary, report a summary statement based on analysis and share outcomes based off their literary searches.

“The nurse residents delivered oral presentations to nursing leadership, and these posters will be displayed over the next few weeks within their respective units,” said nurse residency program coordinator Cheryl Navarrete.

New nursing school graduates are welcomed three times a year into the organization. For more information about the program and to apply, visit Piedmont.org/Columbus.