Children's Hospital Colorado
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New Graduate Nurse Residency Program

The New Graduate Nurse Residency Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado is your entry point into a meaningful career at a top-ranked pediatric hospital. We provide innovative training that exposes you to the future of children’s healthcare.

The employee-based nurse residency program at Children’s Colorado is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Our mission is to provide evidence-based support and education for pediatric nurses in their first year of transition to professional practice. We give graduates the tools, resources and support to develop as confident, competent, skilled pediatric nurses and interprofessional team members.

What our program offers

  • Well-rounded training: Our structured program includes an evidence-based curriculum, classroom instruction, clinical lab and simulation activities, a precepted clinical experience and mentorship. You’ll have many opportunities to put your knowledge into practice.
  • Guidance and support: Our residency is an investment in the next generation of nurses. With that in mind, we offer caring, evidence-based preceptor, mentor and leadership support as you transition to your professional nursing position.
  • Learning from the best: Our team members inspire each other to pursue excellence each day.

Eligibility criteria for nurse residents

Important program dates

May 2024 cohort (Denver Metro only):

  • Start Date: May 13, 2024
  • RN License and pre-employment requirements due: May 1, 2024

August 2024 cohort:

  • Start Date: Aug. 19, 2024
  • Interview Week: April 1-12, 2024
  • RN License and pre-employment requirements due: July 31, 2024

November 2024 cohort (Denver Metro only):

  • Start Date: Nov. 11, 2024
  • Application Opens: July 1, 2024
  • Apply for Full Consideration by: July 19, 2024
  • Interview Week: Aug. 5-9, 2024

Please note that everyone who has applied will receive an update regarding their application status. Thank you for your patience while we complete this process.

Our application important dates and deadlines are updated regularly with information about future cohorts. If you do not see the important dates and deadlines for the cohort you are looking for, they may have not yet been determined. Please check back for updates regarding important dates and timelines.

If candidates are offered a position in the residency program, they must be available for at least two weeks before the start date to complete all pre-hire requirements. If you have travel plans or a conflict, please make sure to notify us at the time of the verbal offer.

Application requirements

  • Cover letters (Denver Metro and Colorado Springs): Address your cover letter to the New Graduate Nurse Residency Program. At the bottom of your cover letter, list the two units in which you are most interested. The units hiring new graduate nurses vary in each cohort. Download the list of current hiring units.
  • Please ensure the following information is included in your cover letter:
    • Describe why you have chosen to apply to Children’s Hospital Colorado Nurse Residency Program, including your passion for working with the pediatric population.
    • Describe how your clinical rotations or professional work experiences have helped prepare you to succeed as a nurse at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
    • Identify the top two preference units you would like to apply for and describe what attributes you possess that would be an add to each unit’s team.
  • Please ensure the following information is included in your resume:
    • Relevant clinical rotations, clinical practicum, nurse extern/intern experiences
    • For each experience, include the following information:
      • The hospital and department in which hours were completed
      • Total number of hours for each experience
    • Additional degrees in fields other than nursing
    • Work experience with children (day care, camp counselor, sport coach, nanny, etc.)
    • Professional work experience in a healthcare setting
    • Leadership roles within healthcare settings or professional organizations
    • Membership in professional nursing organizations (SNA, Sigma Theta Tau, SPN, etc.)
    • Fluency in languages other than English
    • Volunteer experience or community work in which you have participated
  • Applying to both Denver Metro and Colorado Springs positions: You must apply to each campus individually and complete the application process for each campus. Refer to the application process below for details.
  • Please ensure the following information is included in either your resume or cover letter:
    • Volunteer experience or community work in which you have participated
    • Membership in professional nursing organizations (SNA, Sigma Theta Tau, SPN, etc.)
    • Work with children (day care, camp counselor, swim coach, nanny, etc.)
    • Professional work experience in a healthcare setting
    • Leadership roles within healthcare settings or professional organizations
    • Additional degrees in fields other than nursing
    • Fluency in languages other than English
    • Grade point average (GPA)

Application process

The application process consists of two steps. To be considered, you must have both steps completed by 11:59 p.m. MST on the close of the application period.

  1. Apply online
    • During application windows, follow the link at the top of this page to start your online application.
    • Please attach cover letter and resume (in that order) as a single document when uploading to the application (this document can be uploaded into the "resume" section of the application. You do not need to add any documents in the "cover letter" section). Title the uploaded document as "First Name Last Name Application.”
  2. Respond to the online questionnaire
    • After you have applied online, our talent acquisition team will send you an email with the link to an online questionnaire. For a quicker turnaround time, the questionnaire is linked in the job posting and can be completed right after submission of application. This questionnaire only needs to be completed once.  
    • The online questionnaire will consist of basic application information (best contact information, application requirements, etc.) and short response questions.
    • Please respond to the questionnaire within 72 hours from when it is received.
    • Please check your junk/spam folder if you do not see the email with the link to the questionnaire by the application deadline. If you still do not see the link, please email NurseResidencyProgram@childrenscolorado.org.

Important reminders

  • Please only submit one application per campus. If you are applying to both the Anschutz campus and the Colorado Springs campus, you will need to apply to both Clinical Nurse New Graduate job openings.
  • References are not required at the time you submit your application. Electronic online references will be requested if you are selected for an interview.
  • You must submit your online application to a Clinical Nurse New Graduate position by the application deadline in order to be considered.
  • You must complete both sections of the application by the deadline in order to be considered.
  • If selected for an interview, all interviews will be virtual, via Microsoft Teams.

Current employees of Children’s Colorado

If you’re an employee of Children's Colorado, please apply through HR Express on the intranet. This is the only way to alert us that you are an internal applicant.

Application status

Please confirm all parts of the application are complete before submission. After submission, you will not receive a confirmation email, but the status will show as "submitted."

We do our best to keep you updated on your status. However, due to the high volume of applicants, we cannot provide individual status updates and feedback on declined applications. Please be patient while we review all applications thoroughly, as this is a time-intensive process.

Applicants who are not selected will be informed via email.

Search available positions

View available Clinical Nurse New Graduate positions in our online database.

FAQ

At Children’s Colorado, our Nurse Residency Program provides innovative training for new nurses. Below are some of the questions applicants frequently ask about our program.

Contact information

If you have questions, please contact us via email.