Nursing at Hoag

Hoag is proud to offer a year-long evidence-based approach to the integration of a new graduate nurse from the academic setting into the acute care hospital setting. Hoag has a New Graduate Nurse Residency Program which is a proven pathway to assist new graduate registered nurses to successfully transition into clinical practice. As a Magnet facility, Hoag strongly encourages BSN graduates to apply, however, we do support our local 2 year programs and hire non-BSN graduates who are required to complete a BSN program within a 3-year period.

Some of the goals for the Nurse Residency Program are:

• Provide didactic education and clinical training that helps promote transition into practice

• Engage new graduate nurses to develop interpersonal skills that allow collaborative relationships with patients, families and the health care team.

• Hands-on learning, Simulation and Virtual Reality learning to better prepare for real clinical situations and to develop critical thinking skills.

• Improve patient outcomes

Hoag’s Residency program does not make the newly graduated nurse wait for program specific dates. Hoag’s Nursing Education offers an ongoing Residency program that allows orientation to begin during hospital offered new hire orientation and then entry into the program.

For those interested in learning more about the program please email careers@hoag.org or click here to view the document.

BSN Workforce

In 2009, the Institute of Medicine recommended that organizations strive to achieve an 80 percent BSN workforce by 2020. As a Magnet hospital, this has been a goal for Hoag Nursing. Hoag supports professional development and with the generous donation by Julia Argyros to nursing education, we have many nurses obtaining higher education and now have a 85 percent BSN or higher nurse workforce.

In 2016, Julia and George Argyros – nationally acclaimed philanthropists – attended the annual Nurses Day celebration at Hoag to announce their latest $7 million gift and present a $10 million ceremonial check representing their cumulative giving to expand nursing scholarships, and to unveil the Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence seal that is proudly displayed throughout Hoag campuses.

The support of Hoag’s renowned nursing program reflects the Argyros family’s passion and respect for nurses and the critical role they play in Hoag’s culture of quality and compassionate care.

“My sister was a nurse for more than 40 years and I saw how dedicated she was to ensuring her patients received the best care possible,” Julia Argyros said. “George and I are privileged to support Hoag’s incredible team of nurses and give them the opportunity to achieve their educational goals and further their commitment to delivering outstanding care to their patients.”

The Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence funds are used for continuing education scholarships for Hoag nurses.

“We are incredibly grateful for the Argyros’ generosity and dedication to Hoag and our nurses,” said Robert T. Braithwaite, Hoag president and CEO. “This donation will empower nurses to achieve their educational goals, take on advanced clinical roles in patient care, broaden their skillsets, mentor new Hoag nurses, and improve patient care, which is the heart of what we do.”

In 2024, Hoag announced its annual Nurse of the Year celebration a $15 million gift from philanthropists Julia and George Argyros that will further enhance Hoag’s nationally renowned nursing services and support the Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence, which funds continuing education for nurses. The generous gift brings the Argyros family’s cumulative giving to Hoag to over $32 million, which has provided thousands of scholarships to Hoag nurses.

Hoag Nurses are using their nursing knowledge and skill outside of the workplace to promote health in the community! Hoag nurses volunteer their time to provide health screening at community events and give advice on a variety of topics including diet and exercise as well as educate the public on the importance of preventative care, stroke prevention, hand washing, vaccinations, and many more.

Nurses are the foundation of any successful social health care program within a community. Hoag nurses do so much more than simply improve the health and well-being of patients who are in the hospital or receiving care at another Hoag facility. They extend that care to our community members.

Epilepsy Awareness

Hoag nurses came out to support their communities and to walk as well as provide educational resources at a booth sponsored by the Hoag Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute.

Stroke Awareness

Hoag stroke nurses and inpatient rehab team members recently participated in the 2023 Hoag Flu Shot Health Fairs and other Community Health Fairs to educate the public about BE FAST to recognize the warning signs of stroke, and the modifiable risk factors for stroke. During these events we provided over 800 stroke risk assessments, gave away over 700 BE FAST magnets and over 1300 jar openers with the stroke warning signs. The Hoag stroke program, part of the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute, is pleased to provide education to our communities to raise awareness about how to recognize a stroke and optimize risk factors for stroke prevention.

Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness

For Donate Life month, Hoag nurses helped spread awareness by giving away more than 250 Pass it On cards with organ donor registry information, along with Donate Life wristbands.These are just a few of the many examples of Hoag nurses donating their time to participate in meaningful community events.

Yes, Hoag nurses do research!

In order for Hoag nurses to have evidence-based practice, we need evidence. There’s no greater way to establish this evidence than by having hands-on experience. Doing nursing research at the bedside allows Hoag nurses to hypothesize and collect data that can lead to better patient care.

Hoag encourages and supports our nurses to get involved in research to build a solid base of evidence, which in turn builds stronger practice that benefit not only nursing but also our patients, their families and the inter-professional team.

To take a look at some of the projects Hoag Nurses do, please see the following Nursing Research Council Newsletters:

• Nursing Research Council Fall 2023