RN Residency Program - Winter '26 Cohort App now open - Many specialties!

RN Residency Program

Gain experience, judgement, skills and confidence

Legacy Health invests in our nurses by offering an evidence-based residency program for new graduate nurses. The Legacy Health RN Residency Program helps the new nurse gain the experience, judgement, skills and confidence they need to navigate the transition to professional nursing practice from academia. The program is an Accredited Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

About the program

Designed by nurses for nurses, this unique program prepares new graduate nurses by organizing and overseeing their transition to independent professional nursing practice. Clinical experts lead an initial immersion phase that combines didactic classroom instruction, hands-on skills labs and simulations; while experienced nurse preceptors guide new nurses through unit-based shifts.

• A Core Curriculum attended by all RN residents builds skills and knowledge in alignment with Legacy Health's Registered Nurse Core Competencies, modeled after the American Nurses Association (ANA) Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice.
• Specialty Core Curricula provides focused education specific to specialty of hire, including current and emerging clinical guidelines and standards of practice.
• A minimum of 16 weeks of clinical experience led by experienced preceptors at the bedside.
• Routine debriefing sessions with trained facilitators provide a safe place to share experiences with other nurses in the program, through the first six months of hire.
• A mentor provides professional guidance for a full year. 
• Looping experiences provide exposure to other units and disciplines the RN resident will interface with as a RN.

Program requirements

• Nursing degree as required by licensure. BSN or degree in progress preferred.
• Less than one year of RN experience.
• Oregon or Washington RN license, as applicable, before the program’s start date.
• One-year employment commitment to the nursing department of hire

Specialty areas

As an RN resident, you will be hired into a specific unit at one of Legacy Health's medical centers or Unity Center for Behavioral Health. Units of hire are based on candidate preference, as well as available openings in the department.

Specialty areas

Behavioral Health (Unity Center for Behavioral Health only) 

• Adult 
• Adolescent
• Emergency 

 Typically hire 1-4 RN Residents per cohort

Oregon Burn Center (LEMC) 

• OBC is the only burn center in the state of Oregon and consists of a critical care unit and an acute care unit; we care for any patient from pediatric to geriatric, for burns, wounds and skin diseases.

 Typically hire 1-4 RN Residents per cohort

Cardiac Step-down (LEMC and LSC)

• Step-down cardiac care (acute M.I., stents, 2nd day post open hearts (LEMC only), cardioversions).

 Typically hire 1-4 RN Residents per cohort

Progressive Care Unit (LGS)

• Medical surgical telemetry unit; 50-60% of patients on telemetry; medical and overflow surgical; common patients include heart failure, end stage renal disease, pneumonia, chest pain rule out heart attack, kidney transplant, cellulitis, alcohol withdrawal, and seizure monitoring for epilepsy patients.

Typically hire 3-6 RN Residents per cohort

Critical Care 

• Neuro-Trauma (LEMC)
• Cardiovascular (LEMC)
• Medical-Surgical (all other sites)

Typically hire 3-6 RN Residents per cohort

Intermediate Care Unit

• Complex medical & surgical patients requiring cardiac telemetry, including CVA, post MI, GI Bleed, Overdose, DKA.

Typically hire 1-4 RN Residents per cohort

Emergency (all sites)

Typically hire 10-15 RN Residents per cohort

Medical Specialties with or without Cardiac Telemetry (all sites)

Typically hire 15-20 RN Residents per cohort

Surgical Specialties (all sites)

Typically hire 10-15 RN Residents per cohort

Oncology (LGS and LMP)

Typically hire 1-4 RN Residents per cohort

Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon (LGS)

Typically hire 1-4 RN Residents per cohort

Operating Room (all sites)

Typically hire 3-6 RN Residents per cohort

Family Birth/Women’s (all sites)

Typically hire 4-8 RN Residents per cohort

Trauma Step-down (TRACU; LEMC only)

• Head, spinal cord & multiple complex orthopedic injuries; neurosurgical post-operative patients; respiratory complications.

Typically hire 1-4 RN Residents per cohort

Pediatrics at Randall Children’s Hospital on the campus of Legacy Emanuel

• Acute Care. Typically hire 4-8 RN Residents per cohort
• PICU. Typically hire 0-4 RN Residents per cohort
• NICU. Typically hire 0-4 RN Residents per cohort
• Emergency. Typically hire 0-2 RN Residents per cohort

Open positions

Legacy Health is hiring students into open RN Resident positions before graduation and NCLEX. You won’t start work until you graduate and pass the NCLEX.

Don't miss out and apply today!

We are excited to offer three cohorts next year as follows:

February 9, 2026
June 29, 2026
September 21, 2026

We are currently hiring for the November 3, 2025 RN Residency Program Cohort. (The application has closed, and we are no longer accepting additional applicants.)

The application for the February 9, 2026 RN Residency Program Cohort is now open to applicants. It can be accessed using the links below, or on our nursing careers page, job #25-44154.

The deadline to apply is October 14, 2025 at 5:00pm Pacific.

• Current Legacy Health employees, click here to access our internal careers page  and search for requisition 25-44154
• External candidates, click here